I wear 2 hearing aids and my husband has worn two for over 10 tears. I guess that qualifies us to coment First of all they won't be like when your hearing was perfect. They have made a lot of improvements in the past 10 years. My hearing is "moderate" and I wear ones that sit behaind the ear and has a small plaster tubing with small microphone( I guess that is what it can be called. There is probably a fancier name for it) comes around the front of the ear and sits in the ear canal. It is barely visible. It has been set by an audiologist to give me the best hearing I an expect.. Where It is minimally effective is when sitting in church and trying to hear what is being said or in a conference room with a lot of people and the speaker moving about on the platrform. But, it is a great improvement for most other type venues. I don't say, "WHAT" nearly as often. Some can be fitted to block background noise. Some people have just gotten used to not hearing everything, and sometimes that can be nice. :-)) , and it is bothersome hearing loud sounds again. My husband is profoundly deaf ( 70% loss). His hearing aid fits behind the ear and has a molded ear piece that was fitted for his ear inside the ear canal. It is more visible, but not bad. Cost is terrible. I did not get the ones with all the bells and whistles. I'm retired and my lifestyle did not seem to require them and I'm happy with the ones I have. They came with a 2 week free trial and a 1 year guarantee. I don't think that I would buy anything with less. I have had them for 3 years and no problems. I wear them about 50% of the time. They were $3000 for the pair. My husband has to wear his all the time. He just got a new pair after 11 years. They were more expensive due to the custom fitting in the ear canal. He has no choice as to type of fitting. They came with a 3 yr. guarantee. I think there are lesser expensive ones like his with maybe 1 yr. guarantee. They were $5000. Yes I swallowed twice also when he told me. Keep in mind, he could not drive safely or do the work he does without them, not to mention communicate with me. This is lengthy, but hope it gives you a better picture about hearing aids. Some people are never happy with what they buy and end up putting them in a box and quessing at what they hear. Good luck!

Both companies have been around for awhile and I'm guessing they are of comparable quality. (I have Oticon.) The more relevant decisions would be to identify the style (behind the ear, in the canal, etc.) and features that you will benefit from having. Do you really need a hearing aid with a remote and TV receiver that can also blue tooth with your smartphone? Features like these are what really drive the prices up.

I recommend you investigate the models offered by Sam's Club. An advantage of Sam's Club is availability of service after purchase. Hearing aids that are used every day may need service after 2 years. Most of these do not have an on-off switch. These are turned on by closing the battery door and the battery door is partially opened to turn off. The battery door is held closed by some sort of plastic detent and this wears out or the plastic 'spring' weakens. Repair is simple by replacing the battery door, and at this point, the user discovers the difference between brands - availability and cost of service! When I needed hearing aids, my doctor referred me to his group audiologist. A hearing test was made and an audiogram produced. A pair of hearing aids from the Doctor cost from $3000 and up. I opted to try a pair offered by my insurance (United Health). These cost in the neighborhood if $1200 to $1400, but were not available locally. I had to send a copy of my audiogram to Minneapolis, MN where the hearing aids were programmed and mailed to me. These H. aids had the receiver (speaker) in the hearing aid case and the sound was sent to the ear via an air tube and ear bud. At first, I was satisfied with these. After one year, the flimsy batter door was loose. That's when I found there were no repair stations in or near my metropolitan area. There were sales offices, but no repair. To get repair, one had to ship the units back to Minneapolis and arrange payment via phone or internet. Meanwhile, the user is without aids, I do not know the turn-around time in Minneapolis; I estimate the entire process would take a minimum of 2 weeks. If your hearing changed, a new sonogram would be needed and again, a 2 week process to get the change. It was at this point where I began to look for alternatives. The hearing aids i purchased from Sam's Club were higher quality ( and higher priced). A hearing test to make the sonograms was available in the store at no additional charge. I chose a pair of digital hearing aids with telecoils. These aids had storage for 4 different programs. 2 microphones within each unit, and the receiver in the ear canal. The programs currently in my aids are normal, noisy environment, and telecoil. There's room for one more program if needed. These aids cost $2000 for the pair. I added replacement insurance in case of loss, failure, or damage. There are telephones that can couple to telecoils. (Most phones do not have this option.) Telecoil coupling to a phone greatly helps with phone calls. Also, it can be useful in auditoriums and theaters when present. In a 2 year period, I have had only one occasion where I was able to use the telecoil and that was at a lecture in a library auditorium. It was great. We have movie theaters that supposedly have telecoil capability, but apparently, they do not activate it by default. I do plan to get a telecoil phone when we replace our present one. My left ear is very bad so I hold the phone to my right ear. However, Its very awkward to write notes since I am right handed. I've had this pair from Sam's Club for more than 2 years. When I took these in for new battery doors, they also re-tested my hearing and re-programmed the hearing aids at no charge. Prompt service is an important item.

I got my Kirkland 9.0 aids (made by Sonova, Switzerland) in October 2019, following a free evaluation and customization by a Costco tech (not an 'audiologist'). These are 'open ear', with a tiny speaker in the ear connected by a slim wire to the microphone/booster behind the ear. This is not the molded plug that shuts out all ambient sound. My hearing loss is not significant, but I'm glad I got these. The all-in cost was $1500 for the pair, exam, fitting and any future service calls. I'm well satisfied with them. If I've failed to insert them when dressing in the morning, I'll go get them to be able to understand the TV without cranking up the sound. I 'hear around' them for telephone calls, but could pair them with the phone. When it's safer, I'll go back to have these adjusted as I know my hearing has worsened. Being able to hear is important for my ability to be involved in life around me. Science says the brain starts shutting off some pathways when we can't hear and react.