Hats and hearing protection

[GManBart]

I recently bought a Digital hearing aid from Costco, It's a very complicated gizmo, has lots of bells and whistles.
It works pretty good (none are as good as your own ears), takes some getting used to, and yes, I paid $1400 for it at costco !
$100?

I call BS..
So far, So good.

In the past year to two, my father, as well as two guys I work with, have gotten the new style hearing aids. They are also the digital kind that you wear for a few weeks, and go back to get the data analyzed, and have the levels adjusted. All three have nothing but good to say about them, aside from their cost. One of the guys had an unusual health coverage plan that paid for all but maybe $100 or so...he was tickled. I can't imagine a $100 model could come even close to what these guys are reporting.

 

[Industrial Toys]

Do a Google search for "CBC Marketplace hearing aids high markup"

The BS is only in how the consumer is getting massively screwed!

 

[bajabum]

Well, there's probably 3-4 thousand dollars worth of parts in a tractor, how much markup do you think there is there?
Could you design, make parts and assemble said tractor yourself and provide warranty and parts for the lifetime of the unit?
For only the cost of the parts?

Why doesn't the socialist system of canadian medicine provide hearing aids for free, or at least at cost?
Or send you a $60 bag of parts and let you put it together...

Ya tend to get what ya pay for...

My filthy capitalist insurance paid for most of my H/A.

 

[bigtiller]

This seams like a good place to insert some information from aboutchemistry.com of what the human body is worth. It seams to me that there is quite a bit of value added by assembly from experienced hands.

Have you ever wondered how much the elements in your body are worth? First, let's take a look at the elements from which you are made. Your body is approximately:
65% Oxygen
18% Carbon
10% Hydrogen
3% Nitrogen
1.5% Calcium
1% Phosphorous
0.35% Potassium
0.25% Sulfur
0.15% Sodium
0.15% Chlorine
0.05% Magnesium
0.0004% Iron
0.00004% Iodine
Your body contains trace amounts of other elements, such as silicon, manganese, fluorine, copper, zinc, arsenic and aluminum. What is the going rate for a body's worth of these elements? One US dollar! Are you surprised?
Let's see if we can bump the price up a bit. If you're looking to make a buck with your bod, your best bet would be to sell individual organs, but since that's illegal, an alternative might be to tan your hide for use as leather. Your skin would be worth about $3.50 if it were sold at the price of a cowhide, which runs around $0.25 per square foot. So, if you take a dollar's worth of elements plus the value of your skin, you might be able to get $4.50, which we'll round up to $5, so you'll feel better about your chemical value.

 

[TKSalty]

I recently bought a Digital hearing aid from Costco, It's a very complicated gizmo, has lots of bells and whistles.
It works pretty good (none are as good as your own ears), takes some getting used to, and yes, I paid $1400 for it at costco !
$100?


And in case you don't realize it; hearing aids only last 3 to 5 years. I've already worn out 2 pairs of hearing aids, and I followed all of the instructions for how to maintain them. They were high end models and they all quit at three years.

 

[Industrial Toys]

Why doesn't the socialist system of canadian medicine provide hearing aids for free, or at least at cost?
Or send you a $60 bag of parts and let you put it together... (QUOTE)

Because I can't see what I am doing, and they don't cover Eye glasses either!

BUT, If you are a newly arrived Immigrant, you probably qualify for the GOLD PLATED Health care coverage nothing like the crappy and increasingly scaled back coverage that seniors (which built this country) are afforded! Makes me SICK!

 

[techwrtr2]

Slight side not about plugs.

The kind you describe are great for tractor/loud engine protection, but aren't a complete solution for anybody who shoots, or is exposed to loud sounds created by something that also causes increased air pressure. Pressure from the gun going off is transmitted to the small bones of the inner ear through the soft tissue just below, and behind your ear....kind of a soft spot. That can ultimately cause as much hearing loss as sound/pressure that hits your eardrum. That's why I wear both molded plugs, and electronic noise-canceling muffs....you can increase the muff volume to the point you can hear fine, even with the plugs in.

That's an interesting thing to consider, I'd never thought of the pressure change being an issue. For shooting I use over the ear muffs and have used plugs with them. Plugs seem to bother my ears (at least the ones I've gotten lately) so I stick to the muffs.

 

[sparc]

I wear these disposable earplugs every day at work and at home I use muffs when doing yard work or when using a cordless nailer, grinding, chainsaw, shooting clays, operating the tractor or bobcat. I think the bobcat is the loudest of the bunch because you are sitting on 2 feet from the motor and there is no sound shielding on my old M610.

I find the EAR Pushins to be the most comfortable and easiest to insert for me. No one plug will work for everyone, if your employer only offers on style earplug, you should ask them to offer one or two others. The price of all the disposable plugs are pretty close so won't cost much more and besides they can't say we not going to supply style x plugs because they cost too much, OSHA won't let them get away with that. Like your eyes nothing can replace the function lost when your hearing or sight are gone. Protect them now before its too late.

I got all my neighbors wearing hearing protection when cutting their lawns now by giving them a couple pairs of disposable ear plugs. They see me wearing my muffs all the time and after hearing the difference wearing earplugs made they went out and bought a pair of muffs for themselves.

 3M™ E-A-R™ Push-Ins™ Corded Earplugs, Hearing Conservation 318-1001 in Poly Bag 400 PR/Case: PPE Safety Solutions - 3M United States

 

[Spindifferent]

Consider these wide-brim hats:

Wide Brim Hats for Men

While not very fashionable, this hat provides lots of shade:

Adventure Hat

I rarely go outside without mine.

 

[bigbull338]

i wear a cap everyday of the year.an i dont wear hearing protector at all.all i need to protect from the sun is my bald head.cant live your life worring about skin cancer.