Rechargeable aids: wanted by customers or by factories?

I have worn aids for 20 years and rechargeable aids for the last 6 years. The only way I would go back to disposable batteries is if I was offered the most modern ITE aids that wasn’t available with rechargeable batteries. Just the fact I haven’t had a battery go dead during a meeting, church service. Concert, lecture or movie is the reason I don’t want to go back to disposable batteries. Modern chargers that have built in backup battery packs even make it more convenient. And the size of the charger makes them convenient to put in your pocket or packs. My wife and I do travel but we do so by tsking our RV with us and keeping chargers and everything is even more convenient.

@Neville said:

With maybe the exception of the sphere, the features supported by rechargeable batteries are still pretty negligible IMHO.

The most advanced DSP on most brands is available only with rechargeables, even if it could work with disposables. So your experienced users may go with rechargeables after initial hesitation because it’s the only way to get the best hearing, not because they want to get away from disposable batteries.

I am “old school” (from the late 70’s) and have never been a fan of rechargeable (yes we did have rechargeable hearing aids in the 70’s). One item often not thought about is with many manufacturers limiting how old an aid can be and still be repaired (Phonak is 7 years) that means at some point when the battery needs replacing it will be time to buy new aids since they won‘t repair it anymore.

Maybe. But what I had said was that most experienced users are selecting rechargables now even before we get to talking about that.

I have a personal minor preference for traditional batteries. But I’m not going to push my own bias on my patients. But it does mean that I always bring them up, along with the potential benefits.

Most of us here have hearing bad enough that we like to have a backup pair of aids. Personally, I like having both rechargeable and disposable battery aids, both for different purposes. Going on a hot sweaty hike? Rechargeables. Walking at 6am and watching an evening movie? Disposables. The other day my rechargeables randomly decided they were done for the day after 12 hours; another day, one aid didn’t charge. So aggravating! Going on a weeklong trip to a place with limited electric outlets and bringing numerous devices that need to be fed? Disposables. Having to get up super early and don’t want to fuss with batteries when I can’t see straight? Rechargeables, at least to start the day.

I have backup aids for the possible need to have my primary aids repaired. I wear my backup aids once a month to keep the batteries refreshed and exercised.

@philbob57 said:

How are disposables cheaper?

Let’s say you change batteries once a week, which is easily achievable with 13’s or 625’s, and some people get near that with 312’s. 100 batteries/year is around $30/year, sourcing from a reliable supplier like Hearing Tracker Shop. Costco in-warehouse may be cheaper. 5 years of batteries are around $150. Buying a spare charger (probably not usable with a subsequent set of aids), or a charger mishap, could cost that much or more. So the cost advantage could go either way.

The “convenience and ease of use” is that there are nice handy little battery carriers that you keep a couple in a pocket, jacket, purse whatever and when a battery dies you simply swap it out. No panicking that the battery is dying and you need to keep hearing for a while longer. Then to leave them in a charger when they are really dead and now you have less hearing when you need it still. Then you really do need the backups. If the aids can last all day with bluetooth and tv connections and then some then great. Mine get close and I don’t use bluetooth very much at all for the most part. But I watch a few hours of tv with the connector. Not long before bed I sometimes get the first battery warning. But I worry about it and wish I had batteries to stop worrying about it. There’s a setting in the aid programming to turn the aids on when they get pulled out of the charger. I don’t have a dryer so I don’t know.

It doesn’t matter to know when the battery needs changing as you have spares and the aids are likely set up to give you warning sounds. When you have less hearing and you can’t hear the warning sound anymore then it’s time. Pull out the handy battery holder, pull the tab, count to 15 or whatever, take out the aid, open the battery door, swap out the battery, close the door and re-insert the aid and if not automatic - turn it on and away you go. No waiting to charge.

Can’t wait to not be reliant on charging every night if the battery option is still available when it comes time for new aids.

I don’t have a dog in this race, but if it helps, the current Oticon Own ITC 312 canal on a flat 65 db loss with minimum venting burn a set of 312 in 2-3 days (15 hr).

My client is contemplating going back to her CIC #10, which used to last 6-7 days.

Modern aid power requirements have jumped above the abilities of standard zinc air cells.

@z10user2 said:

… Pull out the handy battery holder, pull the tab, count to 15 or whatever, take out the aid, open the battery door, swap out the battery, close the door and re-insert the aid and if not automatic - turn it on and away you go. …

… I rest my case.

Sure. That’s the case you prefer to rest on. ie. that’s your perspective of what’s important in balance. It does NOT mean that’s the same case for all or that you’re “right”.
I rest my case on not worrying about dying aids and still need to be able to hear. It’s so simple to swap out a battery on the go and not worry about - oh no I don‘t have the charger and nor do I have time to charge and I’m getting the warning beeps and I need to be able to hear for another while.
That’s what I rest on. My perspective of what’s important.

I have been wearing aids 20 years, and the last 6 years I have worn rechargeable aids and never have I suffered a dead battery. Just like people that have disposable batteries you care spare batteries. When I wore disposable battery aids I never knew when I was going to have a battery die. And I have had too many embarrassing times when in the middle of important meetings and have had a battery die. With my rechargeable aids I know down to the hour how long my batteries will last. And like I said I have never had a dead battery. I have never had my aids go less than 15% battery life left. I do plan for that possibility. Like you carry spare batteries. I have a go pack that not only has a charger but a backup set of aids. And when I wore disposable battery aids I also had a backup set of aids. I prefer rechargeable hearing aids and definitely don’t plan on going backwards.

I have not yet been caught out with a dead aid. I knock on wood. I highly suspect usage plays a large part in battery life. If you use bluetooth to a phone and watch tv with a connector then you’re going to run down the battery quickly. If you use the aids just as aids then maybe you might go two days without charging. Maybe. All good.

I wonder why you find embarrassment in needing a new battery. Maybe the other aid is still going and you can wait for a pause in the important meeting and say excuse me while I take 30 seconds to swap a battery and then carry on. Respectable people will respect that and give you your moment.

Um_bongo gives us all something to think about though. How long would a battery last in aids using bluetooth and a tv connector. My old KS7’s with 312’s went for a week or so. But that was just aids, not bluetooth or tv connector.

My aids are always connected to my phone, and I listen to audiobooks almost all day. I watch TV by using a TV adapter, and I take phone calls fully hands free. My day wearing aids vary from 14 hours to 22 hours. My average is 16 hours my average streaming time is 6.5 hours. On average I have 35% of my battery life left at the end of the day. You see I am a researcher, analyst, and IT professional I deal with facts.

By the way the use of le audio Bluetooth uses much less battery that classic or le Bluetooth. Yes there is a difference between le audio and le Bluetooth