Ive worn for 18 years with disposable batteries. Battery life lasted approximately 4 days. I always carried extra batteries on my key chain & each night after cleaning my I stored them in a sealed pill bottle full of silica gel. Now my new aids are rechargeable & for my lifestyle I have to give the edge to disposable batteries.
With rechargeable I am now tethered by a power cord & a charger that can break or get lost. It’s one more item to keep up with when traveling.
Last week I was subjected to a 4 day power outage due to a hurricane. I evacuated to our cabin in the woods that also had no electricity. I had to compete with 3 phones for charging time & each night before bed I had to walk 50’ in the dark across a snake infested yard to plug my aids into the truck - and each morning reverse the procedure. (I guarantee, you dont need HAs to hear a rattler!)
Due to the confusion of evacuating, I was worried about the charger getting misplaced or damaged. I plan on buying an extra charger for ‘just in case’
Now with my Signia Pure’s I stream music most of the day (12 hours +) while being able to converse; something I couldnt do with #10 batteries. BTW my audiologist said the batteries would last 3 years.
I agree! I’ve had my rechargeable Starkey for about a year now. I wear them about 16 hours a day, and they’ve never gone out on me. My charger itself will stay charged on its own for several days without being plugged in. I will never go to replaceable batteries because of the inconvenience of changing batteries, etc. I have arthritis and some neuropathy in my fingers and those tiny batteries just wouldn’t be doable for me.
Hello, I started the original thread. I am considering the Rexton Motioncore Hearing aids available in rechargable or battery. I started considering new hearing aids when I sent my 4 year old Resound hearing aids back for repair and Costco let me use a set of Rexton as loaners. I was amazed how clear they were and how natural they sounded compared to my Resounds. Resound is the only hearing aid brand I have ever used. I appreciate anymore input that you fine people may have. If needed I can start a new thread.
Does anyone remember how long it took Oticon to also offer the Opn S with disposable battery after introducing the flagship rechargeable version? Mainly due to my active life pre-covid (night-long music raves, going camping etc) and possibly not always having a power outlet close by I am strongly biased against a rechargeable hearing aid, therefore I am trying to gauge how long it might take Oticon to introduce their Oticon More with disposable batteries.
Secondly, of the features that Phonak only offers for the rechargeable version of their Audeo P90 , which do you think are absolutely indispensable? From what I gather, the differences are that the rechargeable ones have motion sensors (accelerometers) and a tap control (that only seems to work well for some people) that the battery versions don’t offer. Is there anything else that differs and do those two things really matter?
On my journey to get new hearing aids after 5 years, I might convince myself to get rechargeables if absolutely necessary but I’d really prefer it if I didn’t have to!
No clue regarding when Oticon might come out with a disposable battery powered More model. It wouldn’t surprise me if they didn’t. It’s pretty clear the trend is towards rechargeables. I don’t think the rechargeable Phonak Paradise have any “must have” features, but of course that depends on the user. @Blacky should be able to add clarification, but I think you pretty much covered the differences.
I transitioned from replaceable battery Oticon Opn 1 to the Phonak P90RT. The tap-tap feature is shockingly convenient. I have never suffered from lack of battery life. I wear the aids from 0500 to 2300 each day and I drive power receivers.
@VinceJ@MDB many thanks to both of you for answering my questions! Perhaps I should try out the rechargeables after all and test how long they last with and without streaming. Looking forward to start testing soon when I have my prescription
For someone who started out wearing hearing aids with rechargeable batteries, I’m sure this topic is moot. But for those who have used disposable batteries for years - its a different world switching to rechargeable. Rechargeable batteries have come a long way, since when they first came out there were a lot (a lot) of complaints. Now I believe most of the early battery issues have been addressed.
So I’m currently gathering information on the Oticon More and I agree with MDB that we might never see the More aid with disposable batteries. I think I can live with that (if I happen to buy this new aid) but what I can’t live without is drying any new aid on a routine basis. Especially during months of high humidity. Cliff Olson seems to think the Oticon battery charger works well, yet explain to me how you’re going to dry your hearing aids using this charger? Are you supposed to charge you aids for three hours, then take them and move them into aid dryer? That’s not going to work at all.
Then we have the issue of aid dryer heat and batteries. Yes the two can live together because at night I usually place my aids in Dry and Store aid Dryer-Sanitizer with dry-brik. Yea this dryer has been around for ever but it works extremely well and will certainly extend the life of your hearing aid. I’ve been told (and know) leaving battery in (open battery door position) while in Dry and Store probably diminishes that battery by an hour. Well I can live with that with a 675 battery that last two weeks.
But how does a rechargeable battery deal with night time drying heat? And does Oticon make a dryer/battery charger combo that works in tandem? That would be great if it doesn’t cost an arm and a leg.
Recharging processes typically induce a bit of heat. We see it on phones and most anything else. The Phonak recharging is not wireless but that small amount of heat might serve to dry the hearing aid internals. In fact, not being wireless might be intentional to avoid excessive heat. Frankly, I have have never noticed a warm hearing aid in the morning but the recharge cycle finished hours before I harvest them from charger. I would think Oticons would behave similarly when they are available.
@elnino The motion sensors are what enable tap control. Tap control is not a must have but really is pretty handy and after I used it there was no going back. I find it works great and it allows me to answer the phone and check text messages (via Google assistant) while still working ( fixing bikes)
I also find the motion sensor enhances hearing in busy environments, such as in the shop or when out walking with people.
There are a number of ways to recharge the Paradise in the field. I was able to use mine and keep them charged during a 7 day backpacking trip using the combo charging case & battery. You can also charge via battery bank and the mini case.
I typically wear my aids for 12-13 hours and have plenty of power. They also recharge very quickly if you need to top them off.
I would prefer rechargeables with an option to use a disposable battery as a backup.
What if after COVID-19 is gone, I want to take a trip to a place where reliable electricity is not available? What if I want to travel and minimize baggage to one carry-on and a charger is just added weight and bulk?
Seems to me rechargeable batteries are great for the environment, but not having a backup is not great for someone with hearing loss.
@JBC that does all sound pretty good, tbf. My plan is to test out the rechargeables, and if I feel like I absolutely don’t need the additional features they offer/run into problems with their battery life I can always change back. In all fairness, situations where I absolutely need them charged for more than, say, 24 hours which don’t allow me to take an hour or so off to charge them only arise once or twice a month, and in that case I can bring my old hearing aids as back-up . In all other situations your suggestions should serve me just fine!
One thing I am really interested in is the real life battery life of the new Oticon More’s. They say 24 hours but obviously this really depends on a lot of factors.
@BobbyBoomer that would indeed be ideal, however, I don’t think any of the major hearing aid brands offer something like this.
I personally don’t think that will happen. Z Power tried and they had lots of problems. However, there are power packs and depending on how long you were going to be away from a power plug, there are power packs that use 18650 batteries which would add minimal bulk (you could carry extra batteries)
If you want to keep your aid for a long period of time with no (internal moisture issues) you need way way more heat then provided by a battery recharge. You need something that dries and sanitizes at the same time. You need prolonged heat and ultra violent light to dry your aid especially in hot, humid months in the South, Mid-West and East coast. Moisture is one of the direct killers of receivers and if moisture is not eliminated on a routine basis, aids will suffer from early damage. Plus what do you do if you happen to walk in the shower with your aids on? Put them in a battery charger for minimal heat. Don’t think so.
Every Audi I’ve met or worked with say aids needs to be “cooked” on a regular basis - but that refers to aids with disposable battery. And believe me desiccants pads don’t work. I know there’s been extension discussion on various drying units and Abram has offered a few that look interesting, but I would need to know how the new More aid can be used in conjunction with a power aid drier on a nightly basic during hot, humid months where I live.
MDB, that is true. I had Z Power with my Oticons and after a few months the batteries didn’t hold enough charge to last all day. I got new batteries, and the second pair was worse.
Before COVID I took a vacation every year. Most include flying and no matter how long I’m gone, I take one carry-on bag and that’s it.
In 2018, the year of our honeymoon, I spent 5 weeks in a camper van in Australia, including a couple of weeks in the out-back. I don’t think rechargeables would have served me well there.
I do love the idea of rechargeable aids, which is why I spent extra money for the Z-Power/Oticon option, but without battery backup I won’t buy them.
That only applies to me. Others might do very well with them.
I’m not particularly sold on rechargeables, but a 5 week camper van trip doesn’t sound like much of a challenge. Hopefully one could find a 12 volt charger, but if not a small inverter should do the trick. I used to go on multi day trips doing caving trips using rechargeable batteries for headlamps–it was never a issue although it did require a little planning. (I use rechargeable batteries for headlamps because they put out more light) The one advantage of aids with disposeable batteries that I see is that they have a foolproof reboot method. Open and close the battery doors and one is good to go!
The charger that came with my Resound Quattro rechargeable hearing aids actually has a battery inside that can charge the hearing aids 2-3 times without having to be plugged in. Basically means you can charge your hearing aids daily but only have to charge the charger every 3 days. In all honestly, even with a day of heavy streaming (ie. business calls and watching TV via the Streamer), my hearing aids rarely get down below 50% and I wear them from about 7:00 am until midnight most days.
Moisture is one of the direct killers of receivers and if moisture is not eliminated on a routine basis, aids will suffer from early damage
Relative to the comment that rechargeable batteries have come a long way, I think that’s also true of moisture resistance, at least for receivers, if not the bodies themselves. Many HA’s these days are rated ip68. I’ve worn my receivers usually for 14 to 16 hours per day, sometimes more when I fall asleep while wearing my HA’s(!). I have ~a closed fit (~no venting). I don’t make any special effort to dry out my HA’s other than letting them sit out at room temperature and charging them for no more than 50 min per day or so. My right and left receivers are still going strong 2.3 years after purchase. (I have had problems with my left HA body, which I think is ReSound QC and nothing to do with moisture since my right HA body is still the original). If Apple can make a watch that’s water-resistant to 50 METERS and has a decent microphone and speaker, then HA makers are really a backwards lot if they can’t at least soon make an HA that’s water-resistant to the moisture in your ear canal and your sweat.
The main drawback of rechargeables that I see is that if you live in a hot climate, like southern Texas, Arizona, etc., you probably won’t get as much battery lifespan out of your rechargeables there. The ReSound instructions, for example, say not to use your rechargeables over 104 deg F (40 deg C) and it’s easy to go over those temperatures in the many places in the southwest US. A hot parking lot can easily be 135 deg F.
On going places with no electricity and electricity being unreliable, the ReSound “premium” charging case holds > 3 full charges of 30 hours. The HA’s hold 30 hours fully charged. That’s 120 hours of use (3/4 of a week) between having to recharge the case and HA’s (and then off to another 120 hours of use away from electricity). Buy a 2nd recharging case as a spare, you have ~1.5 weeks of use between electrical outlets. So “I’m going places where electricity is unreliable” is kinda of a strawman. In our civilized world, it’s a rare person that goes 1.5 weeks or more completely away from electricity and with a little bit more ingenuity, you could recharge your HA’s from your car, your RV, your ATV, your outboard, etc. It almost seems like an argument akin to “I’m never going to sell Nelly! Cars are so unreliable. There are so few gas stations and repair shops and most of the roads are dirt and gravel and will quickly kill those durn Model T’s. I’m sticking with my hoss Nelly forever!” The times they are a-changing.
Edit_Update: Actually my calculation of 120 hours of charge being 3/4 of a week of use is in error. If you only wear your HA’s 14 hours a day, 120/14 = ~8.5 days of use. 210/14 = ~15 days use with a spare case. With streaming, you’ll get less use. Streaming 12 hours per day for the Quattro’s according to ReSound, reduces useful charge a factor of 0.8, or to 6.8 days and 12 days of use streaming 12 hours a day with one or two premium charging cases as backup.
@MDB - you forget, I travelled to Australia with one carry-on bag. And these days, carry on bag limits are small and lightweight.
I don’t put things in the belly of a plane. I learned in the first 6 months when I was a field engineer that way too many bags don’t make it to the destination on time, and some don’t make it at all.
Weight and bulk in one carry-on were at a premium, especially for a 5-week vacation, mostly away from the big cities and civilization with temperatures ranging from about 95F in the north to 40F in the south.
There were other things left home that I would have liked to pack, way more important than a charger as long as I can pack enough disposable batteries, and they fit between clothes quite easily.
If there is a reasonable choice for my ears, I will not choose rechargeable aids unless there is a means also running them from a disposable. YMMV
Wales, UK
Toronto, Canada