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Oh My - Has Phonak stopped using disposable batteries?

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In reply to @Herbhornist

Yeah @Herbhornist, I am most fortunate to have 3 sets of aids, all with disposable batteries, Phonak M90 ’s 105db receivers with custom acrylic molds, p 13 batteries, still running perfect after 4 years or so, I ware them occasionally on rotation… Naida M70’s , custom molds, given to me by the NHS, free at point of service, again p13 batteries, got these new about 18 months ago, they are excellent aids… Naida P90 UP BTE with 675 batteries, again with custom molds, are my favourite aids, probably my favourite ever, wonderful aids for severe/profound loss, with excellent streaming connectivity, now 2 YO, (I have saved up for a new set of Naida UP Lumity 675’s, and I am awaiting their appearance) although the P90’s are still going strong, each of the 3 sets has Roger X receiver licenses installed, P90’s & M70’s have 2 x type (2) in each set of aids, M90 have a set of type (3)… I use these in conjunction with several Roger devices, Roger On, Select, Pen, Inspiro, Touch, Pass Around the Mic, 90% of these where bought very cheaply on eBay, some where unbelievably so, for instance the “Pass Around the Mic” cost £10 + P&P, so around £15 max, PATM cost nearly £500 new! I do like a bargain, like most folks… The downside of having a spare set of rechargeable aids as backup is obvious, a PITA with battery management… Cheers Kev :wink:

In reply to @kevels55

Kev,

I got nervous about all this battery talk and ordered a backup pair of Naida Paradise UP P90’s. I already had backup molds. I ordered them from overseas at a good price, new but sans warranty. I cannot see Lumity or next generation being any better. Since I have Roger and TV Connector, I figure I am good for another 10 years. Well, that aids are good; I may not make it.

Yeah @pclewis, I understand as they are excellent aids, I am quite happy to wait for the next iteration of Naida, whenever that appears, I am not particularly fussed if that’s a year or 2 down the line? If you can get a fairly friendly A.uD to do that will make a big difference, I transferred all the settings on my Naida M70’s which had REM done (Via the NHS), over to the Naida P90’s, and fortunately that worked straight off the bat… big difference in clarity! Cheers Kev :wink:

Edited

I saw my audiologist yesterday for my annual check. I talked to him about my dislike of rechargeable batteries. They don’t last more than 15 or sohours and I don’t stream at all.

I’ll start a thread of my own. I wasn’t happy when I got home.

DaveL
Toronto

edit: Wife’s words were, “You don’t hear as well. Every time you see him…” and there were more.

Yep @DaveL… As you are no doubt aware, there are many perils with rechargeable aids… Disposable batteries are presently the wiser option, especially if you are highly dependent on your hearing aids, “Once bitten, twice shy” as the saying goes, I assume you will be opting for disposable next time round? Rechargeable aids are wonderful for Mild/Moderate & Moderately Severe, you can probably just get bye with a struggle without your aids, they don’t cut it for the Severe/Profound losses, not truthfully enough rechargeable battery power, at present, but hopefully that will change in the not too distant future, with the proviso that the manufacturers give us an easy access to a rechargeable battery door, so if, and when they degrade, we can swap them out… Or we can carry pre-charged spare batteries, to avoid any range anxiety, and obviously extend the life of these aids… I think rechargeable aids are the obvious choice for the vast majority of the worlds , there are also some ethical considerations for both types of devices, mining of Lithium & Cobalt is ethically questionable, with strong allegations of Child slave labour used in the mining process! Although, the same goes for the disposal of either product, obviously disposable need a very much bigger landfill, but neither types of aids, are not anywhere near “net zero”, on the carbon footprint scale… Perhaps there is room for development of a duel battery hearing aid, one that will work with rechargeable or disposable, that way all the bases are covered… As always, YMMV… Cheers Kev :wink:

Edited

edit: Kev thanks for your response. I’ve been tolerant of rechargeable batteries all my life. Today’s are better than the ones that failed prematurely in the past.
However, I regret accepting rechargeable batteries in my current hearing aids. I had a choice.
Sincerely
Dave

In reply to @kevels55

@kevels55 said:

Rechargeable aids are wonderful for Mild/Moderate & Moderately Severe, you can probably just get bye with a struggle without your aids,

I can do without the struggle, thank you. All things being equal, and assuming proper handling of both kinds of aids, rechargeables will always have more points of failure. Excluding individual needs involving moisture exposure, dexterity, vision, etc., etc.

@x475aws said:

All things being equal, and assuming proper handling of both kinds of aids, rechargeables will always have more points of failure. Excluding individual needs involving moisture exposure, dexterity, vision, etc., etc.

Well, yeah…

Again (and again): I recharge my phone with no issues. It’s the same with my . Simple, fail proof. In fact, battery aids have more points of failure, if you include broken battery doors, moisture, dexterity, visions etc etc etc.

but both options are pretty darn good if you take care of your aids!

In truth @jeffrey, I have never seen a battery door failure in over 30 years of using aids, it has never been an issue… In fact, when I worked with deaf services, part of my job was small repairs to hearing aids, tubing replacements, broken ear hooks, cleaning aids, that type of thing, I don’t ever recall a broken battery door failure, and I handled literally hundreds of aids… I use a drier every night, so moisture is never an issue, but granted dexterity is a major issue for some older folks, that and the molds/domes not being seated home properly in the ears, and them whistling Dixie constantly, and the older person oblivious to the racket coming from their aids :upside_down_face: Cheers Kev :wink:

In reply to @jeffrey

Bottom line - users want choices. They don’t want to be forced into buying something (expensive) that really doesn’t meet there needs, especially so if a HA doesn’t work because rechargeable battery has died after X amount of hours.

When you think about it someone using a rechargeable hearing aid battery has to constantly be “on alert” when that rechargeable battery is going to shut down. Is it going to happen after 14 hours of use? Sixteen hours of use? Eighteen hours of use? Etc. That to me is stressful since its groundhog day, day after day after day.

And please correct me if I’m wrong here but I’ve always felt as a battery weakens and get closer to its “end cycle” be in rechargeable or disposal performance of one’s hearing aid diminishes. I’m talking the last 2 to 4 hours of battery life, where battery declines or shall we say “weakens” performance of aid someone is wearing.

With large disposable batteries - there is peace of mind. Not so necessarily with rechargeable.

In reply to @jeffrey

@jeffrey said:

In fact, battery aids have more points of failure, if you include broken battery doors, moisture, dexterity, visions etc etc etc.

If you include those, maybe yes. But as an individual who, at present, doesn’t have dexterity or vision or moisture issues, disposables are likely to be more reliable and longer-lasting for me, so I want to stick with them.

I’m planning to trial Oticon Real this summer. My audiologist doesn’t have 312 battery demo units, so I’ll be trialing rechargeables, with the intention of buying 312’s if they work out. Maybe I’ll see the light and fall in love with rechargeables. I doubt it, but you never know.

For those who travel quite often, a rechargeable is a hassle as you have to pack the charger. I also recently trialed Resound rechargeable aids. As I had the option to return them for battery aids I asked the question of how long the rechargeable batteries were expected to last. Answer - 4 years. The salesman stated I could send them in at the end of the 3 year warranty period to replace the batteries etc. After trialing the rechargeable’s and quizzing the audiologist a little more, that answer changed to “Probably”. For me, that translated to “More than likely Not”. The cost to replace the batteries was $250 for each aid, $500 total at todays price. I can buy a years supply of 312 batteries for less than $20 as I do not wear them everyday.

As one with XL hands, my previous Starkey ’s used size 10’s and was not a problem for me to change. The size 312’s are a breeze. Hope that helps in your decision.

I have a spare charger in the car but obviously if my K10s haven’t charged properly overnight, I have to use my old while they are charging at work. I carry them at all times in my bag for emergencies. But it is ridiculous that I need to carry spare charger and spare HAs.

I have a pair of Phonak Marvels.

I prefer disposal disposable batteries as if the power runs out, I’m back up and running in 30 seconds.

If I have rechargeable batteries there is always the chance I’ll forget to charge them or there’ll be a power cut overnight or some other reason that they won’t last the day.

In reply to @Sarge

We have customers who wear Resound aids; due to the issues with early Resound recharging, I insisted that they ship with a five year warranty. Resound replaces all warranty failures within the 5 year period, whether that’s battery or other faults. GN knows they don’t last five years, but they do honour their warranties.

Some earlier fitted Oticon aids seem to have struggled with battery life too, especially with the HP receiver. The technology isn’t perfect, but it’s better than cleaning out the detritus and rust from mangled battery compartments.

Edited

In reply to @x475aws

@x475aws said:

I’m planning to trial Oticon Real this summer. My audiologist doesn’t have 312 battery demo units, so I’ll be trialing rechargeables, with the intention of buying 312’s if they work out.

They may not have a rechargeable demo available for my appointment, so they’re ordering a 312 set for me, to demo and then buy if it works out. Very nice. In a way I was looking forward to trying rechargeables, if for no other reason than it would give me personal experience to back up my opposition to them. But I won’t miss packing the charger for flight to see grandkids, and then (most annoying, I think) having to take the charger from the hotel to the house every day, just in case.

Of course, anyone who can put up with hearing aids can learn to deal with the additional complications of rechargeables. Kind of like a frog being boiled slowly…

I have no argument with those who need or prefer rechargeables, or whose hearing aid of choice is only available as rechargeable. Hopefully they don’t have a problem with my not wanting to adopt them when I’m doing fine with disposables.

“Electric cars are traveling 1000km in a single charge. This is available in China.”

I am a retired electricla engineer and I have been following electric vehicle tech for over 30 years.

No offense to you, sir, but I literally find this impossible to believe in a normal consumer available hiway safe vehicle. People have regularly developed concept cars to pull off a specific goal and I suspect that is the case here.

My Resound One’s are almost 2 years old. Still have 40%+ charge at end of 16 hour days. For me, rechargeables are the only aid i would buy. But I understand and respect those that choose batteries. Its just a personal individual choice and there is no right or wrong in which works best. Its what works best for you.
I did find it interesting that some bring up a hospital stay as their justification for batteries. I kept asking myself, how often do they stay in hospitals for that to be the main consideration? But, to each their own…

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