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Dear Phonak, your Lumity battery isn't good enough

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In reply to @x475aws

Thanks for the information. The information online seems to push the rechargeable hearing aids. Unfortunately my health insurance only supports Hear USA. Now it is difficult to find any in Hear USA who is willing to learn the other brands. I did find one HIS who knows Phonak. Sadly I have been waiting months to get the Paradise hearing aid. I may have to just go outside of Hear USA.
Thanks again.

Thanks for explaining that. It didn’t occur to me, obvious as it is in hindsight, that the choices listed online aren’t necessarily available to everyone. Could be for reasons other than insurance restrictions too. Like, a paucity of providers in a geographical area. Sales statistics may not reflect what people would want if they were given a choice, and an informed choice.

Well said. That’s the main reason I chose not to stick with Phonak any more after 7 years because I share your concerns. Going Rechargeable exclusively is the worst ever idea I could think of about making a hearing aid. Phonak is definitely not the only one who made this blunder.

If only Phonak weren’t still selling in 312 and 13 versions and in 312, 13 and 675. Then this whole thread would make sense.

In reply to @kevels55

Another visit to my provider, whom I have used for 20 years or more - but a 2 hour drive to get there now as I moved to a retirement community outside of the Toronto area, My prior Naida used the X2 receiver which wont work with the new Naida and Roger ON, So a new compatible receiver is on order and the provider lent me his compatible receiver. The new setup did not seem loud enough in my new unit and then wouldn’t connect. Provider gave me email instructions to get up and running. Had to disconnect Bluetooth on my phone in order for the Roger ON to connect properly. Then he sent me a pdf with instructions to boost up the default volume with the new receiver. I chose to bump it up by 6.5 and will see how this goes. Our family gathering for Christmas is in a few days so I am glad we are functional now. This will be a healthy trial.

They have a 675 and a 312 will be out in the spring. The 13 is on the paradise line, which despite the Kool aid isn’t that different.

In reply to @ladyditexas

That’s kind of the crux of this “issue.” One can’t always get what one wants. It comes off to some of us like walking into an ice cream place with 31 flavors and complaining that they don’t have banana pistachio flavor.

If it must be an ice cream analogy, here’s a more apropos one that also trivializes people’s hearing concerns a bit less: It’s like an ice cream shop boasting a menu with 31 flavors in a cone or a cup, except that when you ask for chocolate in a cup you’re told “If you want a cup then pick another flavor. We serve chocolate only in a cone.”

I remember reading that Paradise and Lumity use the same processor. If so, how much design and development could a Lumity 312 take when there’s already a Paradise 312?

In reply to @dacuttler

Also, there are many rural improvised areas where hearing aids are solar powered because even buying batteries is not an option. There are several organizations providing solar power hearing aids for children and adults who need them but can’t afford them.

In reply to @jburt

@jburt
When I received my Phonak Paradise P90R’s I used myPhonak to setup a program so I could hear better. I was in a noisy restaurant. I forgot to turn it off when I left. My batteries lasted about 8 hours. 4 normal hours with the default program; 4 hours with my cooked “noisy place” program.

I don’t have Lumity hearing aids. Are they the same?

In reply to @1Bluejay

My rechargeable aids came with a carrying case that holds three full charges before having to be recharged itself. That’s about five days of charges without power in the house.

Many folks have in home power packs to charge their cell phones if the power goes out.

Yes, you are right on both counts, and I do keep a small, travel-size battery pack handy as well as a much larger GoZero power station inverter here. Ye Gods, without aids, I may as well set off canons all day just for the fun of it. I’d never hear them, but would see the SHOCK! and AWE! on others’ faces.

In reply to @x475aws

So here’s a new battery life experience for me.
I’m in the dentist office the other day getting a repair and suddenly my 675 batteries die. I always have spares in my pocket so doing a fast change was no problem while the dentist pauses his work - just a minor inconvenience. I now use 675 batteries in both ears. At 84 years of age I don’t embarrass easily.

The original post in this thread is exactly why I can’t use Phonak any longer. I am forced to trial a new brand and find another audiologist. I am open to any brand who still uses disposable batteries and provides a option (basically just about every other manufacturer).

Rechargeables are just not good enough. Ever. I simply cannot go without hearing for three hours waiting for my hearing aids to charge. Especially when at work.

I totally respect your preference for disposable batteries and am not trying (at all!) to sway yours or anyone elses opinion. However, I have seen you make the comment “I simply cannot go without hearing for three hours waiting for my hearing aids to charge” several times. I am genuinely curious what you are talking about when you say this. Did you try a brand of rechargeables that you needed to charge for 3 hours during the day? If so, could you let us know which ones they were so we all know what to avoid? I have never run out of battery during the day, but if I ever did I can get something like 5 hours more with a 30 minute charge, or 10 hours of running time with a 1 hour charge. It only takes 3 hrs for a full charge, and I can’t imagine a situation where I would need to charge for 20 hours (or more) during the day. Is there a brand that requires that?

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