Dear Phonak, your Lumity battery isn't good enough

Since you asked, I’m going by all information available online, which is included in the Phonak data sheet.

That data sheet says: 3 hours without hearing while it charges. I simply cannot risk that or even fathom risking that. Especially when I have zero hearing without aids. That’s why disposable battery with instant hearing is the only option for me.

Which is neither here nor there, since CROS isn’t available in my model: the Lumity NAIDA UP line anyway. Aside from recharging for 3 hours, which is not an option, I simply cannot go without CROS. Which means Phonak is now out and is why I dropped them like a bad habit for Oticon yesterday.

I believe @codergeek2015 stated he wears his aids 24/7, so he doesn’t take them out… Assuming, apart from showering! Having never tried the Oticon Xceed, I wish him well, my only reservation would be the Xceed is older technology, released in 2019, I believe? I should imagine, Phonak will release a Lumity disposable battery version of the “Cros”, in the not too distant future, I believe the NHS, a major dispenser of hearing aids, refused to stock Phonak’s rechargeable Cros aids, because of runtime issues, so I am almost certain, Phonak will be working on a replacement battery version… Cheers Kev

You are correct, @Kevels55 - I don’t wear my aids in the shower or while I sleep. It may be older tech, but I’m hearing so much better with Oticon. Phonak lives up to most reviews - it sounds too mechanical. Oticon is so much more natural compared to Phonak. I haven’t heard like this in my Oticon Xceed for at least my last two Phonaks, so for at least 10 years. Music sounds like it used to. People sound like they used to. I can follow all conversation without missing a beat like I used to. I’m thrilled.

I’m sticking with Oticon, since it is working so well for my hearing loss.

Brilliant @codergeek2015, I am delighted for you if they work, that’s all that matters! As I have said many times before, what I like, and you like, might possibly be polar opposites, hearing loss is almost like a a fingerprint, and 2 losses could be almost similar, but when you throw personal preferences in the mix, you can never get a perfect match! I wish you the very best of luck with your choice of hearing aids Cheers Kev

Rationale is the trade-off between size and battery time.
When increasing battery size, ie size of hearing aid, many (many) users turn away.
And yes we take these inputs super seriously!

Have you ever thought about the working person such as myself who has zero time to have their hearing aids recharge before you got rid of disposables? Care to comment on the elimination of Naida CROS compatible aids since the Naida B UP models so I was forced to FIRE your company and go elsewhere this upgrade cycle? Because now you have zero solutions for my loss? Which is beyond the range of the Audeos?

But here come the Phonak reps for damage control.

I guess not. I guess only retired folk who don’t care about having their instant hearing all the time provided by disposable batteries is the only audience your company cares to support.

@Baltazard said: (unavailable)

Also, many thanks for supporting people with hearing difficulties across the wide hearing loss spectrum.

“Wide range of the hearing loss spectrum.”

Except mine.

@codergeek2015 said:

But here come the Phonak reps for damage control.

Seriously?

On another note:

Hertz rental axes large chunk of electric fleet

Car hire company Hertz is planning to sell a third of its global fleet of electric cars and will use some of the funds to buy vehicles with combustion engines instead, the company says. Making the announcement in January, Hertz said the decision was...

Well, yes, I’m guessing that many–mist?–customers rent cars for longer mileage trips and don’t know if they can find recharging stations along the way. If you own an electric its easy to recharge overnight.

That said, I would think that a combo gas/electric car would be desirable for longer trips.

The root issue is that the batteries in EV are highly suspect after almost any vehicle impact and require complete replacement.

Replacement cost of the batteries exceeds the typical cost for an engine replacement.

I had a BMW i3, about 3 years ago, I got rid of it after 18 months from new, brilliant little car, fast between 0 and 90mph, it was rapid, instant torque, carbon fibre body on stainless steel chassis, it had a range extender, basically a dumbed down scooter engine, that used gas/petrol, to recharge the batteries on the go, only held 10 litres of fuel, gave me an extra 60 to 80 miles, on top of the 130 miles the batteries gave me… My nearest charge points, where 10 miles north or south of me, so a 20 mile round trip, I have 4kw of solar panels on my roof at home, so if the weather was fair, we charged up for free… Unfortunately travelling any distance, was challenging and had to be planned meticulously. In the Scottish Highlands, charging points are few and far between, and if any are down/out of service, you could be in trouble… Although the range extender came to the rescue on more than one occasion… In the end, range anxiety got to me, if the charging points infrastructure was better, and more fit for purpose, I might have kept the i3 ? You do not want to prang a carbon fibre car, as the slightest bump, you might require a whole new car body, so insurance is very expensive! Cheers Kev

@davekstott said:

batteries in EV are highly suspect after almost any vehicle impact and require complete replacement.

A friend hit a deer at high speed with his Hyundai Ioniq EV. Made a big mess of the front end and repairs were expensive, same with any car these days. Of course there was zero consideration of replacing the battery. “almost any vehicle impact” is ridiculous. No manufacturer would put a single EV on the road if that were true.

Kelly blue doesn’t think its ridiculous

https://www.kbb.com/car-news/lightly-damaged-battery-your-insurer-might-total-your-ev/2