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312 or 13 battery

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Have Costco appointment coming up. Suspect this question could be asked.

Which one do I want and why?

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Which hearing aid? I just purchased the Trax42XM (13), and it is only a fraction wider than my Dad’s KS6(312), but will give me longer battery life than the 312 version would.

Hi

I have several posts regarding TRAX 42 aids and battery size you may find useful. I prefer to use the re-chargeable batteries. I originally had the aids with the 312 battery and they would not get me through a full day (about 16 hours), dying after about 14. Traded the TRAX 42s in for the TRAX 42 XMs with the size 13 battery. Picked up the new aids on Tuesday. The new aids are slightly larger than the aids with the size 312 battery but still very unobtrusive. Haven’t tested the staying power of the re-chargeables yet. They should last a full day for me since the size 13 batteries have about 1/3 more capacity then the size 312. See my posts on the Costco Rexton Trax 42 (Product Information) thread, pages 29 and 31.

Hope this helps.

I’m trialing the Trax right now, and I chose the 312 batteries. I get 5 days from them so I’m not unhappy, and they only had a non-functional model of the new piece that takes the larger batteries. While it’s supposedly the same except for being a bit wider to accommodate the larger battery, the buttons looked different, and I tend to avoid being in the first wave to try anything. For the most part I avoid rechargeable anything. Except for one truly marvelous flashlight, my experiences with rechargeable batteries are not good.

The aids based on the Siemens brand have an option of using rechargeable batteries or standard zinc/air batteries. The rechargeable sound like they rarely last the full day especially for those who wear their aids for 12-16hours. If you wanted to try the Trax 42 at Costco then you would need to decide if you wanted to use rechargeable batteries. The bigger batteries last longer but the aids are a bit bigger. The centre should be able to show you the difference in size so you can decide if the extra potential battery life is worth the extra size.
Battery life is a difficult thing to compare between people because it depends on your degree of amplification needed ( due to your level of hearing loss ) and how you use the aids - hours per day and amount of noise processing they do. Also the efficiency of the processor varies. How much you use any streaming devices for phones, music etc. will impact a lot on battery life.
Eg. I got the following battery life from the following aids using 312 zinc/air batteries:
Phonak Audeo Q90s - about 7 days at 15+ hours per day
ReSound Linx 961s - 5 days
Resound Linx2 961s - 6+ days
Phonak Audeo V90 Ts - 8 days
Have a look at the options you are offered and see if you want to go a bit bigger and have longer battery life or stick with the smaller ones and cope with shorter battery life. Only you can decide. Think about all the factors above and ask the fitter for advise as well. All the threads have info about how long the batteries on each aid are lasting but remember everyone will get a different result because everyone is hearing different things with different levels of loss.

I would always go with a 13 if it’s an option. Particularly if using rechargeable. A 312 will last between 14 & 16 depending on streaming volume vs a 13 that will easily exceed 20 hours.

Do you have to use Costco batteries? I have seen batteries at Publix. Costco is a long ways from where I live and I no longer drive. My charger is broken and I can’t get anyone at Costco to call me. I’ve called 4 or 5 times. Get a message machine. I bought them at this Costco and have always gone there for hearing aid tests and batteries. This one is in the Galleria in Hoover, Alabama.

In reply to @Fuzz

@Fuzz said:

Do you have to use Costco batteries? I have seen batteries at Publix. Costco is a long ways from where I live and I no longer drive. My charger is broken and I can’t get anyone at Costco to call me. I’ve called 4 or 5 times. Get a message machine. I bought them at this Costco and have always gone there for hearing aid tests and batteries. This one is in the Galleria in Hoover, Alabama.

Batteries are generic. Buy the brand you like. Batteries are identified by a number such as 312, 13, 10. The batteries are also color coded to make it easier to select the correct battery. A 312 battery is color coded brown.

I think the only advantage of a size 13 battery is that it will last longer than a 312. Probably particularly useful with high power receivers. I’ve got M receivers and I get a week or more out of the 312 batteries, even with streaming. So I have no complaint about the 312 size. I like having the thinner as well…more room for my glasses. So, in short there are pros and cons to both.

I suppose this choice is as much a personal one as the HA’s themselves.

Good luck.

Evil

In reply to @Fuzz

@Fuzz said:

Do you have to use Costco batteries?

Fuzz, you can get batteries by mail, you need the right size, but can use any brand. Costco is a little less expensive, but don’t have much choice in brands, and I’ve found a lot of difference in battery life with different brands. http://www.localbattery.com/21 and http://www.microbattery.com/12 both have good prices - not quite as low as Costco, but a lot lower than the drugstores.

@eek said:

Fuzz, you can get batteries by mail, you need the right size, but can use any brand. Costco is a little less expensive, but don’t have much choice in brands, and I’ve found a lot of difference in battery life with different brands. http://www.localbattery.com/ and http://www.microbattery.com/ both have good prices - not quite as low as Costco, but a lot lower than the drugstores.

I like ZeniPower batteries that I can get from Amazon or on eBay from a seller with the username of bidbybid.

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