Audicus Wave vs Costco KS10 - my experience and final decision

Hearing Aids
#21

My audiologist said not to worry about moisture unless I experienced an issue attributable to moisture. My charger case has a pocket to hold a puck that absorbs moisture, but she didn’t order one to fill it. But I have heard of a lot of stories of ppl having moisture problems with their HAs.

I use debrox (a store brand version) and a rubber syringe to clean my ears. More often means less effort each time. But I really don’t like it. But it is far better than what the ENT did last fall when I saw him. That was LOUD!

WH

#22

Dehydration is recommended by Audiologists in particular for patients who perspire a lot and/or live in humid climes. Some chargers include a dehydrator, either with a desiccant or without (in the latter case, then it’s advisable to let the charger occasionally air out). While I live in a fairly humid region, I never saw any indication of moisture and went for a couple years without using a dehydrator at all. But then again you don’t necessarily see the moisture, so I bought a Zephyr which afaict does a good job.

#23

Thank you. When do you use the dryer if your hearing aids are changing over night?

#24

UPDATE:

BTW, spoke too early about KS10 Bluetooth and iPhone - it does falter when I’m walking with it in my pocket. For now, until I have it figured out, will walk with my Airpods.

Puzzling since bluetooth is a well-defined and increasingly reliable communication medium and protocol.

#25

I’m fuzzy on this but I think there is a known issue of signal getting from one ear to another (which isn’t blue tooth) when outside as there’s no walls for signals to bounce off of. Numerous threads on forum discussing this issue, which may not be what you’re talking about.

#26

When I bought my Zephyr, I was using Phonak’s with a battery, not a rechargeable, so that was never an issue. The cycle is 8 hours.

When I got my (short-lived) rechargeable Signia’s which has a non-dehydrating charger, the Audi suggested I use my Zephyr on the week-end or whenever I could fit in the separate cycle once a week. A 3 + 8 hour cycle was inconvenient to say the least. Worst than that though, she did not know, and neither did I until just yesterday when I checked the manufacturer’s web site (prompted by your query, thx!), that the Zephyr model produces too much heat for a rechargeable; it can damage the battery. The same company produces a unit using UV heat (called DryBoost, ~$115) which is safe; you actually place your standard charger inside this unit so the cycles run in parallel but it is still 6 hours. There are other UV drying units such as the PerfectDry Lux (~$60) which has a <1 hour cycle, making for a 3 + 1 hour total cycle.

After switching to Oticon rechargeables, I had the same challenge as you. My Zephyr is now useless. Fortunately Oticon offers a dehydrating “smart charger” for its rechargeables, so that is my solution.

For your KS10’s, good and bad news. The bad - afaict from the literature - is that the Costco charger does not provide dehydration nor does it allow for adding a desiccant, so if you want dehydration that means buying a unit like the DryBoost or the PerfectDry LUX. The good news though is that the Phonak counterpart charger (~$135) does have a compartment for adding a desiccant, and it is highly likely to work fine with your KS10’s (but of course you would need to verify that, and pay a bit more).

If audiologists like Cliff Olson are to be believed, this is not a trivial issue. Apparently moisture getting into HA’s electronics is one of the more frequent causes for repair.

Good luck.

#27

Mingus, great info. Thanks. Moisture with electronics in general is a bad thing we all know.

I have my followup appointment on 24 Nov and that is on my list of questions to ask. They do have a dryer for $40 but want to make sure it is specific to the KS10’s.

Thanks Again, will let you know what I find out.

#28

as far as I can see it Phonak removed that option to make Phonak hearing aids different from Costco hearing aids. The fact that the Costco charger does not support the storage compartment for drying tablets, but that still does not prevent you from holding the tablet next to the hearing aids. Although I admit it’s not as nicer as the built-in compartment

#29

Agree … It is my understanding as well from a good deal of reading (not from Cliff Olson). Even though I live in a high desert area and outside air is rarely humid, I expect that many like me charge HAs in bathroom where humidity from showering will at least for a few hours increase humidity significantly - likely to the detriment of HAs longevity. Note that tablets are dehumidifiers, but that is not the same as drying HAs. I actually use both nearly daily. And as discussed in separate thread rechargeable HAs per mfg specs require lower heat for drying (typically <104F) and so older dryers often need to be replaced to meet that spec or risk damage to the R battery,

#30

I bought a PerfectLux dryer when I got my KS7s, $40 at the time.

I now am using KS10s. My PefectLux on a 1 hour cycle peaked at only 91F.

The PerfectLux isn’t specific to any brand, it’s just a box with a little heat and UV.

#31

Thank you. I have my follow up appointment on November 24 and drying my hearing aids is going to be on my list of things to discuss. I also on my list is I’m still having some Bluetooth problems with a KS10 listening to music and putting my phone in my pocket.

Other than that they’ve been great.

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