When I first got this trax 42 with size 13 batteries,the first group batteries I got at Costco, and every set last right at 13 days, except one set. I felt they was very good.
4-5 months ago, I bought batteries again, this type they was repackage into a ridiculous spinner type pack that will drop batteries all over the place. After spilling just about every one, I put them back, and learned how to gingerly handle the plastic rotating package … I can live with it. BUT, right off the bat, the first set lasted 10 days. And since them, several have failed to get even that far. Just now changed them out, they last 5 days.
SO…unless my HIS can convince me they have fixed that issue, I won’t buy anymore.
I used to buy the big Sheet o’ 312’s from Costco ($11 CDN for like what 40 batteries is pretty good). When each pair was used they would last for about three or four days (5-6hrs) of use.
My audiologist confided in me that when they started and they were using these batteries as well but switched to a different kind and indeed I am still using the first new battery pair I was given a week ago.
I bought some of the first of the “new” packaged batteries. I also felt the packaging was very poor. (The spinner simply doesn’t work.)
I have been using 312 batteries and I “felt” the first card of the new batteries was a bit shorter lived. (But hey, the price is VERY right.)
The next card I bought seems to be of better lasting battery life…but the packaging still sucks. Funny nobody checked that out before they started shipping those (non) spinner cards. I had no problems with the old packaging…very secure and easy to use. Now…it’s easy to spill the entire contents. In fact, I now put them in a little plastic case when I open a new card…as the package WILL fall apart and you loose your batteries.
Not sure if the same company is making 'em for Costco??
— Updated —
I bought some of the first of the “new” packaged batteries. I also felt the packaging was very poor. (The spinner simply doesn’t work.)
I have been using 312 batteries and I “felt” the first card of the new batteries was a bit shorter lived. (But hey, the price is VERY right.)
The next card I bought seems to be of better lasting battery life…but the packaging still sucks. Funny nobody checked that out before they started shipping those (non) spinner cards. I had no problems with the old packaging…very secure and easy to use. Now…it’s easy to spill the entire contents. In fact, I now put them in a little plastic case when I open a new card…as the package WILL fall apart and you loose your batteries.
Not sure if the same company is making 'em for Costco??
I have no idea but given they have lasted so much longer than the ones I bought from Costco I will be asking next time I am in the office (soooo before or on Nov 14th).
I’ve found Costco batteries to be terrible with my Trax 42s. Not only do they all fall out of the package, but a lot of them are just dead when I first put them in. Waiting the 2 minutes like the package suggests doesn’t help. And of the ones that do work, several have lasted under 2 hours - just started beeping the low battery warning the same day I put them in. I’ve thrown away at least 1/3 of the ones I’ve tried.
I tried a sampler of 6 different kinds of batteries from Microbattery.com several years ago with my old hearing aids, and found that the PowerOne brand lasted longer than the others, so that’s what I’ve been buying since. They’re 60 for $15 at Amazon, and I’ve never had a problem with any of them.
My Costco batteries are decent. I may have had one bad one. The ones I like best are Duracell but they are the priciest. They come with a nice long tab and a plastic case that protects them in your pocket or whateve.
I think I’m still getting about 12 days from my #13 Costco batteries. I don’t have any problems with the new packaging – except that I can no longer just cut off a pair and put the strip in my wallet.
Haha, this is exactly what I used to do as well! Now I just have to put the whole round pack in my wallet.
I get about a week with my size 10.
I remember a few years back there was a problem with a batch not lasting very long. The issue went away eventually, but later I received a postcard in the mail from Costco saying that they’d had some quality control with some batches of HA batteries, and for customers to bring them back for a refund. Since I already used up the batteries, I just brought back the postcard with a receipt and asked Costco to refund me the cost. They asked me for the batteries before they could give me a refund, and I said I already threw them away because I used them and they didn’t last very long at all, as admitted by Costco per their postcard. So that’s why I didn’t have the bad batteries to bring back to return. They got their manager’s approval and gave me a refund without getting the batteries back.
My new pack of Costco 312’s is no longer giving me a full seven days. This is noticeable to me because I previously changed my batteries every Sunday morning. I’ve been getting 6-6.5 days.
I was told by the Costco Hearing Aid fitter to wait a full five minutes after removing the sticker before putting battery in hearing aid. She said otherwise it wouldn’t last as long. Curious how long others are waiting?
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I was told by the Costco Hearing Aid fitter to wait a full five minutes after removing the sticker before putting battery in hearing aid. She said otherwise it wouldn’t last as long. Curious how long others are waiting?
Wow, this is news to me and I’ve been wearing HAs for a long time. My Costco specialist never told me this, nor did any of my audis.
I read up on it and it looks like it was only discovered about a year ago by a student in Rochester, MN, however. So I bet the HA battery industry doesn’t like to advertise this discovery, huh?
I’m going to try it for sure next time I exchange out a fresh pair.
I’ve tried the 5 minute thing and didn’t find any improvement over 2 minutes.
I tried not putting my batteries in the Dry & Store. Again, no improvement.
If you’re putting in new batteries every Sunday morning (or any morning), You could just open a new set at night to be inserted the next morning. Your batteries sit open every night anyway, so there can’t be any harm.
There’s another thread here somewhere where people are saying this has been disproven, that it doesn’t really make a difference, taking the tab off and leaving the batteries for half an hour or whatever it is. No change in battery life.