I currently have a pair of Starkey Livio 2400’s. They are now 3 years old & performing. What I’d like to find out is what’s the average for replacing??? Hearing aids are like iPhones….they come out with new/better every year. When do most people start to consider getting new aids?
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I believe the average is 5 years for replacements. At least that is the case in Australia.
I have KS8s (Rexton) aids. Costco can’t send them back for service or repair after five years from date of purchase. Rexton will not provide support after five years.
These aids are working with the exception of the right aid emitting static in a high humidity environment.
Costco is providing wax guards and click domes. Costco has switched to doing retests every two years.
I’m considering trying the Philips aids to see if they will help my comprehension.
I have replaced mine every three or four years for one reason or another - and each time the improvement in technology was helpful. But, they are expensive. Like phones, if the improvement isn’t really significant or applicable to me, then I wait.
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Insurance benefits and government subsidies in Ontario provide coverage on a five-year basis. Those don’t come close to covering the true cost though, so I try to last longer… 
Here in Switzerland, reimbursement is every five years, but my previous Starkeys are still doing fine after 14 y. Under normal conditions, electronics works for decades (like the audio in your living room). Probably the main reason for HAs to malfunction is the moist, dangerous place they live in, so how they are taken care of makes all the difference.
That won’t be true for the rechargeable aids being sold today.
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ReSound says in their user guide for Jabra that the expected life of the aids and the battery is 5 years. Some rechargeable batteries won’t make it that long. With removable batteries, the aids are likely to last longer.
Starting Jan 1 or 2024 or 2025, Illinois will require health insurance policies for residents to reimburse ‘seniors’ (65 or older) up to $2500/ear every 2 years, and I expect to get new aids then, if they’re substantially better than what I have now.
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Curious why you would say this? Is it just based on the batteries themselves lasting, or is there another reason that leads you to believe rechargeables won’t last as long. The Oticon Moores (for example) can have the battery replaced in minutes in the audiologists office, so yes the batteries won’t last for extended periods, but I wasn’t aware of any other differences, assuming you replace the batteries every few years.
I still have perfectly working Audeo Q’s. When used with the Compilot they are totally comparable to Marvels. (In my opinion anyway)
Mainly the batteries. Maybe the associated charging circuitry too? On this forum we do hear about failure modes unique to rechargeables.
Edit: In the absence of universal hearing aid chargers, not-working or lost charger could make old aids useless.
If I had to use rechargeable aids I would certainly want a set with field-replaceable batteries like Oticon, because of greater convenience and presumably smaller cost associated with battery replacement. But I wouldn’t count on suitable replacement batteries being available after some number of years. For aids needing to be sent in for battery replacement (Phonak, ReSound, maybe others), I wouldn’t count on the service being available past a certain age.
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Good point to add, as the rechargeable HA are only one part of the equation, people need to factor in the charging unit too, in case it goes to sleep for eva.
Not sure if you can repair them through 3rd party or DIY!
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