Given how cheap the batteries are, it makes little sense to get the rechargeables. And if you travel often, carrying a bunch of tiny batteries is way more simple.
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I’m trialing ReSound Ones now and like the rechargeable case. They last all day and then get set in the case. Never need to worry about buying or changing batteries. I’m sure it comes down to personal preference in the end.
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You’ve been trialing them for a while now. Any update on how you like them and whether your audi solved the problems you were having with them? (sorry if I missed that in another thread already!)
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You’re absolutely right, I’ve been trialing them since early October. Closest fit I’ve had so far, but still having trouble getting the programming right. There’s been many trips into the audiologist to fix it and we haven’t solved it yet. Audi contacted her ReSound rep. They’re sending another demo pair and the ReSound rep may come to my next appointment. Still waiting on the new pair to arrive and coordinate an appointment time with the rep.
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I have made my decision - I’m going with disposable batteries. After living with the Resound Ones for over a week, I have found two inconveniences with the rechargeable batteries:
- I use the dehumidifier canisters to store my HAs - This is almost a requirement for me with the wax I build up on a daily basis. With the rechargeable Resound Ones, it isn’t easy to turn the HAs totally off so that there isn’t a risk of feedback with the HAs sitting right next to each other - not to mention that the HAs aren’t charging overnight in the dehumidifier canister. The recharger doesn’t have any way to dehumidify (from what I see).
- When I need to take out the HAs temporarily for a while, I would usually drop them in the dehumidifier canister to keep them out of view from my 21 year-old cat - who, if she saw them, the HAs would end up under a couch or cabinet or refrigerator … and possibly chewed on. Again, since I can’t easily turn off the rechargeable Ones and plop them in the canister, I have been leaving them out on a tabletop, a few feet apart to prevent feedback. Suboptimal.
When combining these issues with my concerns about long-term rechargeable battery life, I have decided that disposable batteries fit my lifestyle better.
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Interesting addendum for my rechargeable battery decision.
I ended up purchasing Phonak Paradise P90 HAs with 312 batteries. I’m really happy with my purchase overall, but I did discover two facts after my purchase.
- The rechargeable P90s have two features that the 312 battery version does not:
- The rechargeables have a motion sensing capability that enhances the mode selection algorithm. Sitting still in a restaurant will have the HAs go into a mode to reduce background noise and target human voice better. When walking is detected, it goes to a different mode to target human voice.
- Double tap-to-answer/Voice assistant isn’t available on the non-rechargeables. On the non-rechargeables, I need to reach and press+hold a button to answer.
- The Phonak rechargeable hearing aid case has a compartment for a desiccant puck (The Resound didn’t), so my concern about dehumidification was not a problem with the Phonaks. The Phonak non-rechargeable case doesn’t have the desiccant puck compartment, so I had to purchase a drying canister.
News you’ze can use.
AzJazz
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I’m an Oticonian, so I hope the Resoundigans won’t consider my $0.02 off topic:
When my audiologist suggested fitting me with More3s I wasn’t too keen on being forced down the rechargeable path.
But … I’m retired, so long shifts aren’t a concern, and my initial reading on the Oticon charging station was reassuring, because I could power it with a battery pack, eliminating worries about power failures and more cords for the cats to chew.
After a month, I wouldn’t go back to disposable batteries (unless the Li-Po batteries prove short-lived).
After 16 hours of use, my machines still show 30-35% charge remaining, so they’re completely recharged in about 1 hour and 45 minutes. I only have to recharge the external battery once a week (it could go for 10 days), and the whole recharging getup is compact and portable.
I’m 71, and take meds that cause fine motor tremors in my fingers, especially in the morning. It’s reassuring not to have to fumble with 312 disposable batteries any more.
I understand that while my “conversion” works for me, it might not, for you … I’m simply offering up my experience to allay some common concerns about rechargeables.
[I don’t know what Resound’s claim for battery life is. If it’s 16 hours, versus 20-24, I would have balked at going rechargeable.]
@SpudGunner - I totally understand your situation, and would probably have made the same rechargeable choice if I had fine motor concerns. Not yet for me, thank goodness … but it may be in my future.
From what I have been reading, the companies all claim “full day” usage. Maybe there should be an industry standard for what a “full day” is - mine is 24.0000 hours. 
Having owned quite a few cell phones, and being very familiar with LiPo technology, the main thing that wears down LiPo batteries (besides extreme heat or cold) is the number of charge cycles. They don’t even need to be full charge cycles, though charging from 90% to 100% does add a bit more strain. Additionally, wireless charging lowers LiPo battery life due to the lower energy transfer efficiency that results in more heat generated in the device being charged (resulting in higher heat at the battery which causes damage). I generally don’t charge my cell phones until they are less than 30%, so generally once every 3 days or so. I never use wireless charging. My two cell phone batteries are both well over 3 years old, and both holding full charge like new. My smart watch, on the other hand - which only supports wireless charging and gets very warm - is already having a reduced capacity after 3 years, even though I only recharge it once every 4 days (it was once every 7-8 days originally).
Required wireless charging HAs every day (two strikes against battery life) just makes me think that their capacity will be significantly limited at the 3 year mark. The technology is so new for the industry, I am willing to wait until the dust settles.
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Hearing aids are a personal thing, so only you can make that decision. I have been wearing aids for 16 years, most disposable batteries, but I was working and traveling so they made sense to have. I am now retired and my aids have rechargeable batteries and I love not having to worry about my batteries going dead during the day or at church etc. I no longer travel as much and I don’t mind carrying a charge for night time chargings.
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Well, @AzJazz: I just checked, and at least my Oticon More3s aren’t wireless.
The charger case has a USB-A plug, and quite a heavy-gauge wire, as you can see in the pic.
You had me worried there, for a minute!
@SpudGunner - Unless you’re pulling my leg (entirely possible) … I checked, and your Oticons appear to use wireless charging. It’s not the cable to the charger, it’s how the charger “connects” to the hearing aids. The Oticon site says, “charging via contact-free inductive technology” - which is wireless. If there are gold pads on the bottom of you HAs and inside the charger, then they would have contacts and not be wireless.
Don’t get worried about it, though. You’ll have them for quite a while to see how they hold up over time. Again, it is new technology. Everything could be great, and the HA rechargeables may last for a really long time. As a backup, many folks have mentioned that they bring their aids back in to the audi near the end of their warranty period for a free “tune-up”, which gets you new rechargeable batteries and effectively extend the life.
If you are pullin’ my leg, though … Owtch!!
AzJazz
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Now … would I pull your leg?
🥸
[… pretty sure that the receiver telecoil antennas sticking out of the ear moulds are wireless, too! You’re a sharp cookie, @AzJazz!]
I’ve read and reread this point, @AzJazz, and I’m imagining a morning in the (maybe not-too-distant) future when I put in my devices, check their status on the ON app, and discover they’re only 98% charged!
I will not be a happy camper!
I have been reading lots of related information on disposable batteries, too, and coming to the conclusion that zinc/air batteries are probably not as bad for the environment as the cumulative footprint of Li-Po manufacturing and end-of-life disposal.
(Are Li-Pos recyclable, at all?).
You’ve got me wondering - if Oticon offers a disposable More3 in the near future and my audiologist offers me a swap, what will I do?
If the disposable model uses 312s that will last 5-7 days, I’d likely do the swap. Manufacturers, however, have done a lousy job informing us of why, exactly, the stampede to Li-Po. Some questions are:
-
Do disposables put out enough juice to power the new chipset?
-
Are the new electronics with 28nm architecture more susceptible to water/dust ingress such that semi-sealed battery compartments are required?
-
Are there HAs - still just concepts on the drawing board - that have specs that dictate the use of Li-Po cells?
My hearing loss is severe/profound (not sure which I should call myself), consequently, I absolutely need my hearing machines in order for me to function effectively. My More3s work extremely well for me, and I am very “attached” to them: recharging them is akin to feeding a pet. And I’m not the only one in this boat.
Manufacturers seem not to give a damn about our emotions and our dependency on their devices, so we’re left with these nagging, unsettling questions.
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@Zebras: Thanks for your input … now I’m more confused, however. My audiologist says severe to profound, but your take seems more realistic given my audiogram up to about 2.5k.
Profound is 90dB or worse. 6k and 8k really don’t count. They can be useful but many (most?) of us don’t get much useful info from that range without some form of frequency lowering. Don’t know about Oticon, but Phonak Paradise needs the higher voltage of Lithium ion batteries for some of it’s features to work. Zinc air only generates ~1.4 volts. Lithium ion’s about 3.7.
@MDB: Thanks for the further clarification of the description of my loss. I understand what you and @Zebras are seeing/saying, and I concur (FWIW).
[Edit: 
If my loss isn’t that severe, how come my word recognition scores are low, then? I don’t understand.]
@MDB: And your explanation of operating voltages for Li-Po is also what I suspected.
Thanks for taking the time to reply.
@Zebras: My Oticon More3s are probably the first HAs that I’ve worn for more than 12 hours a day (16+, actually) day in and day out.
I’d like to see whether my brain hearing has improved any as a consequence.
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I hope that reachers don’t start telling parents that their poorly-performing children have “lazy ears”!
Allowing your aids to be properly fit to the point that some sounds are new and maybe not comfortable is how the brain learns. Do you know if your aids are at 100% gain for your prescription fitting?
Word understanding can plummet when aids are not set right or not worn enough each day. The brain needs to hear the sounds of speech to maintain word understanding.
Good luck with this. It takes persistence.
Sorry to be off topic, OP.
@Raudrive Yes, my aids are at 100% if the prescriptive value, Rick. I’ve been completely honest with my audi about my past despondency and lack of use.
We have a pact of unabridged honesty and a brutally aggressive approach to implementing prescriptive targets.
I respect his judgement and recommendations completely.
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