I don’t have a hearing aid yet, but I will be getting my first hearing aid soon. I think that rechargeable hearing aids have all the advantages. You just put them in the recharging station over night and they are ready to go. Except for people who want invisible in canal hearing aids which don’t have the rechargeable option, why should I consider non-rechargeable hearing aids?
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This is one of those divisive issues on this forum. There are pluses and minuses to both. I’m in the rechargeable camp.
I had reservations about rechargeables, and had always used battery powered aids. Now that my newish aids are rechargeable, I’m never going back. I did buy aids with a telecoil installed, not to use that feature but because the battery life is longer. It’s really great to never have bother with buying batteries, or running out.
I understand that some here have a lifestyle that might make rechargeable aids less than desirable. I only use bluethooth over the phone and rarely stream. I never come close to running out of power.
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I got my first hearing aids last September. Before we reconfigured some things in December I ran out of battery a couple times a week. Since the reconfig, maybe three times. But, for perspective, it is always in that last little while before I go to bed. I might have wanted to stream news podcasts one more time or something. I can put in airpods for the 10 minutes before I go to bed.
It has never prevented me from being involved with another human. And that is the important thing.
Some are afraid something will happen and they will need their aids, but they will die. That is a valid concern. If I had to go to a family crisis, I’d bring my charger. 10 minutes in the charger would give a while. An hour would make the aids last longer than me if I’ve already run them down. I have the battery pack added to my charger case, so it is pretty portable, and it can survive a few days with no power. I think I measured 5 days when I first got the pack. Think about your contingencies you wish to plan to be able to address. Like any other resource you’d want in an emergency.
WH
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Are there any invisible in canal hearing aids that are rechargeable? I might consider those. I don’t need any additional features like bluetooth, etc
Eargo maybe? People love them or hate them.
WH
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@WhiteHat: Just to put things into perspective - if you’re dealing with a 185 pound Newfoundland dog suffering a medical crisis, you don’t have time or hands to frig around with chargers.
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I would never go back to batteries. My Resound One’s always have more than a 40% charge left after a 16 hour day.
Love not having to buy batteries or needing a set in my car, at my work, in my wifes car, etc. And while my last 312 aids were reliable, the battery door hinge broke after a few years. No moving parts on rechargeables. The batteries also may be small, but are not that good for the environment. If your batteries last a week (most dont) that’s over 100 batteries a year or 500 batteries over the average aid life.
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Like some others, I would never go back to non rechargeable. That would just be a step back IMO. I enjoy not having to check to make sure I always have extra batteries on me when I leave the house. Just last week there was a golfer in our group whose batteries went dead in the middle of the round. He was baffled. Said he had just changed them out that morning. Well, things just happen sometimes. You never know when you may catch a bad battery. With the rechargeables I know what I’m getting. When they turn green and I put them on, I know I’m good to go for 15+ hours without thinking about them. I do a lot of streaming and 5hey have never reached empty. To each their own.
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I hope for your sake, that disposables remain an option. There seems to be pressure to go all rechargeable. But choice is a good thing.
WH
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I currently have the KS9’s and I’m going to be upgrading to the KS10’s, but at the same time, I’m still holding onto my KS9’s as a backup and asking my audi at Costco to just upgrade the REM programming for both sets just so I can have an “in case of emergencies” pair.
He told me when I’m ready to get the KS10’s, he’ll send off the KS9’s to get “refreshed” as he calls it, so I have a “like-new” pair that I can use without having to worry about in case something happens to my KS10’s.
@WhiteHat: I understand those who have become rechargeable converts. I don’t have any problem with my recharging routine as long as I’m having a “routine day”, and things don’t go off the rails.. If I had the money, I’d buy myself a smart charger like the one @cvkemp has and that would be the end to my anxiety. But I still don’t like the idea that every time I charge my hearing aids, they’re getting one step closer to the point that they won’t hold sufficient charge any more.
With disposable batteries, the performance and serviceability of the devices is restored to full 100% functionality every time you insert a fresh, new battery.
it definitely is an individual matter, and I do hope that I am offered the opportunity to make that decision for myself the next time I’m eligible for new hearing aids.
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I would never go back to batteries as there are so many advantages with rechargeable hearing aids.
- No doors to open so more moisture and dust resistant. More reliable.
- No need to stash batteries in your jacket, car, office, etc.
- Much more predictable battery life as the hearing aids last more than a full day.
- Charger has a battery that can be used to charge the hearing aids multiple times while on the go.
The key one for me is that the battery powered hearing aids give very little warning when the batteries start to die. You sorta get only 5-20 minutes warning. A real pain when in the gym or on a long walk. The rechargeable hearing aids always last more than a day even with heavy streaming.
Jordan
yeah, my Sigina Ax7 came with a free on-the-go charger that also serves as a covered carrying case for the aids. It holds some number of charges before itself needing to be recharged. It’s small and light so easy to carry.
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Here is my take on rechargeable HAs. I am a recent cochlear implant recipient in one ear and still use a hearing aid in the other. My cochlear processor has very, very expensive rechargeable batteries. I do not like carrying a spare around, as I am afraid of losing it. As well, we often experience lengthy power outages due to inclement weather, winter and summer. As an optional accessory, I chose to have a battery case which hold 2 zinc oxide batteries. That gives me reassurance that I have handy backup power when needed.
I just ordered a new HA for my non-implanted side which links to my CI processor. It only comes with disposable batteries, and I am just fine with that. I have worn hearing aids for many years and only had to be caught once without spares when I really needed them. It’s very handy to have a card of disposable batteries in your wallet - and if you lose those batteries, it’s no big deal — the wallet would be a different story!!!
It depends on how deaf you are … would you be in a real predicament if both your batteries ran out at the same time? That is quite possible. If that isn’t a fear, well rechargeables are fine.
That’s just my view, for what it’s worth. There will probably come a time when all hearing devices will be rechargeable.
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@susanmarylynn: It’s a valuable perspective. Thanks for sharing it. Current design engineers for hearing devices should (IMO) all have to undergo a month-long orientation of enforced “deafness”, when they are TOTALLY dependent upon their devices for auditory input. I’ll bet that would shift a few goalposts!
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I change my batteries every 7-10 days just out of habit. How is putting the aids on a charger every night an advantage?
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@hass5744: Because you know that your devices will always be charged, as long as:
- There was no power failure during the night
- The charger did not develop a defect
- The batteries did not develop a defect
- The cat did not knock the charger plug out of the wall
- The dog did not knock the charger plug out if the wall
- Your wife’s vacuum cleaner did not trip the circuit breaker your charger is plugged into
- A bunch of other good reasons I can’t remember ATM
That beats the heck out of a disposable battery that you just take out and replace if it’s no good…
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