Sonnet/Sonnet2 battery poll

[Mary Beth]

Which type of battery do you prefer to use and why?

[Mary Beth]

@Kylie 

@Ralph34

@Dave in Pittsburgh

@NathalieM

@Betsy

@Lauren

@Dianna

 

[Dave in Pittsburgh]

I use disposable batteries i know i can get two days out a set of batteries. I change first thing in morning 

Rechargeable only good for a period of time and have to replace them and they age  become unreliable very rarely use in fact still on the original set from 2016 and 2018

The new extended battery is ok but you can’t stream with it which is crazy as popular as streaming is

The used Disposable batteries I take to the battery store for recycling so no harm to environment 

 

 

 

[Lauren]

Disposable PowerOne Implant Plus. For all the reasons @Dave in Pittsburgh mentioned. 

[Kylie]

Same as above! Disposable are so reliable, plus the audiostream.

[Ralph34]

I use standard rechargeable batteries. I have never bought or disposed of a battery in 3 years. My original batteries last 7 hrs. The newer ones (2 yr old) last 9 hrs. I carry a spare or two whenever I leave the house. 
I have a charger at home and a spare charger at my cottage, just in case I forget to take it with me. 
For  some reason, batteries which I thought we charged sometimes would fail after 1 hr. This happened  about a year ago but it cleared up after a month and they seem fine. 
I have 4 batteries that I rotate between. 

[Jewel]

I am getting 3+ days with Zeni disposable batteries and about 2 days with PowerOnes. I stopped using rechargeables a while back as they only give a few hours before having to switch out. I had one batch of PowerOnes that would give me dead battery beeps just hours after activating. Anyone else has experienced that?

[Mary Beth]

Always great to see you here @Jewel.

I had fast dead battery beeps with ZeniPower but that was several years ago.

[Betsy]

I use rechargeable most of the time. I get about 8 hours so I just need to remember to change if going out for the evening plus I always have a spare in my purse plus disposables. When traveling I use disposables and get about 3 days.

[Kylie]

I will shortly have to change my battery brand, it is so hard to get Power One in Australia (they don't physically stock them anywhere here). I have been ordering them from overseas but that is drying up or getting too expensive for shipping. 

Any suggestions for the next best alternative brand I should try?  I want at least a reliable 2 whole days.

[Dave in Pittsburgh]

@Kylie 

I’ve been using Zenipower batteries for the last couple of months with good results less expensive Power One

Good Luck

[ShaneM]

I've been using the Power One Implant Plus. They give me over 2 days, even when streaming. Much better option than the rechargable battery which does not last a day. Hopefully the next BTE device will have a longer lasting (a full day would be good :)) rechargable battery option.

[ShaneM]

5 hours ago, Kylie said:

I will shortly have to change my battery brand, it is so hard to get Power One in Australia (they don't physically stock them anywhere here). I have been ordering them from overseas but that is drying up or getting too expensive for shipping. 

Any suggestions for the next best alternative brand I should try?  I want at least a reliable 2 whole days.

I've been ordering mine off Amazon. They are shipped from overseas (www.localbattery.com) and the price seems to fluctuate. It may be cheaper to purchase directly from www.localbattery.com as they offer a subscription program which attracts a 15% discount. I'm not sure how much they charge for shipping though.

[Kylie]

Thanks @ShaneM but that's the brand I'm having trouble with. And the shop you mentioned isn't available to me here.

Hence investigating other brands as a back up. I'm hoping to find a brand that someone stocks in Australia so I can get a reliable source and much cheaper shipping.

Thanks @Dave in Pittsburgh and @Jewel - I may try zenipower next!

[Mary Beth]

@Kylie

not sure if this is an option for you but microbattery offers a trial pack of 4 different brands so you can see which works best for you 

https://www.microbattery.com/hearing-aid-batteries/size-675p-cochlear/trial-pack-tp675hp-trial-test-pack-zinc-air-675-high-power-1-4v-24-pc-1.html

[Mary Beth]

The funny thing with disposable batteries is the variation in experiences reported by individual users.  Maybe it depends on the program needs?  

[Mary Beth]

Some Sonnet users report great results with CostCo Kirkland 675 batteries.  They are much less expensive.

I tried them.  They work fine with my Sonnets but only last half as long as PowerOne implant batteries so in the end they do not save me any money.

The hours of use with disposable batteries and Sonnets varies a lot from user to user even with similar lengths of listening days and similar streaming activities.  So maybe our programs have a significant impact.

[Peter Olesen Lund]

When I am planning to be around home and/or am out and am planning to return home during my daytime activities, I use the standard rechargeable. For a longer day out, I can use the longer life rechargeable and then carry one of the standard rechargeable as back up. For a care free daytime through night time out and about, I really appreciate the extended power that my Rondo3 provides.

One recent evening social I left early as my longer life rechargeable began the BEEP warning of waining power and I did not carry a battery back up. It was really me, being a new CI user and me not properly planning. I need to be intentional to carry the back up rechargeable when I am preparing for my longer day/night away from home options.

[Mary Beth]

Nice to see you here @Peter Olesen Lund

[Kylie]

3 hours ago, Mary Beth said:

@Kylie

not sure if this is an option for you but microbattery offers a trial pack of 4 different brands so you can see which works best for you 

https://www.microbattery.com/hearing-aid-batteries/size-675p-cochlear/trial-pack-tp675hp-trial-test-pack-zinc-air-675-high-power-1-4v-24-pc-1.html

I can't order from here because of shipping, but I will see if someone local does a similar pack, it's a great idea.

[NathalieM]

I use both disposable Power One Implant batteries in one CI and regular rechargeables in the other CI. The disposable batteries are definitely convenient for travel but knowing I'm not wasting so many batteries, I love my rechargeable ones. I rotate between four of them, each lasting at least 9 hours, and swapping them out is so quick and easy that I don't mind at all. I'm even considering getting one more rechargeable to use in both CIs, though they are quite pricey ($175CAD/ea).

As for the disposable zinc air batteries (Power One), did you know that you should wait at least 1 minute after removing the tab to let the air to fully activate the battery before inserting it in the CI? My audiologist shared this tip after I mentioned the short lifespan of some batteries, and I was surprised—I had never heard of it in all my years of using disposables. Since following this advice, I've been getting nearly two days of battery life.

[Mary Beth]

Yes good reminder though @NathalieM.  Zinc air batteries are activated by air entering the tiny holes that are under those stickers.  I  change disposable batteries every other morning so I peel the stickers off, then shower and put on my processors.  Even with using the same exact routine and same program and same streaming behavior, sometimes battery life varies.

[John Schulz]

2 hours ago, Mary Beth said:

Yes good reminder though @NathalieM.  Zinc air batteries are activated by air entering the tiny holes that are under those stickers.  I  change disposable batteries every other morning so I peel the stickers off, then shower and put on my processors.  Even with using the same exact routine and same program and same streaming behavior, sometimes battery life varies.

Humidity and condensation seem to play the biggest roles in premature beeping. A relative humidity of 70+% causes the battery life to drop significantly it seems and during the winter, the CIs will start beeping when I walk into a building after being in the cold (well below freezing at times). I assume that a layer of condensation chokes out the batteries; giving the batteries a wipe fixes it.

[ShaneM]

On 9/3/2024 at 7:59 PM, Kylie said:

Thanks @ShaneM but that's the brand I'm having trouble with. And the shop you mentioned isn't available to me here.

Hence investigating other brands as a back up. I'm hoping to find a brand that someone stocks in Australia so I can get a reliable source and much cheaper shipping.

Thanks @Dave in Pittsburgh and @Jewel - I may try zenipower next!

Hi @Kylie, I just came across these zenipower batteries from an AU supplier. It looks like they are currently on sale, and free shipping . 

https://www.hearingsavers.com.au/hearing-aid-batteries/batteries-by-size/size-675-batteries/box-of-zenipower-implant-hearing-aid-batteries-size-675-a675p-pack-of-60/