BAHA battery life

[Archer]

I know this is quite trivial compared to many of the threads on the forum but I am curious.  How long do batteries last in BAHAs? 

I am 5 months post op having done the decompression surgery on my second AN.  While I was prepping for that I had a chance to do the headband trial of a BAHA and was going to have the abutment put in when I had the decompression surgery done.  Of course insurance threw a wrench in that plan.  So now I am trialing a Phonak Adeo Bi-Cros instead.  I am not ecstatic about the results but it does improve some situations for hearing sound from my deaf side.  My biggest peeve so far is the battery life.  I get 2 to 3 days on a set.  One if I use the off the battery rack in the grocery store energizers.  The thing is, out of the 5 battery changes in the two weeks I have tried them so far, none of the times at which they died are convenient.  I can't imagine that has even a slight chance of improving.

I must say, this peeve will not be the only thing to consider while deciding if I keep the cros or not.  It will probably be a minor consideration at best but it still is a peeve I am curious about.  But if I do go forward with the appeal process on the BAHA I'd like to know if I will be peeved with the batteries in it as well.

Thanks for your input.

[james e]

My Cochlear BP100 uses a #13 battery. It last about a week. The BAHA will transmit a low battery tone when it is time to change, but I can hear a faint buzz when the battery gets low, about a day before the tone is transmitted. I usually change the battery then. They are inexpensive. I do not have a preference for any battery manufacturer. They are all about the same.

James

[leapyrtwins]

I also have a Cochlear BP100 and I usually get 10 days to 2 weeks out of a battery.  I generally wear my processor weekdays from the time I start my drive to work in the morning until I go to sleep at night (approximately 7:15 to midnight) and probably a few hours less than that on weekends (I try to sleep in).

I buy my batteries (#13 orange hearing aid batteries) from Walmart most of the time.  I use Duracells.  Some people say if you buy Power One batteries that they last longer, but that hasn't been my personal experience.

Jan

[james e]

My BAHA is turned up as loud as it will go, so my battery does not last as long a Jan's does. I may be moving up to a BP110 soon.

James

[arizonajack]

I wouldn't let batteries stop you from the Phonak if that's the only issue.

You can buy a pack of 60 batteries on Amazon for 18.12 with free shipping:

http://www.amazon.com/Power-One-312-Batteries-batteries/dp/B000W7MC34/ref=sr_1_fkmr1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1346366240&sr=8-1-fkmr1&keywords=phonak+cros+batteries

I always carry a card of spare batteries in my pocket (6 to a card) and I have even learned to change out the batteries without taking down the hearing aids. Takes a little practice but having a pen with you helps push out the dead ones.

I am also able to click open the battery compartment with a finger nail while still wearing the aids if I don't need them to be live. Conserves the battery life for a little longer.

I think all hearing aids use up battery life rather quickly so don't let that be an issue if you like the hearing aids.

[jaylogs]

I have a Ponto and I get over 10 days out of a battery, it also uses a #13.  That to me is simply amazing, especially compared to how long my cell phone lasts on a single charge!
Jay

[arizonajack]

I buy my batteries (#13 orange hearing aid batteries) from Walmart most of the time.  I use Duracells.  Some people say if you buy Power One batteries that they last longer, but that hasn't been my personal experience.

Jan

You might get better pricing on Amazon, either way.

http://www.amazon.com/Duracell-Easy-Hearing-Batteries-batteries/dp/B000ZJWA7W?tag=duckduckgo-d-20

http://www.amazon.com/Power-One-Hearing-Batteries-batteries/dp/B000W7M87Y/ref=sr_1_13?ie=UTF8&qid=1346372767&sr=8-13&keywords=%2313+batteries

[Archer]

Thanks all, for the input.  I met with the audiologist the other day.  He told me there is another Phonak set that would work for me that uses the #13 batteries rather than the #312 batteries.  That may give me a couple extra days of battery life.  Since I am still in my 60 day trial period I am going to try them to see.  If they work as well as the set I am trying I'll switch to keep the new model. They are bigger but only slightly.  I can deal with that.

All in all, these are working well.  They improve my hearing in some situations but not in others.  I cannot say they ever make things worse so they are worth keeping in my opinion.  I just have to keep the power on.