What are the Best Hearing Aid Batteries?

At Hearing and Balance Centers of West Tennessee, we get frequent questions about the longevity of hearing aids and how long they can last on a single battery swap. People would love to have hearing aids that last forever, but the reality is that it really depends on the type of battery you have and also the size of your hearing aid. So, to provide better information to you, we’re going to talk about the best hearing aid batteries available and which ones you should depend on.

The types of hearing aid and your battery

In most cases, a large hearing aid will come with a large battery. This is because larger hearing aids (such as behind-the-ear ones which hook around your ear) have more physical space which can be filled with a larger battery. In comparison, a small in-the-canal hearing aid is physically smaller and will typically come with lower capacity batteries due to the size limitations. A larger hearing aid usually also means that it comes with more features, so it might actually reduce your battery life if you regularly use all the different features of your hearing aid. A larger battery may also be heavier which will increase the weight of your hearing aids and this can often lead to minor frustrations.

When discussing your hearing aid requirements with your audiologist, you should think carefully about the type of hearing aid you need, the features you’ll be using on a regular basis and also convenience. Although a larger hearing aid will come with a larger battery, it’s may not be the device you are looking for.

Types of hearing aid batteries

Most hearing aid batteries are known as “zinc-air” batteries, which means they’re activated when the zinc inside of the battery reacts to changes in the air around it. You may have seen these batteries in devices where it requires you to pull on a small plastic tab in order to “activate” the battery. This means that zinc-air batteries can be stored for a long period of time so purchasing them in bulk isn’t a bad idea and they will have a long shelf life. As long as the tab is not removed, you can keep the batteries stored for a long time. However, the activation process cannot be reversed so once the tab is pulled, you cannot reuse the tab and preserve the battery.

Luckily for hearing aid users, these devices use one of four different types of battery:

• Size 10 batteries (yellow tab)
• size 13 batteries (orange tab)
• size 312 batteries (brown tab)
• size 675 batteries (blue tab)

This makes it easy to purchase the batteries that you need in bulk and it also means that if you do switch your hearing aids, there’s a chance that you might be able to use the same battery type. This is very convenient and makes purchasing batteries easy based on both the sizes and colors of the tabs. If you’re unsure which battery your hearing aid uses, then it’s a good idea to consult the manual that came with your hearing aid or speak to your audiologist.

Picking the right hearing aid battery

Once you’ve determined what type of battery your hearing aid needs, you can try out different brands. One great way to start is to look at reviews and also the features that each battery lists. You want to keep in mind that brand names are usually very important when picking out the various brands because they can be more reliable, but unknown brands with good reviews can also be trusted.

We recommend that you purchase a small pack of batteries before you consider buying in bulk. Although a bulk purchase can save a lot of money, it’s important to test out each battery to ensure that it fits your needs and that you’ve actually purchased the right battery for your hearing aid. We would also recommend that you purchase aftermarket batteries that your audiologist suggests instead of just looking at reviews. They might have experience in the various types of hearing aid batteries available on the market and could give you advice on which to pick.

Hearing and Balance Centers of West Tennessee have made plenty of battery recommendations in the past and we’re more than happy to help you with your hearing aid should you have encountered any kind of issue such as battery drain problems or if you’re unsure how to change your batteries. Give us a call at one of our convenient locations today!

• Jackson: (731) 256-5973
• Memphis: (901) 201-6761