IDK, I live in the Twin Cities and see a LOT of these coats, saw several in Chicago over the weekend. Rarely saw one when I lived in DC area. I don’t own that brand but did invest in a similar (expensive) coat last year and it really does keep me a lot warmer than any other coat I own.
5 Likes
What are you doing on that trip to the store that leaves your coat covered in salt? I’ve been racking my brain and giggling because all I can come up with is rolling around the ground in the parking lot for the salt cover. 
5 Likes
One of my winter coats is black and sure enough, getting out of a crowded parking lot leaves winter debris after walking alongside the car. Or when getting or putting stuff in the trunk.
3 Likes
Right now all of our vehicles are completely covered in salt. A neighboring town was in the local news because so many cars lined up for a car wash that it blocked streets for a mile, cars couldn’t pass.
4 Likes
I may not see Canadian Goose jackets in my town but when we ate at a place this weekend where there were lots of snowmobiles, I saw tons of expensive matching snowmobile outfits. Heated outfits with very expensive helmets.
They aren’t any less expensive but I’m sure a good snowmobile outfits is just as expensive as a Canadian goose coat. And as recognizable.
I don’t see many Porsche here either but I see a ton of $80,000 plus trucks.
4 Likes
That’s just it, you do run into them in Chicago and the Twin Cities. But in Embarrass or International Falls? Nope.
ETA: but @deb922 makes a good point about the delux snomobile suits
Snowmobile suits make me think of the biking “kits” my son (and his wife) wear. They will spend hundreds of dollars on biking jerseys and shorts, and if/when they fall, they rip… just like the less expensive ones. I spend a fair amount, and the padding in shorts really does help, but at my age it’s more about function than looks.
1 Like
Costco. I’ve never seen a store more crowded on a Saturday. Holidays? Forget it!
1 Like
Rechargeable Hearing Aids
In recent years rechargeable hearing aids have become the norm and have become for more popular than traditional battery hearing aids. Some hearing aid sellers only carry rechargeable models. I don’t understand the this popularity at all.
When a hearing aid battery runs out, I want to replace it ASAP, as I can’t hear until the battery is replaced. With traditional hearing aids, I can swap out a new battery in under 10 seconds. I only have a ~10 second gap without hearing well, then I am good to go. I can swap out batteries while walking, without breaking my stride. I can easily swap out the batteries when away from home or traveling. I just need to keep a back up battery in my pocket.
However, with rechargeable batteries I instead need to put the hearing aids in a charger and wait several hours. I need to go several hours without being able to hear. I can only charge when there is an AC source nearby, so I can’t charge when outside. It’s also far more awkward when traveling, as I need to carry a large charger and cables around. If I forget to bring my charger or it gets damaged/lost, I can’t easily go to a store and get a replacement, like I could with traditional batteries. Instead I’m stuck with not being able to hear anything on my trip, ruining the trip experience.
The rechargeable batteries generally do not hold charge longer than traditional. More common is the opposite – rechargeable batteries usually last far shorter between charges as one gets out of a traditional battery. The rechargeable battery also generally holds increasingly less charge over time until it eventually needs to be replaced, putting hearing aids out of commission for several days, sometimes weeks when battery is replaced.
The rechargeable battery hearing aids are generally less reliable than traditional batteries. When Costco switched their KS line to rechargeable batteries with the KS 10, the rechargeable functionally had so poor reliability that it killed the entire Costco KS hearing aid line. It looks like there are not going to be any more Kirkland Signature brand hearing aids due the failure from Costco switching to a rechargeable battery model.
Rechargeable hearing aids generally have higher initial costs than equivalent traditional ,prior to economy of scale effects. Chargers can be surprisingly expensive. Operating costs are also not significantly lower, if you buy batteries in bulk. For example, I bought a 48 pack of batteries for $8 at Costco. At my rate of battery usage, that works out to between $10 and $20 per year on batteries. I expect charging would cost more per year, in impact on annual electric bill.
I could list many more disadvantages, but I don’t see any significant advantage, besides possibly being more environmentally friendly (it’s debatable when considering indirect effects). I doubt that this is the reason for the popularity/hype. Maybe the popularity is instead based on general hype of smartphones/EVs, being carried over to other products? Rechargeable smartphones/EVs are good, so that means switching any other tech product to have rechargeable batteries makes it better?
2 Likes
DH has a portable hearing aid charger
Interesting. Dad has rechargeable. I thought the idea was to charge at night, while sleeping. Do they not hold a charge full day? (Maybe that is why his hearing lacks sometimes on evening calls.)
1 Like
Everyone I know who has rechargeable hearing aids charges them every night…and no one I know has issues for the full following day. Of course YMMV. And it seems @Data10 has issues with the length his hold a charge.
I depends on the model and other factors, but the vast majority can hold charge for a full day when new (may not last a day, after losing capacity over years of usage). However, I average ~1 week of usage before having to swap out batteries with my 5-year-old KS 9. The latter seems like the superior option.
1 Like
Seems like your hearing aid battery costs approximately $0.17 for about 0.145 to 1 Wh of energy. $0.17 would buy about 300 to 1,500 Wh of grid electricity, depending on your local utility pricing. Even if there are substantial charging losses, the electricity cost of a rechargeable hearing aid is likely to be much less than disposable batteries. Generally, disposable batteries are rather expensive ways to buy electricity.
However, it does not seem like cost of electricity is significant compared to the convenience aspects. For you, it appears that the disposable battery type is more convenient, but some people prefer the rechargeable type because manipulating the very small hearing aid batteries is not convenient for them, compared to putting the hearing aid on the charger when they go to sleep.
Our audiologist said that just shy of the 3 year warranty they should be sent in for a complete retooling
2 Likes
I did not review the actual electric costs per charging, but yes, potential savings on the $10-$20 per year on batteries, is not the primary concern for me. I expect financial savings is also not the primary reason for the hype on rechargeable batteries.
While persons with hearing aids tend to older and may have manual dexterity or vision issues, I personally found it more awkward to get the charging location correct for charging KS 10s than to swap out batteries on KS 9s.
1 Like
I have an Apple Watch that I charge every night. My iPhone is easy to charge at night.
My mom has the rechargeable hearing aids from Costco. It was such a help for a senior on a limited income to be able to afford hearing aids. She charges them every night and I have never heard that they are a problem.
My fil has two cochlear implants. Those batteries are rechargeable. He has an extra set of batteries so that he can change them out when they die. I don’t know, it hasn’t been too much of a burden to charge them and change them.
I guess I’m not seeing the big problem
4 Likes
It so much a “big problem” as replacing a superior product with an inferior product, and not getting the hype around switching to an inferior product.
Sure, if one charges every night and the charge always goes through correctly, then you can hear they next day without having to wait several hours to charge… or at least until battery capacity declines over time, which may be mitigated by getting hearing aid retooled/replaced by 3 year mark. And if you need to travel, you can buy a $300 portable charger to carry around with you and charge each night at your lodging. If the charger gets damaged/lost, maybe you can get a replacement somewhere?
However, this seems inferior to the traditional way of spending 10 seconds to swap out a battery once a week, putting a battery in your pocket when you travel, and buying a replacement battery at the store if something goes wrong. So why is there hype about the rechargeable ones, and the traditional ones are dying out?
1 Like
My daughter also had cupcakes (small cake for cutting). She had macarons for the GF people, and they went very fast even with the non GF group. The baker couldn’t make GF because he couldn’t guarantee there wouldn’t be cross contamination so I asked her friend who is GF and a very good baker (professionally trained) to make about 6 but she made the macarons instead. Easier to transport. She is now going to make some for my friend’s retirement party (friend was at the wedding so clearly impressed).
1 Like
Stand alone bidets, no. But I’ll never be without an integrated one again.
I get covered in salt anytime I rub up against my car (in a consensual way, I swear) getting in and out of it or when I put something in my trunk.
11 Likes