Stop buying stuff with internal/non-replaceable batteries!

[newfoundmass]

I just posted in the Black Friday post about how I picked up an old Rode Rodelink Filmmaking Kit for wireless audio because I refuse to purchase a system with internal batteries. 

 

Today Chris Judd just released this video about the topic.

 

There are a multitude of reasons to care about this, whether you just care about the financial side or you care about the environmental side (or like me, both!) The value just isn't there and the e-waste it creates is unacceptable. Stop buying this stuff and make it known why! 

[zlfan]

it is no big deal. does not affect the final results. 

[newfoundmass]

47 minutes ago, zlfan said:

it is no big deal. does not affect the final results. 

Yes it does. If the battery dies and your $300 Wireless mic no longer works, that affects the final result. We shouldn't be spending money on items that don't have replaceable batteries and will end up in a landfill. 

These companies could very easily make it possible to put in new batteries. They just refuse to, because they want you to keep purchasing the latest iteration. It's wasteful, in a multitude of ways. 

[IronFilm]

Quote

"Dear Audio Companies"

 To be fair, it's only the consumer grade companies that do this. 

Generally speaking not a single professional level audio company does this. 

(with very rare exceptions, such as the built in batteries of the Tentacles, but you can buy replacement batteries for them as Curtis Judd mentions, that you can then DIY the replacement) 

[newfoundmass]

2 hours ago, IronFilm said:

 To be fair, it's only the consumer grade companies that do this. 

Generally speaking not a single professional level audio company does this. 

(with very rare exceptions, such as the built in batteries of the Tentacles, but you can buy replacement batteries for them as Curtis Judd mentions, that you can then DIY the replacement) 

The use of internal, non-replaceable batteries continues to increase. For now it's not being done in professional grade equipment, but it very well could start and likely will. And these consumer and prosumer products are increasingly being used on smaller and medium size professional productions.

Look at cell phones and laptops. My $1,000 Samsung phone is less than two years old and it's battery life has decreased significantly. The battery will die and make this phone useless sooner than the usability and functionality of the phone will, maybe before I even pay it fully off at this rate! 

My MacBook Pro M1 Max is 3 years old. The battery too has started to hold less of a charge. It too will be rendered useless by the battery dying before anything else on it goes. 

Just more stuff that will end up in a landfill. 

[Ilkka Nissila]

Even if the battery is not user-replaceable, often it can be replaced in service. I have had my iPhone's battery replaced twice. A surprisingly inexpensive and quick operation. Non-replaceability of the batteries can help improve weather sealing as there is no hatch that could leak in water and dust. However, personally I would still prefer user-replaceable batteries in equipment that needs it. I also think powering all the (wired) kit from a single battery would make life in many ways easier so that there are fewer batteries (and fewer chargers) to deal with.