Earbuds, watches, handhelds, laptops: the failure is nearly always the cell, and the cell is nearly always glued in.
Why it is glued
Adhesive is thinner than a caddy, and thinness sells. It is also faster on an assembly line. Neither of those reasons has anything to do with how the product performs.
What it costs you
A £160 pair of earbuds with a sealed cell is a two-to-three year product. The same pair with a caddy is a seven-year product, and the difference is about three millimetres and a fastener.
What we do
- Every cell we ship is in a caddy or on a connector.
- Every cell is a part we sell, at a price on the page.
- We hold cells for eight years after a model is discontinued.
None of this is difficult. It is a decision about who the product is for after the first eighteen months.
