I’m new here. I registered because I purchased a 4 GB Sansa Fuze used from Ebay and would like some feedback.
The device came in amazingly almost perfect condition and it functions well. The one thing I’ve noticed however, is that the battery indicator and power level indicator jump around like crazy!
After roughly 5 - 10 minutes or so the player already drops from 100% power to about 94. It jumps back and forth to 100 then finally drops to 80 and does the same thing until nearly dead.
I estimated that it’s getting BELOW 10 hours. way below. Somewhere around 3-6 hours.
The volume is set to loud (some of my tracks are really quiet) the brightness set to half, and my MP3 files vary, with many having the recommended 128 kbps bit rate. Some are in the 200’s, a few in the 300’s
I emailed the seller and they said they could replace the unit but they have just a couple left with cosmetic scratches. This is a non-issue for me because I don’t use MP3 players for video, or rarely even photos. Mainly music.
I ordered this MP3 player after my Philips Go Gear Vibe (which had pretty darn good battery life BTW) shorted several headphone pairs, until the headphone jack shorted out and opening it revealed no way to fix it without killing it completely.
I am planning to ship it back to the seller very soon. This seems like a GREAT mp3 player and much better than the Go Gear, which I purchased for around $30. I really LOVE the light-up scroll wheel. I hear the Fuze+ isn’t as good. Is this true? The deal on this one was too good to pass up! $40 with free shipping.
Sorry for the block of text. I’d like to hear some feedback. Does it sound like the battery is really messed up? Hopefully I get one with better battery life. I know I shouldn’t expect too much for the price or that it’s Ebay, but I can’t live without my music! And some days, I listen for hours!
Battery life does lessen with the age of the unit as well as how much it has been used. Six hours is low, but it’s really unpredictable whether another used one will do any better.
I’ve already contacted the seller about replacement but I gave it some thought, I think it would be less time consuming to try and replace the battery. It would take a week or so to send it back and get another,
There are also disassembly videos on Youtube. Have your brother take a look. Getting it open is one thing and getting it all put back together is another.
Note that there are two different kinds of Fuze that look identical from the outside, V1 and V2 (you can see your version in Settings/Info). The pix above are probably from a V1 Fuze, since that was back in 2008. A V2 may be different inside. Google around before you crack it open.
Is mine a V2? Because that’s also the firmware version too, correct?
In info in version mine says: V02.03.33
Thank you for the link. What is the original mAh on the fuze battery? someone said their’s was 700 something, but idk if it was the Clip, Fuze, or Fuze+ The one I linked to is 550 mAh.
I will talk with my brother, he should be able to do it. I think I’m going to skip sending it back because as you said, it’s hard to say the quality of another one. It could have worse battery life. The seller is pretty legit though; they gave me good options.
If you find anything else on opening it, let me know! My brother is pretty darn good with electronics! I’m sure he could do it if I have what I need.
After roughly 5 - 10 minutes or so the player already drops from 100% power to about 94. It jumps back and forth to 100 then finally drops to 80 and does the same thing until nearly dead
I wouldn’t worry too much about it. The percentage is actually just an estimate. I think it’s just normal.
In my opinion, your observations are not normal. I would return it. Whether you want to risk getting another one from this seller that may have some physical scratches, etc. is up to you. There’s a lot of them being offered out there. This seller and/or eBay isn’t your only option.
Does anyone have experience replacing the Fuze battery? The only person I’ve heard that has done this said that the eBay batteries are slightly too big (even though the sellers claim that they’re made for the Fuze), and that you can’t shut the Fuze completely with the replacement battery.
No one said it is impossible to replace the battery in the Fuze. Most people say it isn’t worth the effort though. Finding a battery that will fit is not easy. Opening the player, installing the new battery and closing it without breaking anything is not easy. A replacement battery might be expensive. A better idea is to use the player with a small external usb battery pack like the Duracell My Grid(you don’t need to have the My Grid system to use it).
$12. Not a lot of money. Whether they fit is beyond me. But it is the correct TYPE of Battery.
But I’m gonna go ahead and say it. Sandisk is clearly RETARDED. To make such a nice little MP3 player with expandable Micro SD memory but not make the battery replaceable is dumb as all hell. Are they trying to compete with Apple?? If so, I’m sure they’ve already lost miserably and I heard the Fuze+ is even WORSE.
Lithium-polymer batteries are supposed to last. 4 years later and the thing has a half-way poor battery?? Clearly that’s not “lasting”
I’ll do a little more research before wasting money on their players anymore. I’m not interested in the Amazon one because I have no account, and do they even accept pay pal? I’m 17 for god’s sake. I don’t own a credit card. This player was bought for me and now I’m in the hole waiting to be payed because I just got a job recently.
Good MP3 players are hard to come by now. Everyone and their brother has a smart phone or an ipod. I only want MUSIC.
A user-replaceable battery would make the unit bigger. It might come loose because it isn’t soldered in. People might put it in wrong. The battery latch might break. Etc. Complaints would flood in.
That’s why Apple and lots of other companies go for the tiny permanent rechargeable battery. For size, uniform behavior and ■■■■■-proofing.
My first Fuze had great battery life until I used it so much the nub broke off the on-off switch. When I finally got tired of starting it with a penpoint I got another one. It probably still would run all day.
You got a used cheap Fuze with who knows what previous use or storage, and you’re still getting 3-6 hours, which is probably more playing time than you’d get if you were using your cell phone to play music. All bets are off with a used unit. You want better battery life, get a new-in-the-box Fuze. It would only have cost you a little more than your current one plus the replacement battery.
If you want a unit with a replaceable battery…get a brand that has one. RTFM. No one forced you to get the Fuze.
The Fuze + is an entirely different unit. No scroll wheel, touch controls. It shouldn’t have the Fuze name at all. But that’s another story.
A player with a replaceable battery doesn’t have to be much larger. Using a standard inexpensive Lion battery would also save costs, however it would mean that the player is built around the battery, rather than having the battery built around the player as is the case with proprietary batteries.
It is easy enough to make it impossible for a battery to be put in wrong by either designing the battery compartment so it won’t fit the wrong way, ot by not having the battery make contact if inserted the wrong way.
"That’s why Apple and lots of other companies go for the tiny permanent rechargeable battery. For size, uniform behavior and ■■■■■-proofing. "
No, they do it so the product will have a much more limited useful life. Apple learned the trick of using a built in battery from electric toothbrush and electric shavers. I hated throwing away electric toothbrushes and shavers with worn out built in batteries. Imo battery operated items should be required to use a standard battery that is easily user replaceable.
A new 2GB Clip+ is only $30. add a cheap 16GB or 32GB card to that. At least the card can be used in another player when the player battery wears out.
“If you want a unit with a replaceable battery…get a brand that has one.”
There are no high quality mp3 players being made now that use an easily replaceable battery.
Honestly if I hadn’t bought the Fuze already I would buy a Sansa e280. The main differences (after rockbox) seem to be size and an easily replacable battery.
Well, no. The E200 series players are bigger and heavier, though not by that much. However, their sound quality is not as good as the Fuze–and to me, that’s a big deal.
A user-replaceable battery would make the unit bigger. It might come loose because it isn’t soldered in. People might put it in wrong. The battery latch might break. Etc. Complaints would flood in.
Really? In that case, why do they do exactly that with laptops? Anyone would tell you laptops are far more expensive than MP3 players. So, it’s even more important to make sure to ■■■■■-prof them. But, they still have interchangeable batteries.
Imo battery operated items should be required to use a standard battery that is easily user replaceable.
I agree. Throwing a whole device away because of a dead battery is stupid. If laptops and cell phones had universal batteries like remote controls, sales of this cr@p would decrease, so they just “invent” a battery design to keep you replacing your valuble electronics.
You’re comparing a laptop to a Fuze? The word specious comes to mind.
Of course you need to be able to replace a laptop battery with a spare–to keep it going on a long airplane trip or on an intense deeadline or through a power failure. I have heard that some people even use laptops for work.
I’m with you, JK98, that standard-size replacement batteries should be available for every gadget. But it’s not gonna happen. Laptops, cameras, cellphones–every battery is different and proprietary. Nice little accessories market to build there. I spring for the high-capacity battery each time I get a laptop or phone. But the battery is a much smaller fraction of the price of a laptop/camera/phone. Whereas for the Fuze, you might have people deciding that a replacement battery is so expensive they might as well get a new unit.
Also, while space is at a premium in a laptop, and even a cellphone or camera, neither is as tiny as the Fuze. What fraction of an inch do you need to get a fingernail under there? That’s a bigger proportion of space in the Fuze.
I understand how appealing it is to believe that it’s all about planned obsolescence, and I fully share your contempt for toothbrush and shaver manufacturers. But I do think the extreme miniaturization people now expect from an mp3 player is the biggest reason. If not, someone would be filling the market niche with a replaceable-battery unit.
Just from my experience, the Fuze battery easily outlasts the unit’s other weak points, like the on-off switch and the headphone jack. I don’t think that’s particularly planned obsolescence either. It’s getting what you pay for–the Fuze is inexpensive because it’s cheaply made.
By the way, speaking of cheap–SanDisk looks to be dumping all its old devices. You want that E280, or a Fuze, now’s your chance. I just bought a 4GB Fuze as a spare. It’s a v2, not my preference, but for $39.99…and the software was already updated.
Well, no. The E200 series players are bigger and heavier, though not by that much . However, their sound quality is not as good as the Fuze- -and to me, that’s a big deal.
Actually, you’re only partly correct. The e200 v1 players do sound worse than the Fuze, but the e200 v2 players have the same AMS chip inside as the Fuze and Clip.
By the way, speaking of cheap–SanDisk looks to be dumping all its old devices. You want that E280, or a Fuze, now’s your chance. I just bought a 4GB Fuze as a spare. It’s a v2, not my preference, but for $39.99…and the software was already updated.
Why would the v2 Fuze not be your preference? The unit would be newer than a v1, and especially with Rockbox installed would get pretty decent battery life, even as old as the battery in it must be.
When the v2 Fuze came out there were a lot of complaints here about screen freezes, etc.–though perhaps firmware updates fixed that. I haven’t had any problems.
But I have had lower battery life than with the v2 than with my v1, not greater. Maybe I’ll give Rockbox a try again–I didn’t like the GUI, but it’s been a long time.
When the v2 Fuze came out there were a lot of complaints here about screen freezes, etc.–though perhaps firmware updates fixed that. I haven’t had any problems.
But I have had lower battery life than with the v2 than with my v1, not greater. Maybe I’ll give Rockbox a try again–I didn’t like the GUI, but it’s been a long time.
The V2 players get significantly better battery life then the V1s. The newer CPU is a lot more efficient.
