Unger Professional CFL Bulb Changer

It was very easy to remove my flood lights (12' up), but I can't get it to LET GO of the new bulbs, once I screwed it in! The locking/unlocking mechanism doesn’t work well. I can get it to work if I play around with it, with *just* the changer in my hand (not attached to the pole). It takes very firm force to detach it.But once I have it attached to my 12’ pole, there was no way to get it to detach the changer from the bulb. You have to have a second hand to hold the collar in order to twist or untwist it, but how do you do that 12' up?? (which is why one needs a pole anyway!)I searched for answers on the Unger site (none available), looked at this listing's review, and also YouTube, but to no avail.I even removed 3 of the 6 suction cups to make it easier to release the bulb, to no avail.The seller (Hot Spring Trading Depot) was VERY responsive to my questions, even on a holiday weekend, but ultimately we just need to get a unit w/ a corded device to release the suction mechanism.

The recessed light bulb changer worked exceedingly well. I was able to change two BR30 bulbs in about a minute each.Most of the negative reviews seem to be centered on the fact that they didn't realize this changer doesn't fit on all Unger poles, or even with all bulbs. It's a pretty specific use case, I don't imagine this would work with anything much smaller than a BR30. Maybe a BR20?The key line with regards to the pole is this: "Attaches to any Unger telescopic pole with removable cone." I went to Home Depot first to get a pole because Amazon was sold out of the pole I needed and found they were all the locking cones, not the removable so I just had to wait until Amazon was back in stock.The light bulb changers only work removable cone tips. The tapered cone has to be removed first, and then bulb changer can be slid in and locked in place. Part numbers include 960370 (4ft pole, they don't seem to sell it on Amazon), 91012 (11ft pole) & 961880 (6'-16' ft pole).Alternatively, you could make your own pole from this with 1" PVC pipe and a 3/8" drill bit.

I bought this product thinking that it will fit my existing Unger telescopic pole, but it does not. The pole I have is  Unger Professional Connect & Clean Telescopic Pole, 20' . You see, the pole has a threaded end. But this bulb changer has "recessed & track" end. I can't even find a long telescopic pole that will accommodate this device.I have searched in many B&M stores and on the Internet, but can't find a proper pole. I cannot find Unger bulb retriever for the threaded pole I have either. Very frustrated. If you know the correct bulb retriever for the threaded pole, please let me know in the comments.

First, let me say that the Unger Bebbe broken bulb changer DOES work, and worked quite well at extracting a broken bulb from a recessed can light 21' high. It's the aggravating, intentionally incompatible design that forces me to give it 2 stars. First, and this is not Unger's fault, the Q&A here on Amazon has completely incorrect answers about the ability to attach it to any pole with a standard screw top - it doesn't. I bought it based on that incorrect information. Worse, Unger's own website claims "This tool works easily with any Unger Pole" - which is also WRONG.Luckily I figured out the incompatibility while at a local hardware store, so I didn't waste another week returning the wrong pole. This product requires one of the Unger poles with the ErgoTec Locking Cone Pole Adaptor on the end - so that the adapter can be removed exposing the clip-lock end of the pole. Compatible poles are the OptiLoc and TelePlus products. But the cheaper Unger Connect-and-Clean and UniTec poles will NOT attach to any of the Unger bulb-changing products. Which is embarrassing, as the product packaging itself advertises the Connect-and-Clean system! Had Unger simply used a female screw connection like so many other accessories, the Bebbe would be perfect for the job.Lastly, the plastic shield used to catch falling debris is poorly designed, and should not be used with recessed can lights if you can't reach the fixture. The shield gets snagged by the trim ring of the fixture, and because it's just loosely slipped onto the pole - it comes off, wedging itself in the fixture. In my case it took me 15 minutes of trying and cursing to remove it from 21' in the air. My advice is to avoid using it - just be careful of falling debris and clean up any mess.