The Weird Tool That Actually Has A Practical Purpose For Replacing Broken Lightbulbs

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How many homeowners does it take to change a lightbulb? Only one ... plus 40 YouTubers with 50 opinions about how to do it. Of course, changing a bulb isn't usually all that hard. But changing a broken bulb can present some challenges — including the potential for lacerations and electrocution. The most popular solution, judging from Amazon sales, might be the Bayco LBC-800 bulb extractor, which includes two sizes of extension-pole-friendly extractors for under $10.

As always, start by turning off the power to your light, ideally via your circuit breaker panel, and using appropriate protective gear: non-conductive gloves, eye protection, and a cloth or some other means of catching as much falling glass as possible. Push the tool inside the threaded base of the broken bulb (thus the two sizes). It will grip the base and whatever else remains of the light with a soft/sticky/rubbery plug, so the base can be easily turned. If you're extracting a broken bulb from high overhead using an extension pole, attaching the Bayco to a pole should work without a lot of trial and error. If you have difficulty because of corrosion in an outdoor fixture, you'll also want to remove rust from the light socket.

Several DIY solutions work the same way for removing standard incandescent and LED bulbs when they are broken (replacing a fluorescent tube has a process all its own). These include covering the end of an appropriately sized screwdriver handle in duct or electrical tape, sticky side out; pushing a potato onto the socket; inserting a wine bottle cork; or even using the mouth of a plastic water bottle, melted with a lighter or even a torch. These all work fine, to one degree or another, and do a reasonably good job of containing glass fragments. But, for a purpose-built tool, the Bayco bulb remover seems to be the easiest solution. With 4 stars from almost 2,500 reviews, one happy customer says: "Friends, let me tell you—this tool is like Excalibur for broken light bulbs." Negative reviews, accounting for about 20% of total comments, note that despite best efforts, the product didn't work. 

If you decide to consider another product, other commercial tools, like the Alden Ease-Out, the Unger/Bebbe bulb-changer, and similar implements, target their friction specifically to the inside of the metal threads. Most pros and DIYers just use pliers, either spread apart to create friction at two points inside the threads, or simply by grabbing the threads on one side and carefully turning the base. The needle-nose pliers method is usually going to prove sufficient and require the least preparation when fixing a bulb socket you can easily reach. but it can be tricky, and using a metal tool should give one pause before 120 volts give your heart pause. If you aren't 100% sure the power is off or if you don't have an electrical tester to confirm it, don't stick metal in a light bulb socket. Use a commercial product or the screwdriver handle trick with electrical tape, which is non-conductive. Once you're finished, if you find that whatever damaged the bulb also damaged the socket, the bad light socket will need to be fixed.