I have 2 professional grade Unger Opti-loc (Green) poles. I usually have to replace the tip yearly due to wear. The little plastic nibs inside wear thin and the pole tip spins. The pole tip is like $5 and is a wearable item. The poles are 5 years old or more and I have repaired the stones and collars once each throughout their life. I think that is reasonable per the usage. I also have 3 or 4 of the cheap HD Unger blue poles. They are in-expensive and last about three months worth of route work. They are non-repairable and the issue that I have is the collar wears quickly and wont hold pole in position. They get lost, damaged, left at the jobsite etc…not by me but by the crew… I also have an Ettore Backflip and use it on the Unger pole. Sometimes it doesn’t wedge all the way down but hasn’t been a problem that I couldn’t get 'r done.
I know that the upper section of the Ettore REACH poles are knurled which helps hold the collar tight. I like this part of it. The Ettore also has a repairable tip and the snap is metal whereas the Unger is plastic. I like the Ettore cobweb duster and how it snaps on the pole tip. The Ettore Cobweb lasts longer than others in my experience. Ettore makes a cheap pole sold at Lowe’s and they also make a non-repairable pole but years ago I did not have trouble with the professional REACH pole.
Not sure if this helps but let us know what you do and how it works. Thanks