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Customers most agreed on the following attributes:
from Lower Catskills on 6/24/2008
Magnificient shipping time!!
from Webster, NY on 6/15/2008
This was a nice set of poles for the first few months. Collapsed almost every time I had to put any amount of weight on them after that. Wouldn't tighten up, pole extensions would just spin. After cleaning and some minor maintenance they would be OKAY for a hike or two but then they would start collapsing again. Also, poles seem to bow more than normal when putting weight on them, bent the middle section comming down Giant mountain in the ADK's last week (190 lbs). The locking portion on the middle pole came off up in the handle section and am unable to get it out. Just purchased a pair of Black Diamond Alpine CF poles from EMS (Great Store) and love them. Lighter (more $) no slippage and very comfortable. Spend a little more and buy the flicklocks.
from western CT on 4/25/2008
Product is light, strong and well balanced. Very comfortable grips and straps. Shock absorber tends to lock and unlock by itself. Aftermarket Komperdell rubber tips have poor grip and do not fit well. Baskets difficult to install and remove. Still, these are the best you'll find at this price.
from Twin Mountain, NH on 2/7/2008
I bought my first set of these poles back in July and took them hiking with me for about 40 miles or so over a month before work picked up again, then they were stored until winter. They worked wonderfully while hiking, and once winter rolled around, they performed very well tele skiing and snowshoeing. Until the first pair stopped locking a length in, that is. It would just spin in the shaft and not tighten at all. I brought them in to the store in Conway, and they replaced them after trying to fix them for about 20 minutes or so, and sent me on my way. Second pair held up for about 10 days on snow or so (I even fell on one and bent it, straightened it and kept using it) and now the lower portion of one of them has collapsed and won't extend. No amount of tugging will extend it, and it's impossible to rotate. Two pairs of these poles, two opposite problems. I'm going to return them again and see what happens then.
from Western PA on 1/29/2008
Hard to figure out at first.
from Saratoga Springs NY on 1/13/2007
Nice poles, but you really need to make sure that the poles are tight once you adjust them. If they aren't tight, any pressure on them makes them slide in. If you arn't use to the anit-shock, it takes a little while to get use to. I wouldn't pay any extra money for anti-shock. I don't think it is worth it. Poles make all the difference on uphill. :)
from New York, NY on 10/30/2006
I chose this particular model because it was the only one in the store, regardless of the price, on which I could lock/unlock the shock absorbers easily. I do mostly the fast paced day hikes on a roller coaster type of trail, usually up to 20 miles in a day. These are my first poles. I found them to be of great help with relieving the strain on the knees and quads. They also provide a nice workout for the upper body.
Things I like:
• The foam grips. The foam feels better than any other material.
• Flexible tips. There are times when the tip gets stuck between the rocks. Without the flexibility, the both tips would have been probably broken off after the first hike.
My wish list for some improvements in the poles design.
• 56” seems a bit short on a steeper downhill. At first, I thought that I bought the women’s size poles by mistake. I am 6’ tall and sometimes have to lean forward too much for comfort to place the poles. I wish for another 5” of the length. Perhaps the current maximum length of any poles is a compromise between the weight, storage size and walking comfort.
• The handles could be extended halfway through the top section of the poles. Unless I am walking longer sections down or up the hill, there is a constant need to move hands up and down on the pole. Adjusting the length of the poles with frequent up/down change of direction is not a realistic option. Grasping the smooth bare metal with sweaty hands for support is not ideal. I believe that extended handles should be a standard feature, not used on the more expensive models only.
• I found no use for the straps. The need to move hands up and down the pole all the time makes them unnecessary. On the flat sections, the straps may be useful. But I do not use the poles on flat stretches because they tend to slow me down.
• Shock absorbers do not seem a particularly useful feature to me. First, they have to be disengaged for every uphill section of the trail. On the rolling terrain, that is a nuisance. The only benefit is on a longer downhill. I tried descents with absorbers both on and off. Noticed some, but not significant benefit. I place the pole first, then lean on it. This does not require shock absorption. If I “fell” on the pole every time, then yes. But who walks like that? I would much prefer something like vibration reduction, which, with hollow metal tubes, is present every step, all the time, uphill, downhill, no hill. Komperdell claims to have a technology to reduce vibrations by 98%. That sounds too good to be true. Even if it worked only half the claim, I believe that it would work better than the shock absorption for me.
• To prevent the loss of tip protectors, they could be somehow attached to the poles when they are on, like the lens caps on cameras.
Overall, I am satisfied with this purchase.