MEB
New member
Well, after thinking about getting new hiking poles for about a year I finally went out and bought some last week. The ones that have since been retired were actually a collapsible ski pole and they worked well for the use they received. So, in my search for a new trekking pole I wanted something bomb-proof, reliable and easy to use. I have spent quite a bit of time looking at the regular trekking poles and they all seem to have the three tier design, which to me means double the aggravation....instead of having just one piece to twist in place there are now two! Seriously, did they purposely design them this way to frustrate people? I have been on so many hikes where this twisting-inner cam design fails to catch...it happened with my ski poles occasionally but it seems to happen on a regular basis for those who have the trekking poles. Another trend I've noticed with the trekking poles is that they seem to break very easily. Two of the people I hiked with on Sunday ended up with broken poles during the day.
So, to make a long story short I ended up buying a pair of Black Diamond Flint-lock ski poles. Why? Well, they were only $50 which is about half the price I was planning on spending. They are a two piece pole but they lock together by flipping a lever which is on the outside...no twisting! Plus, if the lock mechanism breaks I will know because I can see it...no more guessing if the twist is going to hold or not. I adjusted them to my length at the store and put all my weight on them and there was no flexing or bowing on the bottom half! They also can act as an avalanche probe by screwing the two bottom pieces together.
There are a couple of drawbacks. First they are not as compact so they stick out from the top of the pack. Second, they do not have any kind of shock absorber. Lastly, I think they are a bit heavier than the trekking poles.
I've only used them twice so time will tell if they live up to my expectations. So, if your in the market for replacing your hiking poles I would suggest taking a look at these.
-MEB
So, to make a long story short I ended up buying a pair of Black Diamond Flint-lock ski poles. Why? Well, they were only $50 which is about half the price I was planning on spending. They are a two piece pole but they lock together by flipping a lever which is on the outside...no twisting! Plus, if the lock mechanism breaks I will know because I can see it...no more guessing if the twist is going to hold or not. I adjusted them to my length at the store and put all my weight on them and there was no flexing or bowing on the bottom half! They also can act as an avalanche probe by screwing the two bottom pieces together.
There are a couple of drawbacks. First they are not as compact so they stick out from the top of the pack. Second, they do not have any kind of shock absorber. Lastly, I think they are a bit heavier than the trekking poles.
I've only used them twice so time will tell if they live up to my expectations. So, if your in the market for replacing your hiking poles I would suggest taking a look at these.
-MEB