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(More customer reviews)This review will be a comparison between the two hiking poles I have owned, the Leki Corklite Aergon and the Black Diamond Trail Shock Trekking Pole.
I did some research before I purchased my original pair of poles (the Black Diamond) and was confused by what features would be most important to me. There were different types of handles, some had differing degrees of shock absorption, and then of course there are the flick locks compared to the twist lock. I went to my local outdoor store (REI) to check out the different poles and immediately fell in love with the new corklite handles on the Lekis. I almost bought those until a sales person convinced me to get the Black Diamonds. I eventually traded them back for the Lekis since they have a good return policy and I am quite satisfied now.
Here are my thoughts on the different parts of the trekking pole.
Handles: I wasn't sure what feature would be most important and thought it would likely be the flick locks or the shock system. Part of the reason I decided on getting the Black Diamonds was because it had a shock system that went along with the flick locks (Leki does not currently make such a pole as they apparently haven't come up with a design that satisfies them that incorporates both those features on a pole). I thought these features would override the importance of how the handles feel, but for me that was not to be the case. That isn't to say that the Black Diamond handles are terrible. It is a decent quality pole. But they are soft and easily get warm and after about two hours of gripping warm handles in 90 degree weather it gets to where you want cooler handles. Also, the new corklite handles aren't made completely of cork. It appears to be made of some sort of mix of rubber/plastic/with bits of cork mixed in that makes the handle stay cool but with enough texture to give good grip. The black that runs up through the handle is actually plastic and the very top of the handle is rubber so that if you grip it from the very top your hands won't slip off. When I first gripped this newer corklite handle in the store I immediately fell in love with the feel of this grip and it almost made me buy those poles right then. I should have. In addition, these poles feel like they have the perfect thickness for my hands (medium sized woman's hands) and would also probably work well if I ever needed to use gloves because colder weather since they have a narrower grip. There also seems to be a bit more tilt to the handle which might not seem like a big deal, but it definitely increases comfort on the trail. I actually wouldn't have minded more of a tilt, and some poles out there do have that feature. As you are going downhill, you flick your wrists up to cause the pole to go forward. Then you are pressing into the ground with your wrist locked at an awkward, vulnerable angle which doesn't feel comfortable. The more tilt the handle has, the more ergonomically useful the handle is. This is why I actually prefer to grip the poles from the top when I descend. I place my palms at the very top part of the handle and allow my fingers to wrap around the knobby part. This allows my wrists to stay at a more natural straight position. It also means I don't have to constantly be changing the height of my poles as I go up and down the trail. I keep them at the perfect height for both ascending a hill and walking level, and then when I go downhill I grab the top part of the pole and it works out perfectly for me. The Black Diamond has an extended handle so that you can slide your hands down for ascents and have your hands on the regular part of the handle for everything else, but I found that I didn't like having all that extra pole above my hands. It also has a much shorter knob at the top which makes it less comfortable grip if you prefer to grab the handles from the top.
To sum up, the handles are most important because they are what you will be holding for the entire hike and the comfort of the grip will make a difference. The ergonomic nature of the handles will also make a big difference in your comfort level.
Flick Locks: Both of these poles have flick locks and that was important to me because of ease of use. According to the information I read on the web, the twist locks can handle considerably more weight, so if you are hiking with a massive pack on your back, you will likely want to purchase a twist lock pole. I read many reviews where the person thought they had twisted their poles enough, but it wasn't and it collapsed on them during their hike. In order to avoid this, I made it a priority to get a flick lock pole since it is very easy to visually see if they are locked completely or not. I read online that the Lekis can handle 10x more weight with their flick locks compared to any other flick lock poles on the market. Part of my issue with the black diamonds was they collapsed on me several times during my hikes. One time my foot hit a soft spot on the edge of a trail. I went sliding down 5 or 6 feet. When I finally got back up I noticed both of my poles had collapsed about 5 or 6 inches and I had to readjust them. This is part of the reason that I went to the Lekis. I was hopeful that I could keep the flick lock and have them be able to handle more weight. To my surprise, the Lekis started collapsing immediately and I realized that there are two methods of adjustment. There was a screw that could be twisted to tighten the mechanism. Once that was tightened more, it made it harder to close the flick lock but the lock was so much stronger. In all fairness, I never noticed if there was that ability for adjustment on the black diamonds. It would have been helpful to know that. I will have to take a peek the next time I am in the store.
Shock absorption: There seem to be three different kinds of poles on the market. Those without any shock absorption, those with a "lite" version of absorption, and those with considerable and adjustable levels of shock absorption. For me, I didn't purchase anything with a lot of absorption because the purpose of the poles is not to give you "bounciness" on the trail, it is to support you. I certainly don't want my poles compacting if my feet are going out from under me. Also I read that those types of poles are very noisy if adjusted out to the most "bouncy" level. The Black Diamonds had the "lite" version. If you pressed down on the pole you could see the height of the pole compress. But you will likely feel no difference between a pole with this lite version and no shock absorption at all. It is not noticeable. The only reason to get the lite version is if you believe that it will make a difference for your joints in the long run. It likely won't increase your comfort level on the trail, however. This model of Lekis doesn't have any shock absorption and I haven't noticed a difference.
Now here are some points on trekking poles in general. The reason I purchased these poles is because my knees were killing me going downhill on trails (almost 40 yrs old and way out of shape does not help my situation). I didn't want to have to stop my fun new hiking hobby so I did some internet research and discovered that the one biggest recommendation I could find was to buy some poles. They take pounds of pressure off your knees. And yes, I used to be one of those people who scornfully looked at others with poles and wondered what the point was. Now I am one of those folks who happily uses their poles. It made an amazing difference on my knees. The other surprising benefit of poles is that they give you a full body workout (you'll use 90% of the muscles in your body and burn 40% more calories). Think of a skiier who uses their poles to propel themselves forward. Now think of using your poles aggressively going uphill. You will become like a four legged animal. Taking the weight off your legs will make you want to go uphill faster, and if you are aggressive about using the poles you will feel all of the muscles in your back (I did for an entire month until I realized I could use my upper body as much as I wanted and I eased up on how much I used the poles going uphill). These poles also allow me to hike in more comfortable shoes than hiking boots. You can hike in running shoes or in my case I hike in my keen sandals that have hardly any grip on the bottom. I probably shouldn't do that since my feet have slid a few times, but my poles have kept me upright, and the extra two points on the ground of stability have kept my ankles from twisting. The point is, you will be able to wear a more comfortable shoe if you want and the poles can help compensate for it. (Obviously you should have a decent pair of shoes if you are on a "hard" trail.)
My recommendation is to get these Leki trekking poles. Definitely get a pair with the newer corklite handles if not this particular model.
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Leki Corklite AERGON Speedlock Trekking PolesDECENT FEATURES of the Leki Corklite Aergon Speed Lock Trekking Poles Positive Angle Aergon Cor-Tec Compact Grip Speed Lock System Carbide Flextip Interchangeable Basket System The SPECS Weight: 16.6 oz Length: 67-135 cm
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