LEKI Super Makalu COR-TEC PA Antishock Trekking Poles - 1 Pair - 2008 BCS

Great item! It's my 2nd pair since I wore out the first pair I bought in the late 90's. The cork handles definitely work better with sweaty hands, and the shocks clearly soften the pressure on aging knees. If only I had started using them earlier in my "outdoor" life! Now I'm trying to extend the life of my knees, and these are an essential part of my outdoor gear for hiking, climbing, and backpacking.

Just got back from a week long backpacking trip in the New Mexico high desert. Never had a problem, just made sure the poles were tightened up and just went on bushwhacking. They saved my knees many times, and I never had any problem trusting them.

These may be good poles and I just don't know it. I have used others but these are the first I've owned. My main issue with these is how difficult they are to adjust and the fact that they don't lock all the time. When it's raining or if your hands are really cold it's difficult to tighten them enough to keep them adjusted properly. Maybe I'm just weak. On a 5 mile decent I'll have to stop to readjust at least two or three times. For the price I expect more. If they get wet make sure you dry them off before collapsing them. Even if you don't use them and it's cold. The condensation will cause corrosion in a heartbeat. The shock absorption is a very nice feature. I'll be replacing these poles in the next couple of months.

I loved these poles. I haved used other cheaper poles and the Supe Makalu's are great. The cork handles is very comfortable.

I love the leki grips, the comfort cannot be beat. I know to a lot of people it's gimmicky but I with one of the poles had a camera attachment so I could use it as a monopod. They can be a little hard to adjust but they are very light and have held up to abuse very well.

The positive angle cork grips are why I spent more money for these poles. I wish they had locks like the Black Diamond ones, but the Lekis are super comfortable.

So I got a decent 2 seasons use and maybe a little more out of these and they worked flawlessly with the occasional exception of not being able to tighten the locking mechanism. Not being able to do that when you need it is entirely frustrating though, especially going on a steep descent when you have 1 pole fully open and locked and the other one is only half way because one of the locks has "chosen" not to work. The locking system, which I originally thought was great, has let me down time and again. I was going to get new poles anyway, but the nail in the coffin was taking these with me after a winter of non use only to find out(at the trailhead) that I must not have fully dried it before putting them away and they corroded internally and no longer lock AT ALL. Maybe its my fault or maybe I just need poles from a company that uses different locking mechanisms, just got some Black Diamonds so we'll see when they get here!

There are better poles out there for the money. The twist-lock system just doesn't cut it. I love the shock absorbtion, but for this kind of cash, I want gear I can rely on.

LEKI is the big name in poles, but honestly, I was disappointed. The cork grips were nice, but the locking mechanisms are not user friendly in the winter and broke after a short period of time. Look at the Black Diamonds... better locking system which is glove friendly and doesn't break/collapse without warning.