Black Diamond Trail Trekking Poles

I just got a chance to try these out - they were overall really nice. As usual pros and cons exist...
pros:
-grip is very comfy
-straps are the most ergonomic straps of any hand held equipment ive ever used (lots of ski poles traverse poles, ice axes and so on...)
-markings on the shaft allow you to quickly adjust them to your known preferred length
-the tips actually provide GREAT purchase even on the granite that permeates the white mountains! i could hardly believe it but where my boots slip these things can be relied upon for a great amount of weight and balance
-comes with interchangeable powder baskets

cons:
-while comfy, the padded straps did cause my hands to sweat a bit more than i would have preferred. i sweat a lot other may not experience this - it was only about 60 the day i used them
-the obvious trade off with trekking poles is the use of your hands - certain terrain mandates that you stow them or something so that you can scramble uphill

overall good purchase.

POST-HOC UPDATE:
-After a good 60 miles of usage one of the seams on the padded straps started to come undone. I imagine this is a defect and wont happen again once i get them replaced. Furthermore it did not really impede my usage of them at all, its just irritating that new gear has something wrong with it.
-On a really long hike after a lot of downhill your wrists start to get tired - i have small weak wrists though so this may not be true for everyone.
-I just finished a hike that had a combined 20ish miles worth of scree rock fields - trekking poles are indispensible in such terrain.

Just finished 25+ days on the Long Trail in Vermont with this poles. I purchased these poles for BD flicklock system and for the extended hand grips for steep climbs.

These poles were amazing on the trail. Aside from the standard advantages of trekking poles (better balance and stability on tough terrain, probing the depth of a mud pit), these BD poles were great. First, the flicklock system worked without a single slip, despite some heavy abuse to avoid muddy terrain and steep descents. Second, on steeper uphill climbs, I could slide my hands down to the lower grip positions to keep truckin' uphill without having to adjust my poles. The poles held up well over 270+ miles, and only developing one small bend as I slipped and slid down a rock slab (was caught in a tree root). The bend is VERY MINIMAL, the pole still works well, is a slight bit sticky to collapse, but still does fully function. Not really a defect of the pole, user error. But even in difficult conditions, these poles held up well.

The only problem I ran into is with the wrist strap. I used them on and off for about 100 miles, then rarely used them afterwards. After about 200 miles, I noticed that the stitching on one of the wrist straps started unraveling. I stopped using the wrist straps for the last 70 miles, and the stitching continued to deteriorate. I'm going to call BD to see what they can do, and I'll let you know how it goes.

First off, although I've day hiked for years, I'm a total newb at backpacking. I bought these poles on a whim because everyone says you should use trekking poles and boy am I glad I did. Our first trip was only 18 miles on the Appalachian but involved constant climbs and descents. However, these poles performed like a champ.

The locking system was very quick and easy to adjust and never once budged even under a great deal of weight during descents. By contrast my companion had a new pair of fancy Leki poles with cork handles and spring loaded shock absorbers (I was jealous) but the twist lock mechanism had a temporary failure on the trail before we could get it to reengage. My flintlocks were flawless.

There is a little bit of flex in the poles and I'm not sure whether that's good or bad but it was not bothersome to me. I found the grips and straps very comfortable and was not troubled by sweat.

My boots were not up to snuff for this maiden voyage so I experienced a bit of toe bang so I relied on these babies to keep me from crippling myself. Combined with the benefits of balance, stability and weight distribution (saving my knees and ankles and preventing faceplants), I came away from this trip appreciating how truly essential a piece of gear trekking poles are. These poles performed great for me and I look forward to using them on our next trip.

I bought a pair of these poles this summer for a great price from BC. I use one all the time now. The foam grip is very comfortable and hasn't caused any hand blisters with many miles of use, even in very hot, sweaty weather.

The wrist strap is really comfortable and can be adjusted quickly with a simple tug on the top or bottom strap, whether you want to loosen or tighten the strap.

The flick locks worked perfectly right out of the box. They have never slipped and I have used them for some major steep canyon trail descents and ascents, and frequent water crossings--just set it and forget it. I also like the numbered length markers on the poles, so when they are collapsed for the ride home, they can quickly be reset to the right length the next time I use them. Plus, they collapse really small too.

The carbide tips grip very well, expecially on hard rock, slick rock and sandstone--I was really surprised and impressed with how stable and secure these poles are in all kinds of terrain and conditions.

I don't have any negatives with these poles at all, I am very satisfied with the price, quality and function of these excellent trekking poles.

I bought these poles after hurting my knee on a LONG day hike. I've had them for year now and have used them in various terrains. They give pretty good grip on anything from snow, ice and scree to river trekking in the narrows at Zion. I like the basic aluminum design of the poles which are still perfectly straight and the simple flick locks are easy to adjust. I never liked the twist locks on the Leki poles. The straps are comfy but after a lot of strenuous hiking they did start to strain my wrists. I stopped using the straps and that made it better. A little of the padding on the wrist straps have also torn and the straps can be a bit hard to adjust at times. Overall I will say that these poles have given me a lot of stability when traveling in tricky terrain and have defiantly saved me from some falls. So if you’re looking for some no frills poles that are fairly inexpensive and get the job than these may be it. However, if you have any issues with your wrists you might want to consider another set of poles with a more ergonomic design.

Having poles for hiking is key, particularly when you have a heavy pack or in the winter. These poles are very comfortable, the straps don't have any buckles to dig into you and are nicely padded. The extended grip is nice too if you are just using 1 pole or just need to grip it differently. The tips are very durable and I like the small baskets, they don't get in the way. The flick lock is much better than the twist lock system and the 3 sections let these collapse to a very small size. I have had to replace the lowest section on both of my poles, 1 i bent badly on a hike and the other one went MIA over the winter while butt sledding down a peak, but they are cheap to replace and take a lot of abuse, I would rather bend a $10 pole section then fall or break an ankle.

Never realized what a difference trekking poles would make until I tried them. Tested these out on the Ice Age Trail near the Northern Kettle Moraine in WI. Made it a worry-free hike going up and down the hills with a recent ankle injury. The foam grips are comfortable and the poles are light weight. They are collapsible for travel but have no-slip flick-locks to keep them in the extended position while you hike. Make sure to check the screw tension on the locks before hitting the trail, in case you need to loosen or tighten them up a bit to make them lock easily. (Small screwdriver works for this.) There are no springs in these, but the foam grips did pretty well at absorbing the shock. Great poles for the price.