Customer Reviews

Pair of Pace Maker Trekking Poles with small disks and vulcanized rubber feet

5 star:		(32)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

These poles provide excellent quality for the money. I just used these on a three-day hiking trip in Colorado, which included hiking to the summit of Mt. Elbert (the highest peak in the Colorado Rockies), and these held up remarkably. My friends both had a different brand that had cost them $70 on sale, and we swapped poles at various times to compare them. None of us could tell the difference between theirs and mine.

They were easy to adjust and the grips were very comfortable. The cork was definitely nice in that it didn't slip as my hands got sweatier, but it did leave some grit on my hands that my friends' rubber-handled poles did not. But that is a tiny gripe, after all, we were hiking on dirt trails and scrambling up rock!

One of the poles did slip out of its adjustment on the first hike we took, but this was because I did not tighten it all the way and it was not a fault of the poles themselves. When you adjust these to the length you need, just be sure that you really tighten them all the way.

I just got these a few weeks ago. I am kind of new to trekking poles but i am developing knee problems in cold weather on hikes. I started doing some research and i seem to have pretty much solved the problem by incorporating multiple suggestions. Cold weather compression pants ($12 Starters brand, not $60 to $150 glorified spandex), neoprene knee braces and trekking poles. There are so many options out there but i wasn't sure how to go. I didn't want cheap junk but i also hate to spend $80 to $100 on Sticks. If I hiked every weekend and hundreds to thousands of miles a year i wouldn't mind dropping that kind of money but i go backcountry camping and on long hikes where i would need poles 10 to 15 times a year. I have used walmart poles and they worked ok but I can never get them to retract, they are stuck after the first use at the length i set them at and that was one of my concerns. My brother has a set of Mountain Smith poles which are mid-level poles and he has to use pliers sometimes to loosen them. Anyway, on to the review of these poles. They are made of 7075 aluminum, which is what the higher end companies make their $100 and up poles out of (or carbon fiber if you want to go light and expensive). This is a very high grade aluminum. The cork handles are average, they work fine and are comfortable. They also have a 4 inch foam grip below the cork handle for if you are going up a steep hill and need to grab lower on the pole and these work fine as well. These come with snow baskets, trail baskets and rubber tip covers. The snow and trail baskets screw on tightly and should not come loose if you snug them up. They both also seem to be made of a good durable plastic. I have only used the snow baskets so far and they held up fine, i even broke through ice crossing some small streams a few times and they didn't break. The carbide tips are pretty much the standard quality of any other trekking pole i have seen. The rubber tips it comes with are those foot shaped things that i hate but will probably never use anyway, however, they seemed to be of good quality. I don't know how well they will stay on during use, i didn't try them but they would probably be fine. the carry bag they come with is cheap and unimpressive. The pockets have no closure system and everything but the snow baskets will probably fall out if you are not careful. Also, the cloth is thick but it will rip easily. I did not really care about the bag anyway, but if it is a big deal to you you will have to consider this. The wrist straps are ok, but not great. Maybe really high end brands have great wrist straps but every brand i have seen didn't seem to put too much into the strap. This is comfortable with a winter glove on, i don't know about without. I know you are supposed to use the straps to take a lot of the weight but I don't. I find trekking poles (any, not just these) work better for me if i just grip them normally like i would a stick. The anti-shock works well. It is stiff (which it should be) but has about an inch depression range. It is easy to switch on and off but I did not have a problem with it turning on and off on it's own while hiking like one reviewer did. I have never used anti-shock before and will have to see if it makes much of a difference for me. These poles did make a strange vibrating sound when you really leaned on them. It wasn't loud and you couldn't feel vibrating or anything in the handles so it really didn't bother me and did not affect performance. I seem to recall someone else mentioning this but it wasn't an issue for me. It seemed to do it with the anti-shock both on and off. Another reviewer said his set was noisy, but mine are not. Finally, after a 5 mile hike with a lot of elevation changes and stream crossings in 15 degree weather it was time to see if they would loosen up and retract. I had snugged them up well and they had not slipped once the whole hike. I had also put a lot of pressure on them, including a very steep hill beside a waterfall. I turned them and they loosened right up very easily and retracted. I have also used these on a few fairly easy 1 mile hikes and they seemed to work well, but i finally got to give them a proper test and i was very happy with the performance and quality of these trekking poles. I have never used real high-end poles before, but these are more than enough for me. Also, $31 including shipping! That is quite a deal. Over all a very quality product for a very reasonable price.

I got these poles for backpacking in Yosemite National Park and up Half Dome. They saved my knees and my legs! I have a bad left knee and was worried so I heard that trekking poles help, and I used poles once when hiking before. If it weren't for these poles I wouldn't have gotten engaged at the top of Half Dome! Ok not really, I was determined either way but these poles enabled me to hike over 20 miles with minimal soreness. They were easy to use, comfortable, and best of all, less than half the price of REI's cheapest poles! I highly recommend these for anyone on a budget. They even came in the mail 2 days after I ordered them!

I've been walking with them for about 3 months and have logged many miles in all kinds of terrain. I bought this cheap pair to see if poles were for me, and now I feel undressed hiking without them. At one-third the cost of name brands, these poles seem sturdy enough and telescope and collapse easily.

I have 3 issues with these poles; 2 concerning the hand straps:
1. The straps are not well padded or as comfortable as more expensive brands.
2. The straps arrived unassembled and need to be locked into the cork handles using a small plastic pin that is furnished. After a couple of weeks, one of the pins fell out and I had to jury rig a replacement.
3. A crack developed almost immediately in one of the black plastic connectors that lock and loosen the telescoping shafts but it does not affect operation.

These may not go the distance, but they make an inexpensive intro if you're considering trekking poles.

UPDATE: I contacted the seller and they promptly sent me a replacement upper section complete with strap and handle. Excellent customer service! They suggested I put a dab of glue on both ends of the other pole's strap pin to secure it.

I used these poles for a 75 mile trek at the Philmont Boy Scout Ranch. They worked great - no problems. I think they are an excellent value for the price.

I am happy with the walking poles I recently purchased. The price was very competitive compared to some poles asking over $60.00. They are of good quality and work well.

I've recently been diagnosed with disc problems in my lower back and my back doctor recommended brisk walking with trekking poles with shock absorbers as a safe and good form of exercise while recovering from this recent bout of pain. I didn't feel like investing $60-$150 on a pair from a store as I didn't really believe it would be helpful, so I bought these instead. Well, the good news is that the speed walking with the poles was amazing for my back, but the bad news was that these poles just didn't stand up to it. First, the little rubber foot thing is the only thing for flat normal surfaces (as I understood it) and it keeps spinning around and landing the wrong was with time which is really annoying and, if you walk much with it pointing backwards, (where it seems to want to go in the long run) it wears out down to expose a screw within a few minutes. Second, the sticks kept twisting to be in the non-shock absorbing setup, again, with just the rhythm of walking with them. And third, there were times where I was not strong enough to undo the sticks after walking for about half an hour. So, if you're thinking of buying these to be used with speed walking, don't. If the company is reading this, you should include just a symmetrical rubber cap and an option for walking rather than the complicated foot thing, as I think it might have been the foot twisting action that actually was undoing the shock setting.

I shopped several places and looked at MUCH more expensive poles ($150+). The apparent difference is weight (the more expensive the lighter) and the quality of the interchangeable tips (more expensive poles have rubber tips, not plastic). I purchased these poles for a trip to Rocky Mountain National Park, where we did several strenuous hikes.

I bought the Pace Maker poles and love them. Especially on descents, they take 40-50% of the impact off your knees. When do you notice that? The next day when you wake up to hike again. Fewer torqued ankles on rocky trails, fewer tweaked knees.

I have only one "con". I wish the markings on the poles were embossed/engraved - the screen printed markings are already wearing off with heavy use.

Recommendation - don't use the wrist straps. Occasionally your pole lodges between rocks and gets yanked out of your hand. If you are "strapped in" you risk getting pulled down. Second recommendation - buy these poles. Well worth the money.

Very pleased with this product. Used them on a hike recently and really liked them. I'm a short person and they adjusted so quickly. The recent hike was on varied terrain in the Pacific Northwest and I liked the way they held up. Getting ready to hike again with them.

I use these poles 5-times-a-week for hiking in various terrains - dirt, path, macadam. The various attachments for the bottom ("feet", treads, poles, spikes) are terrific, as are the bags they come with. Also, since they are adjustable, they are good for many different body types and heights.