Montem Ultra Strong Trekking, Walking, and Hiking Poles - One Pair (2 Poles) - Collapsible, Lightweight, Quick Locking, and Ultra Durable

First used these poles in May 2017. In September 2017, was on a hike and slipped. I used the pole to catch myself. I by no means put my full weight on the pole (I am 175lbs). The pole was badly bent. I bent it back (!) a little, but it was unable to retract. I have never heard of a hiking pole bending because someone leaned on it. When I contacted Montem they told me that since it wasnt a factory defect, and I put "excessive stress" on the pole they wouldnt replace it. I did not put "excessive stress" on it, and I am floored that a aluminum pole with such high ratings would bend so easily. They didnt even last a season. I know of no one who have had this problem with other brands. Also really disappointed with the callous response by Montem. I would recommend buying a different brand, as I will now have to do. Maybe there is a reason that REI doesnt carry this brand?

I am quite impressed with my Montem trekking poles, purchased for my backpacking trip in June. I'm larger than the average (active) man and experienced no failures of the equipment during more than a few treacherous segments. The telescoping pole did retract once when I fell through some ice, but it was good that it did because it was on my uphill hand. However, once re-tightened they didn't budge any more the entire trip. The tungsten tips are durable and gripped all surfaces well. I removed the rubber feet at the trail head. At first I did not use the baskets, as when they are installed they don't slide easily through the strap on my pack where I prefer to store the poles. But, because our first day included numerous snow field crossings I screwed on the baskets and left them on for the rest of the trip. Without the baskets the poles did pierce deeply into the snow, and sometimes too deeply into dirt and rocks between roots. With the baskets the poles did not get stuck between roots and rocks and they worked well on the snow/ice. While I've not tried it, I think they could be used for skiing. The aircraft aluminum used is VERY VERY strong!For years I thought trekking poles were excess equipment or for old people. Whether I was wrong, or whether I've just become an old person, hiking with poles is a much different, and more pleasant experience. I do agree that using poles uses more energy. So much was evident based on the lactic acid build up on day two and three. Going uphill I was able to maintain almost as fast a pace as descents. The poles were invaluable for two wide, fast river crossings. But the most value I got out of them was for foot/blister control and end-of-day cramp management, particularly during descent. The grips have very comfortable pommels on the ends of the handles. There were no sharp edges and the rubberized texture gave me an excellent grip (even though it would twist sometimes - the wrist strap helped keep the poles straight on longer downhill reaches). Also, grasping the poles by the grip pommel extended the effective length of the poles such that I didn't have any need to extend either section of the pole for descent. Held in this manner, for each step taken downhill my alternate-handed pole would be placed far out in front of my next step giving me a virtual brake on my velocity while putting all of the pressures from doing so on my arm muscles, taking significant stabilizing effort away from my legs. When hiking uphill, instead of shortening the poles, one can move their hand down on the cork grip to the foam lower grip. I still had leverage and did not need to stop for adjustments. (which also made the poles more reliable, because with the extended grips I didn't need to readjust the pole segment flip-locks, which meant that I wasn't at risk of having loose segments each day)The synthetic cork-like grips provided good grip on bare hands and gloves. They did not absorb sweat from my hands, were easily cleaned with a damp cloth. The grip shape was comfortable in my both hands, are not left/right preference, but fit either hand. On a later trip I hiked with only one of these poles (having given the other to a hiking companion) and found that I changed hands occasionally based on switchbacks and other obstacles. Employing one pole was was almost as beneficial as using two poles: sped up the uphill hiking speed and gave me increased stability going downhill.The hand straps are a thick nylon strapping with padding inside the straps. The odd part, and a little irritating, is the nylon strap hand protector, meant to protect the hand from the nylon strap. I would have expected the protector strap to have padding on it too, on the side facing the hand. I didn't experience any actual harm (no rash or blister) but I did use gloves more than half of the time. I suppose I don't have any real complaint about it, other than the design seemed a little underwhelming. The poles do not have an anti-shock system, but honestly I like being able to feel the ground beneath me. Plus, if I'm trying to carry load on the poles, why would I want a suspension system that is likely to wear out over time? I am confident that these poles will last me a long while!

I bought these poles and used them to successfully climb Mt. Kilimanjaro 2/17. Why one star? These are the first trekking poles I have ever owned and the first review I have ever written after many years and many thousands of dollars with Amazon. They don't appear to be any better than others I observed training for and climbing Kilimanjaro, but customer service is an oxymoron. Shortly before travelling to Tanzania one of the poles suddenly wouldn't retract all the way after a hike. I took them knowing I could rent poles from the outfitter. The guide didn't think it would be a problem, so I used them for the climb. When I returned, I contacted Montem asking if I should force the pole in so I could pack them in a smaller bag in the future or what? I was advised that I could pull the lower shaft out and look into the pole. It appeared as though something blue, the color of the poles, was up in the handle area of the problem pole and advised them. They asked for a better description. I shined a light into the pole and my wife and I observed a blue disk with small spikes radiating out lodged way up in the convex handle area. (for those familiar with injection molding,I would guess they were the stems of the runners on a round part either assembled by mistake or that came loose). I reported back. No response. I remembered to followup and asked what they were going to do since the warranty would soon expire. They finally said that they thought the poles were misused and the warranty only covered manufacturing defects. They said I could send pictures to prove that it wasn't misuse (my insurance doesn't cover endoscopic photos of trekking poles). After responding that it could not be photographed, nothing. I am 68 years old with bad feet. In a foot race, I would bet on the tortoise. Misused, that describes me: wasting my time with emails to the point of being upset enough to write my first Amazon review. My original correspondence was not about the warranty, it was about what I should do to fully retract the pole. Why do you suppose they tout a one year warranty in the actual product description? Yeah, me too.

So far I've only used these on a few day hikes in preparation for a larger trip in May. So far I am really happy with my purchase. Some of the pros are: the cost (about half the cost of other trekking poles), comfort, and strength. The handles on these poles may be the most comfortable I've ever used. The shape is just about perfect and the material is soft, but doesn't seem to absorb much in the way of sweat. I use a tent that requires two poles to set up, so I was concerned with strength, which is why I opted for the aluminum poles over the lighter carbon poles. The flick lock system is easy to adjust and use. Also, the different color options are neat. Not something that affects the usefulness of the poles, but it's a fun feature, and helps not to get them mixed up with all the other black poles out there. The only con so far is that these poles do weigh a few ounces more than other similar poles, but again, at $50 for the set it is a bargain.