Nice project. Here's mine:

I obtained the same poles from my local WM, and decided to make 2 sets of poles with them. They're cheap, and somewhat light, so why not? I also decided to make one pole of each pair into a monopod.

For the foam grips, I ordered the 0.5" ID grips. Since the poles are about 0.6" OD, these fit snugly, without any glue. I just put some dish soap inside the grip, and slid/twisted it on. There was some residual soap that I needed to hose out of the pole, but not too bad. For the monopod, I got a bolt, nut (1/4"-20 thread) and washer, and used gorilla glue to adhere the threaded plate to the inside of the top of the pole, inverted it, and let the glue set.

I tried using one of those expanding rubber nuts, but it didn't secure down well enough for my liking. Also, I had issues with the longevity of using a nylon nut as well.

In the end, it's about 15oz per pair. Not much lighter than other store-bought aluminum poles, but certainly a lot cheaper.

How has the wear and use been for everyone so far?

I really like these poles. They're collapsible, fairly light, and CHEAP, so I don't mind beating on them - as opposed to my BPL CF Stix. One of my observations is that the tips wore down REALLY fast (like under 100 miles). A little disappointed, but I changed them out for some Leki tips that I got at REI. Have yet to test them out.

Worn tips


Good tips (BPL CF Stix)


New tips
(uploaded later)

I like the idea of using the trekking pole as a monopod. But I don't like that screw pointed toward my face. Ski pole manufacturers consciously make the top of poles large so if you fall on to them they won't poke your eye. (Like the old joke: give me that BB gun and a glass eye for his brother...)