Reader Reviews

Rating: 5 / 5

The poles held rock solid when clambering over rocks, logs and through river crossings. Going down hills that make your knees feel like they are going to explode was not a problem; the poles took it all in stride, smoothing out the bumps with an advanced suspension system. Trekking poles take a considerable amount of pressure off the knees. The poles helped me to grip like a mountain goat, making slippery, rocky parts of the trail easier to traverse.

The Super Makalu Cor-tec P.A. is loaded with features designed to keep you safe and comfortable. These poles include an ergonomically designed hand grip placed at a 15 degree positive angle. The angle combined with a cork and natural rubber grip allow you to hold these poles effortlessly, hour after hour. That is an invaluable feature if you suffer from carpal tunnel syndrome. LEKI 's innovation includes an adjustable spring suspension system which is housed in a robust, 7075 aluminum alloy, collapsible shaft. The tip of the poles is made of flexible carbide and can be easily replaced in the field if damaged.

Rating: 4 / 5

I commented on these in a different review of the Black Diamond Contours. I was very pleased with these poles. They held up to the substantial abuse I tend to place on trekking poles. I never broke a pole section in the 100's of miles I put on them while I worked as a NOLS instructor and on my own solo trips. I loved the canted hand grips, which as Laurie mentioned, do a great job of reducing impact and carpal tunnel syndrome, which I suffered from while through-hiking the AT with straight-gripped poles. The cork hand-grips are the most comfortable I have ever held.

The only problem I ever had with the Super Makalus was the twist-locking mechanism. After hiking a long multi-day section, I would often have a difficult or impossible time collapsing the sections. If I were going home to the land of the tool box, this weren't much of an issue. But if I were hitching into a town or needing to collapse the poles to use my hands on a steep scramble or switch over to an ice axe, the fully extended pole between very awkard. I realize this is partly an issue of cleaning and the troubles were reduced with regular cleaning between short trips. But I usually had problems on any long-distance hike. Aside from this, the Leki Super-Makalus are definite winners.

Rating: 4 / 5

I've used these for a couple of years and have just decided to go with a much lighter set of poles. I began as a one pole guy and progressed to two over a period of time. I always felt that these were on the heavy side, but continued using them due to the bulletproof construction. My main complaint is that the supposedly adjustable compression springs aren't really that adjustable. I've finally reached the point where I want much lighter weight and no springs, so as soon as the new adjustable model is in, Titanium Goat it is. I consider the Leki's about a 3.75 and rounded them up accordingly.

Rating: 4 / 5

I had an old one that I found and used for a while. I decided that I wanted new poles and bought some cheap komperdells. I couldn't get over the feel of the old leki so I took the komperdells back and bought some new lekis. The only improvement I could say would be to put black diamond style locks on them.