Reader Reviews

Rating: 2 / 5

I was intrigued by these initially because of the ellipical shafts - definitely seem stronger/stiffer on the principle axis than comparable weight round poles. I was willing to live with the 20 oz per pair since I almost always carry them and rarely pack them (I don't mind a little extra swing weight).

I even initially liked the lock systems. The upper flicklocks work great with the elliptical shafts. And the lower binary autolocks are a good idea, but once I got them out and started using them, they click horribly. Every pole plant is click, click, click. There is apparently just a slight amount of play that makes these very loud. Fearing the loss of my sanity, I took them back.

Loss of 1 point for weight, and loss of 2 points for clicking, results in my score of a 2 overall.

Rating: 4 / 5

Had I experienced the 'clicking' problem that Jason had, my score would have equaled his. Fortunately mine make very little noise, but I prefer a rubber tip cover due to the soft trails I hike most of the time. Maybe the tip-covers masked some of the noise?
The flick-lock system is far superior to twist locking mechanisms of other adjustable pole sets I've used.
The binary lower is good, but is difficult to engage while wearing gloves.
The straps are very comfortable, but mine are starting to fray after 15 months. (About 200 hiking miles of use.)
In use, I leave the flick-locks set, and only use the lower binary to shorten the poles for travel or packing.
-1 point, for weight . . .

Overall, I have been very satisfied with the Spires, however I am working on a set of DIY carbon-fiber fixed-length poles.

Rating: 4 / 5

Had I experienced the 'clicking' problem that Jason had, my score would have equaled his. Fortunately mine make very little noise, but I prefer a rubber tip cover due to the soft trails I hike most of the time. Maybe the tip-covers masked some of the noise?
The flick-lock system is far superior to twist locking mechanisms of other adjustable pole sets I've used.
The binary lower is good, but is difficult to engage while wearing gloves.
The straps are very comfortable, but mine are starting to fray after 15 months. (About 200 hiking miles of use.)
In use, I leave the flick-locks set, and only use the lower binary to shorten the poles for travel or packing.
-1 point, for weight . . .

Overall, I have been very satisfied with the Spires, however I am working on a set of DIY carbon-fiber fixed-length poles.

Rating: 3 / 5

Twist locks are so 1950's. That's the reason why I bought these poles. I was tired of twist locks jamming, slipping, failing, and once even splitting a pole. The snap-on clip locks are the best feature of this pole.

I was using my poles to hold up my BILGY tent too, so I was adjusting morning and night. The fast and reliable adjustability using the snap clips on these poles was most welcome. Now I hammock, so adjustability dropped of the list, and weight came to the top. (see my review of Lightrek Plus poles)

Wrist strap adjustment is a pain. You have to remove a screw at the top of the pole. I had to do this in freezing weather so I could fit them over my mittens. Not fun. -1 for weight, -1 for strap adjustment.

Edited by herman666 on 10/15/2009 10:55:35 MDT.