Leki Thermolite XL Aergon Antishock Trekking Poles - Pair

Comments about Leki Thermolite XL Aergon Antishock Trekking Poles - Pair:

These are some great poles. Maintaining them is absolutely VITAL. I'll explain in a bit.First the main points. These trekking poles are lightweight and aluminum. They use lighter shocks which don't turn on and off. They're always on, less springy than normal shocks, but more springy than no shocks. It's a nice compromise.The shaft is aluminum so even if you bend it, you can still walk on it, unlike carbon fiber poles which will splinter and be useless if snapped.The locking mechanism is very easy to use. Just twist one way to unlock, set the poles to the desired length using the markings on the barrel, and then twist it the other way to lock. I like this system better than the flicklocks on Black Diamond's system, but it comes down to personal preference. I've never had a problem with slippage and I like that you don't have to carry any additional tools to tighten or loosen the locking system as you would with BD's flicklocks.The hand grips are incredibly comfortable and such a joy to use. They're so airy and breathable. It feels wonderful to hold the poles. They have a foamy texture and much better than solid rubber which you'll find in cheaper poles.The handgrips are tilted 15 degrees. Doesn't sound like much, but it really helps with comfort and usability. Trying out poles with totally vertical grips feels much stiffer and rigid, and less comfortable and walkable. They just contour to fit your hand when walking better.The handstrap is great. It's easy to adjust to fit and once you set it, it's done. The inside of the straps are padded so they feel nice. When I set the length of the strap, there's a bit of material that's not padded hanging out. This strap actually chafes and blisters the inside of my thumbs, but body glide helps remedy this.One thing I like about these poles that some other poles don't have is the extended grips. These are very handy! Notice the foam grip that extends down beneath the main hand grip. When you're hiking up hill, you can take your arm out of the strap and hold lower down on the pole. This saves you from having to change the length of the poles which I basically never do on hikes. It's either set to my length or totally collapsed. You can easily slide your hand down to the bottom of the extended grip when hiking up a steep climb or up stairs, or near the top of the extended grip for slight climbs. The extended grip also features some contoured criss-crossing lines which really help you keep a strong grip on them. Since you're not offloading some of the weight on the handstraps, you'll want a better grip on the extended grips and they really help.If you're walking on top of a log for a moment and the poles need to be much longer, you can rest your hands on the top of the poles. Notice the top is round. It's very comfortable to put the top of the poles in the nook of your palm.I like how lightweight these poles are. They're lighter than most other aluminum poles, but heavier than carbon fiber poles. Yes the difference is somewhat noticeable, and it's a nice compromise IMHO.Now, maintenance. This is huge. I'm on my third set of poles now. Thank goodness for REI's exchange policy!Here's the deal. You'll want to clean off the poles after you hike, particularly if you're doing water hikes. The reason is that the dirt and water will get up inside the poles when you collapse them. They'll gunk up the inside to the point where it's hard to extend and collapse the pole. It gets really rough and difficult to change, scratching up your poles in the process.I've been talking with Leki's [...] lately and here's what they've suggested, which really helps: Wipe down the outside of the poles with a damp rag. Get the 14mm/16mm Leki cleaning kit which is basically a set of scrubbers attached to metal poles to scrub out the inside of the poles. This makes a HUGE difference as far as getting the grime out. The aluminum is heat treated so the cleaning kit won't damage the poles.Check out Leki's website for some tips on how to adjust and maintain the poles.If you maintain the poles, it shouldn't be a problem to use them in demanding conditions. Even if you completely submerge the poles in water, which I'll often do, the grip stays nice and grippy and the poles still work well.[...]Black Diamond offers a 1 year warranty. Leki offers a lifetime warranty.I've found these poles to be unbelievably helpful and I trust my life with them. In fact you'll need to depending on how you use them.Some people complain about the twist lock systems collapsing on you or they just spin and spin and never lock. Make sure you learn how the locks work. They're really quite simple and Leki offers videos explaining it on their website. One of the most common problems is that the locks don't relock. People have returned poles because of this, not to mention had problems with it on the trail. I don't mean just Leki locks either. Many brands. It's just the nature of the beast. They're simple to understand so if you take a little time to learn how they work, it'll be a big help later on down the road. I've never had a problem with them on my Leki poles, but I have seen it happen before.I've compared these poles to REI poles, Black Diamond, Komperdell, and even Walmart poles on the numerous hikes I've done with these, and I still like these best. Even the colors are nice.They're my favorite combination as far as weight, comfort, features, size, and even look.Whether you're gonna hike on the trail, go backpacking, do river crossings, scramble over boulders, go up and down mountains, through the mud or sand, or even want to plant these poles down in a moving current and swim as if you are in nature's treadmill... these poles will go right along with you, every step of the way. I don't hike without 'em.Just get a cleaning kit and maintain the poles so that you can make sure they stay rockin' during the extent of their life.Bottom line is that there's a lot of options out there, but these are my favorite poles I've seen and I recommend them to everyone. When I compare the poles with friends on hikes so that we can learn the differences, they almost always wish their poles featured something these poles do. Go for 'em. :)

Comments about Leki Thermolite XL Aergon Antishock Trekking Poles - Pair:

Just used the Leki Thermolite XL Aergon Antishock Trekking Poles for my very first trekking pole experience. I have been skiing for over 45 yrs, so I am more accustomed to the feel of poles than a brand new user. Reminded me of dry-land training for ski racing when I was in college.

Anyway, about half-way through our hike I developed a rhythm that just suddenly clicked, and although the second half of our day hike was significantly uphill, I was cruising while the others were starting to sag.

The locks were extra easy to adjust, and I did some homework on the Leki website ahead of time, so I knew what to do if they didn't cinch up, and also not to over-tighten them. (It takes very little torque to get them snug enough to avoid slippage.)

With a proper length on the strap, I was able to use a light grip with my thumb and two fingers and let the pole swivel forward off my thumb pad, and it was magically effortless.

The anti-shock device is particularly important to me, because I have arthritis in my wrists as well as my knees, and I experienced NO next day soreness in my wrists, which I was worried about.
They weren't springy, and cushioned each plant without feeling spongy or mushy.

I had actually ordered another brand of trekking pole prior to our trip, and they hadn't arrived yet, so I borrowed these. My new poles arrived, and after trying them on briefly, I can tell that the weight, grip angle and balance of the Leki is vastly superior. I am returning my "Brand X" poles, and buying my own Lekis today!!

Comments about Leki Thermolite XL Aergon Antishock Trekking Poles - Pair:

LEKI Thermolite Aergon XL Antishock Trekking Poles

I've been hiking extensively with these trekking poles for over one month now, and I love them! I hike 3 to 4 times weekly, up steep trails, and typically do 90 minute to 3 hour hikes. Previously, I owned a pair of cheap, low quality poles. There is a huge difference; you get what you pay for. I did a lot of research on trekking poles and read a lot of reviews before buying the Leki Thermolite Aergon XL antishock poles.
A LOT of thought went into the design of every detail of these poles. The ergonomic design of the handles couldn't possibly be better; the shape, the material. They are SO comfortable to hold. The strap is designed to be easily and quickly adjusted. The extra grip area below the handles is more useful than you might imagine; for short lengths of steeper climbs, you can grip the poles in this area so you don't need to take the time to re-adjust pole length. It also makes the poles more comfortable to hold, carrying them over your shoulder. The anti-shock mechanism is so subtle, you barely even notice it. It uses a tight spring and travel distance is VERY short; just enough to cushion shock without feeling mushy. You really don't even notice it is there, except it IS cushioning shock. The pole locking mechanism is 100%! Once adjusted and tightened, these poles will NOT get shorter as you hike
(like my cheap ones were doing on every hike). I adjusted these poles about 4 weeks ago, and the pole length has not changed even 1mm, through many long hikes. And measurement markings on the poles makes them easy to adjust quickly and accurately. Also, they are VERY lightweight, and come apart very easily to clean in the event you hike through streams and dirt/mud gets into the shaft. I don't think it would be possible to make a better designed, higher quality pole than this. I HIGHLY recommend them!

Comments about Leki Thermolite XL Aergon Antishock Trekking Poles - Pair:

I use these poles on every hiking and backpacking trip. Which is 1-2 times a week.

At first I didn't think the anti shock did much as far as performance. That's until this last hike up Mount Defiance. When on the assent, we usually keep a moderate pace. But on the way down, we practically race down the mountain. That's when I noticed the give the antishock was providing. It wasn't huge, but just enough that I knew it was saving my wrists. Yet the poles still felt very stiff. Really, I don't know how to describe it.
The extended grips are nice to for traversing as well. They allow you to grip the pole lower down without losing your grip so you don't have to shrink the pole down.

So far I havn't had any problems. I had a shaft break on me once. (It was my fault. I was desending and fell on my butt with my left had in the loop) LThank goodness Leki has a lifetime warranty on all their aluminum shafts! I just sent them a pic via the internet and they sent a replacement.

Comments about Leki Thermolite XL Aergon Antishock Trekking Poles - Pair:

I never used a hiking pole until about a year ago when I bought a Leki Sierra pole. It took a hike or two to adjust to using a pole but once I did, I wondered why I never used one before. I used that Sierra very hard and had zero problems with the locking mechanism or any other aspect of the pole. when I decided to go with two poles, Leki was my obvious choice since I found the Sierra to be a top notch product.

The Thermolite XL Aergon Antishock trekking poles were the ones I decided on and I'm glad I did. These poles are very light and I think the grips were designed just for me .. they're very comfortable. As with my Leki Sierra, I've had absolutely no problem with the locking mechanism. I make sure they're tight at the beginning of each hike and I don't have to worry about them after that. I've read some complaints about this type of mechanism where the owner unlocked them and wasn't able to get them to lock again. Leki has a brief video on their site that demonstrates how to deal with that. It happened once to me on the Sierra and it really wasn't difficult to figure out how to fix it.

I would recommend these poles to anyone.

Comments about Leki Thermolite XL Aergon Antishock Trekking Poles - Pair:

Bought the Leki Makalu Ultralight for my wife. It is the same pole, based on the product information here. The locks failed on one side after a few light uses dayhiking and snowshoeing. No amount of adjustment helped - the lock simply would not hold. Utter waste of my money. You should note that the locking mechanism is NOT guaranteed by Leki - their warranty is limited to breakage of the actual shaft - clearly a much, much less likely scenario. I suggest that you look for another brand. My own poles, not made by Leki, have lasted for several years of much heavier use without any problems.

Comments about Leki Thermolite XL Aergon Antishock Trekking Poles - Pair:

I love Leki poles for their handles. I consider them to be the best feeling trekking poles available. I bought these to replace a pair of Leki carbon twist-locking pair that broke. One of the poles snapped right at a twist-locking joints. That model is no longer available, perhaps because of failures. I bought the Thermolite XL Aergon Antishock poles due to positive reviews and Leki's lifetime warranty on aluminum poles. The problem was when set to 130 cm length (needed for my 6'4" height), they flexed way too much and would most likely bend or break on steep terrain. At shorter lengths, the flex is not a problem. I ended up with the Leki Carbonlite Aergon SpeedLock poles. The carbon is much stiffer than the aluminum. I believe that the speedlock clamp style joints are stronger than the twist lock style and will not break like before.

Comments about Leki Thermolite XL Aergon Antishock Trekking Poles - Pair:

I haven't ever been a big fan of trekking poles/walking sticks, so it was a stretch for me to consider purchasing these. However, I was going to climb my first fourteener and wanted to have them "just in case." Additionally, I have a toddler to carry around in my Kid Comfort III, and wanted something to help me with stability.

I am very impressed with these poles. I considered the carbon fiber, but decided against these as they are useless if you bend the shaft - I like the idea of being able to bend these back into shape if necessary to obtain some remaining utility.

I wasn't a fan of the twist-lock at first, but soon grew to prefer it over the quick-lock on other models - I didn't experience any of the "slippage" referred to by other reviewers, but I can see how it might happen. As for me, I was able to climb the fourteener with these poles and I was very grateful for them - the tips grip rock and slippery surfaces very well, and they helped me traverse a lot of snowed-in cols. Next time I'll take an ice-axe, but I was impressed with their versatility and the stability they lent me.

FInally, these poles really shine when you're carrying a heavy backpack. They allow you to use your arms to propel yourself forward, taking some stress off of your lower extremities (very welcome on long hikes with your toddler on your back :D).

Comments about Leki Thermolite XL Aergon Antishock Trekking Poles - Pair:

Poles were light weight and no problems experienced in several miles of backpacking. Grip material was very comfortable and provided a good hold. Never had any slippge on adjustment for either the wriststraps or pole sections.

Comments about Leki Thermolite XL Aergon Antishock Trekking Poles - Pair:

My husband and I purchased a set of these poles along with a pair of Black Diamond (BD) Alpine Carbon Cork. Starting with the grips, the BD's cork grips are larger than the Leki's. My husband preferred the larger cork grips immediately. I have fairly large hands for a gal so both types were fine to me. Once we started hiking, the performance of the different shafts and materials became very noticeable. The Leki's vibrate with every impact with the ground. This quickly became annoying. The Leki locking mechanisms performed like most others I've used (underwhelming) while the BD Flicklocks were easy to use and very secure. We think the Flicklocks on the BDs will also be easier to use with gloves on but we haven't tried that yet. The twist-type almost always require that gloves be removed. The additional snow baskets included with the BDs are nice; you have to purchase them for the Leki. I've had a long relationship with Leki but it's time for something new. These will be going back to the store shortly. I plan to check out Leki's carbon poles for one more comparison but the BDs are looking (and performing) good.