Leki  Micro Vario Cor-Tec TA Trekking Poles - Pair

I have been using Leki trekking poles for several years. In particular the Micro Vario Z-fold poles. For several reasons, I prefer the Leki poles over similar designs by other manufacturers. In the past I never had any trouble with Leki poles, except due to excessive wear and tear. Note I'm retired and typically hike and scramble a few times each week. However, I am now on my third pair of Leki poles this year. Two pairs were returned to REI due to a small pin coming out of the clamp mechanism, resulting in the loss of critical parts. My current pair is experiencing the same problem of these pins coming loose and slowly backing out. See pics. I have to use a hammer and pin punch to drive them back in. But by this point they work loose again after a few miles. For the moment I am switching back to an older pair that saw plenty of hard use, but the pins are still correctly seated. Talking to staff at my local REI revealed I am definitely not the only person to experience this. I've contacted Leki directly about the problem. Hopefully they will address this defect soon. But at the moment I sadly can no longer recommend their poles.

I have been using these poles now for at least three years. I liked the grip, especially the foam grip down the shank for uphill climbing. I have used these both on and off trail, even have them when making a summit run in Glacier. They fold up shorter than any previously owned poles and have no clamps down the pole to snag on brush. They are solid and assure, because of the design, that they can’t collapse. Never once had issue with unlocking or collapse ever. Unfortunately I left them at a trailhead in Yellowstone this year. I absolutely will buy a them again as a replacement.

Great for going the distance very light and sturdy. I am 6’2 and carry #260 without gear. Did 9.7 in Joshua tree some significant elevation gain and declines. Definitely happy with this purchase.

Lower third of shaft fell off while hiking on a good trail and I noticed that the cable had severed/frayed off. The poles were 28 months old and had incurred no notable trauma, just weekly moderate hikes. Neither REI nor Leki would stand by the product since over 1 year from purchase. I was told the cable probably broke due to use. I disagree- 2 1/4 years is certainly not long for an expensive premium hiking pole. I buy products like this for durability/dependability. If I was looking to save $100 I could simply buy a pair from Costco or Walmart, I'll bet they would last at least 2 years. I'll bet I'm not the only one with a premature cable failure- buyer beware.

I purchased these poles when I began to get back into backpacking a couple years ago. I've put hundreds of miles on them and they've never let me down. I've put my full weight on them repeatedly on steep uphills and downhills and I will continue to do so with confidence. The rounded grips are particularly superb as they allow me to wrap my hands comfortable over the top of the handle, giving me far more leverage than simply gripping the handles "normally." I like the folding poles vs telescoping because there is only one speed lock to adjust pole length, meaning I can vary the length in a few seconds as incline changes. I will unhesitatingly buy these again when (if) they ever give out.

I used these going downhill on my Kilimanjaro hike. I do not know much about hiking poles but I can say these made the trek downhill on very horrible, uneven, knee/joint breaking terrain much more manageable. I love that they fold and I could easily store in my day pack when I wasn't using it.

Nice construction (would be careful to put all your weight on them though as aluminum bends easily), easy to tighten the lock if it's slipping and only one means less chance for failure, very very light, and the grips are really comfortable in the hand. The vents in the grips are a nice touch, and the top "cane" like feature is nice to hold going down big steps (unlike the foam tops on the REI carbon poles I used, which ripped off pretty easily. Nice poles!

Easy to take and easy to fold up when not using. I needed to get rubber ends because I couldn’t use hard tip all the time. So I’d purchase those also. Would definitely buy these again.

I love Leki poles and customer service and have been using since 2004. Sadly, the pop out button required for assembly and disassembly of these poles requires much more strength than I can count on after a serious elbow injury. My boyfriend also had trouble with that button, so it seems like a poor design. Have returned these poles for a more user-friendly design.

I upgraded to these ones from the REI flash carbon poles which were JUNK (I broke 2, seriously the REI poles are horrible). These ones held up to a 13.5mi hike over the weekend and are made extremely well! Unfortunately I’m finding out I was spoiled with carbon poles so I’ve traded these in for the carbon version, but if you don’t have the extra $100 to spend these are wonderful poles! These are a turdy under heavy weight, still light enough to move fast, and the straps are soft abeit they could be a bit more padded if I wanted more comfort out of them. The shape of the handle fits the hands well, and the cork is hard yet comfortable and appears to be very well made! The tips don’t have aggressive spikes but surprised me with how well they gripped rock. They also come with a really nice mesh bag and pack down to be very small. I’ll stick by my word. If the extra 4oz isn't a problem or you don’t have/want to spend the extra $100, these are an awesome pick in lieu of the carbon poles from the same manufacturer! No doubt they will last you a very long time! They are an amazing middle road between affordable and high quality, and I can honestly recommend them!