Micro Vario Carbon Black Series

I was in a motorcycle accident when I was much, much younger and damaged my neck and back. I was a runner and skier. Over the years spinal stenosis set in and in my 40’s I began having serious pain and numbness: my cervical, thoracic and lumbar spine have degenerated. Not only could I not run, but I was having trouble walking. I got around using two canes. Then I got two Leki walking sticks and liked them so much I checked to see what else Leki had. I found their trekking poles and videos on using them. I started with the cheapest aluminum poles and fell a lot but I was able to walk with them. As I got better at it I started getting more advanced poles. I bought a Micro Carbon Black Series for a month-long trip to Hawaii last year. The poles were a wonder. I felt like I could fly. The only trouble I had was when I was coming back one of the poles wouldn’t retract completely. Amazon replaced it immediately. The replacement has performed flawlessly for the past year. So now I’m getting another pair to alternate with the first pair. I’m able to walk 4 1/2 to 5 1/2 miles a day, 5-6 days a week, in a little over an hour. My health just keeps on getting better though my legs are very numb from the knees down, as are my shoulders and arms. Maybe some other trekking pole might have worked, but with these I feel like I can fly.

Previously owned black diamond aluminum poles and those were beasts but very heavy. Am wandering in to the carbon pole arena. Hadn’t thought too much about it until I purchased a Leki wanderfreund trekking staff that was carbon in their “black series” as well. I was so impressed with the build quality I decided to venture out with these leki carbon trekking poles.Features I like:1. Light weight2. Strong- the joints for each segment of the pole are reinforced with aluminum stays.3. Folds down to a small size4. Comes with a storage bag.5. Adjustable wrist straps and the straps are light.6. Speed lock 2 system is field adjustable because they use a round button that does not require a screw driver to tighten.7. The system for stiffening the pole is internal.The only drawback that I have found is that leki only warrants carbon poles for one year (vs. lifetime on their aluminum poles). From every review I have read leki produces an outstanding product so short of falling on them or having a freak accident I think they will be good to go. Well, we have a year to find out.

I got these for travel and I’m comparing them with my carbon telescoping poles and 5 sets of foldable poles I tried. I am most impressed with the solid interconnections and the CLD (Core Locking Devise). They are quiet with no interconnection rattling like the other foldable poles. They even vibrate and jiggle less than my telescoping poles which are almost twice the diameter and weight. They fit easily in a day backpack. The hand straps are soft, comfortable and easy to get in and out of. They also dry quickly when they get wet. The only downside is the middle section is clear-coated and can crack if dropped, especially on sharp rocks. I put a piece of clear vinyl tubing around it that is barely visible with little noticeable weight and no impact on folding. The other option is don’t be a klutz dropping them. The bottom section has a dull black protective coating so normal trekking isn’t an issue.

Nice light weight poles. May be a little fragile, broke a couple, but was in some fairly extreme terrain, so forgivable. Elko was great replacing them. Would buy again.

I have had back surgery which has left me dependent on walking support for balance. I love these trekking sticks! They are very strong yet light. They easily collapse to 1/3 size. They have a built in spring which means that they bounce a bit when they hit the ground. Did I mention the incredibly strong carbon shaft?I have over the years purchased many walking sticks, but these are in a category all by themselves. Well worth the (expensive) price!

The order was placed on December 19th and was delivered on December 30th poorly packaged in an oversized box that could have easily held 50 pairs of these poles. One of the poles was strapped to its original cardboard backing. The other was in a carry-on bag which was strapped to the other pole. The poles are light, appear to be of reasonably good quality, and are very easy to extend to full length. The carry-on bag is of very poor quality and almost useless - putting both poles in the bag takes considerable time and effort. Considering that these poles cost almost 10 times as much as poles made in China, I expected supreme quality and much better packaging. Both poles I received were not perfectly straight. The lowest section of both poles is about 1/8 of an inch out of straight when the poles are assembled. They are sturdy and do not collapse under all the weight and force I can put on them, but they do flex (wobble) a little and this does not inspire confidence. The country of origin/manufacture does not appear anywhere on the packaging or associated labels nor does it appear on the poles themselves. It is unclear if they are made in Germany (as I assumed). For all I know (after examining them closely and trying them for a while) they could have been made in China. Bottom line: the poles did not meet my expectations and in my opinion are not worth the $235 I paid. If I did not need to use them right away, I would have returned them.

The way to set it up is similar to others, when you hear a “click”, it is done. To release it, pull it till hearing a “click”. Fast and easy. the other brand that we used, to release it, I have to force the button with my thumb to push it back. it gets more difficult after the button get rusted.