Costco has carbon fiber pole flick locks 29 bucks

Costco has sold some version of those Cascade Mountain tech poles for at least 7-8 years (at least in the Bay Area stores). Many others on here and I have used the poles for many years and they work just fine for trail walking. Like most other carbon fiber poles they might not take the abuse of traversing talus fields.

So I just compared them side my side to my Rei flash poles.  They have noticeable chatter in them, and the bottom section is hard to extend.  I don’t know if they will get easier to extend in time, but I doubt the chatter will go away.

I wouldn’t want to hike many miles with them, but for lending out they are perfect. They are noticeably lighter than my aluminum poles I used to lend out.  Plus I’m gonna leave some in my RV.

Dan Durston wrote on here a while ago that carbon trekking poles are like a psuedo commodotized item, with many slight variations of poles using more or less the same components sold under various branding.

Here is one that recently became available: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005001774764548.html?spm=a2g0o.productlist.0.0.1e4237d8oMcXbK&algo_pvid=66f8c271-f623-4bd1-b860-8744526f967c&algo_expid=66f8c271-f623-4bd1-b860-8744526f967c-0&btsid=0bb0623416208293334694109e56cd&ws_ab_test=searchweb0_0,searchweb201602_,searchweb201603_

I have not seen these in person, but I have a couple shelters made by Aricxi, who is branding them. Weight and price are good, and maybe worth a try. But I’ve found that small details make or break a pole – rattling, sticky adjustment, etc., so hard to say if these are a good value.

I tend to buy another pair of these poles with my annual ‘dividend’ on the Costco credit card from my annual gas purchases. They are a real steal, cost-wise. I find that the weak link is the clear plastic nuts, which could easily break if you would bang them against a rock. I’ve not had one break yet, but I picked up a few metal wing nuts that could replace them if they did fail. I haven’t noticed any rattling chatter with any of my poles. If the bottom section is hard to extend, maybe you might loosen the plastic nut a wee bit.

I use mine for day walks in my nearby open space, and also for snowshoeing around my 1-acre yard after a major snow dump. I just set each pole length to suit my activity, and tighten the nuts and leave them that way.

At this price, they make a great gift for a friend that is new to trekking poles.

I use a pair for walking an hour every day in town.  Have so for about a year.  No problems.  Adjustment mechanism is easy to use and secure.  Has rubber tips as well as pointy metal tips.  Well made.  Solid.

I use the 3k versions of the CMT poles. I have never noticed any buzzing, although I’ve not really compared them back to back with another set of poles. The lower shaft is tapered at the end, so, as was mentioned, the recommendation to loosen the nut on the lower flip lock is a good one. It will not tighten fully on the shaft when the pole is collapsed for storage, but I don’t really consider that a deal breaker for my use.

CMT Carbon poles are fantastic. I beat the hell out of mine and when/if a section breaks, the replacement cost is low and quick. They are quiet, easy to use, and work well.  Really great company.

Have used a pair of these for a few years, and find them OK.  I have had a “plastic nut” break.  The biggest shortcoming for me is that the pole tips are made of a soft metal and round over quickly  –  a problem on ice.

I have broken two CF poles and so am sticking with aluminum.

I’ve watched my friends break aluminum poles just as easily as any carbon pole. I picked up the 3k CMTs specifically for the off-axis strength. No regrets, and I would be surprised if they were broken by accidents that wouldn’t break an aluminum pole. They are a little more expensive and heavier than the UD poles mentioned in the OP, but I think worth it.

Andrew Skurka was an early user of those poles.

https://andrewskurka.com/long-term-review-cascade-mountain-tech-quick-lock-poles/

I’ve been using the same pair for about 10 years now, I think, and they are holding up fine.  A little harder to expand and collapse than when they were new, but that’s about it.

I’ve not been exactly a happy camper with mine.  The straps loosen CONSTANTLY throughout the hiking day.  I have to readjust them every hour or two.  Worse than that, though, the grips are very hard cork with sharp contours that bother fingers when the straps are used correctly.  By “bother” I mean the hard edges lightly but repeatedly rub on the same spots on my fingers, causing irritation and something close to bruising by the end of long day.  Note that I don’t hold the grips tightly, I let the straps take the load while my fingers loosely cradle things to direct the pole plant.