question about BD trekking poles

I’ve had BD Alpine Carbon Corks for ~4 years and have never adjusted the screw after the initial setting.  I wouldn’t worry about it.

Exactly what wisner said. After some use you may want to give the adjuster a quarter turn to snug it up, but then likely never again. I have a lot of BD poles and swap uppers and lowers depending on what combo makes sense for the given season and application, and the ability to fine tune the locking tension is nice. But once set, I never need to fiddle.

I’ve used Locus Gear CP3 poles for 7 years that have the flicklock type mechanisms and I’ve never had any issues with them.   After having some Komperdell and Gossamer Gear poles that used twist locks – I’d go flick locks any day of the week.

I’ve used BD poles for well over 4000 miles without ever needing to tighten them (two different poles with flick locks).  I also have used Leki poles a good bit.  For me, with older, somewhat arthritic hands, the Leki poles are significantly more difficult to lock, and sometimes require someone else’s muscle.  Note also that a flat edge, such as might be on a small pocket knife, might very well be sufficient to tighten a BD pole if needed.

I also find the weight balance of BD poles more to my liking, and think the BD handles are very comfy.  For the last 70% of an AT thru hike last year I used the trail pro poles.  I tried them a couple times early in the trail, and thought they were even more comfortable for long hikes than my older BD poles.  They were one of the only equipment changes I made over the whole hike.  The only other major change was a stove.

Renais

Another vote for this not being a problem on my BD Alpine Carbon Corks that I’ve been using since 2015. Mine never slip and haven’t needed to be adjusted in years. I’m pretty sure the screws in mine are Phillips/slotted.

I don’t know about the specific type Flick Lock you are talking about but in the older pairs at least you could tighten the screw with your fingernail.

The trick here is to do it with the Flick Lock OPEN.

I keep a half-ounce peace of mind clipped to my pack.  I think I’ve needed it once (my poles are not BD but have a similar flip-lock system).

I have used BD poles almost exclusively for the past 15 years and have only retensioned some ski poles once or twice.  BD’s tightening mechanism is quite robust and does not tend to loosen up.

I am a huge fan of the “ergo cork” handles which allow the wrist to maintain a straight angle when gripping the handle.  Not only does the cork get less icky on hot sweaty days, but my wrists don’t feel as much strain on long hikes with lots of ups and downs.

Thank you all. That is exactly what I wanted to hear.

+1 on Jenny’s response to the ergo grip. It’s way more natural of a grip.

I’ve never needed to adjust the lock tension on my alpine carbon corks, but we seem to be ignoring that really significant design flaw with the locking mech – that easily broken plastic cover that, when inevitably broken, exposes your fingers to rough/sharp metal. I can’t believe they haven’t fixed that problem yet! My hiking buddies and I all love that brand/model but all us have broken all of those covers!