This is a review for the poles, not the replacement section.
I'm an avid backpacker, and bought these to replace an old pair of Komperdell poles, one of which unfortunately broke an adjusting clamp on the first trip I used them on (Superior Hiking Trail in MN). Had tried to fix it numerous times and had it held together with cord, but an upcoming month-long trip to southern Utah made me decide to give up that ghost.
Did my usual exhaustive research when buying gear, and after reading the reviews of the Hiker Hunger poles, i figured I had nothing to lose for the relatively low price. In my opinion, these are worth twice the money!
When compared to my old Komperdells, and my wife's Black Diamonds, the Hiker Hunger poles beat them both handily in every category that matters to me. Very well designed! Engineering and materials are excellent from top to bottom. Padded wrist straps, high-quality cork handles, textured dense foam below the handles for lower hand positions while going up hills, lightweight and strong carbon fiber shafts, Adjusting clamps are well-made and don't require any tool to tighten or loosen. And, the poles came with a wide assortment of tips for any and all conditions and surfaces you could possibly use them on.
They are well-made, well-designed, and look great, too! All of this for a price point half of what I paid for the Komperdells five years ago, and almost 50% less than the Black Diamonds purchased two years ago.
And customer service? Fantastic! These poles have a unique way to adjust the length of the wrist straps. After adjusting the first one to my liking, I went a bit too far on the second, which pulled one end out of the handle. After trying and failing several times to reinsert it I contacted Hiker Hunger using their online chat feature and was told while it could be reinserted, it would take much patience and effort, so they said they would just send me the entire top handle section NO CHARGE, even though the pole wasn't defective and it was my own fault for messing it up! It's more than half the pole! Awesome customer service which goes a long, long way these days.
I'm looking forward to the Utah trekking trip and many more years of enjoyment from these poles, and I will not hesitate to recommend them to everyone I meet!
