I can vouch for the BD flicklock mechanism being easy to use and stout. I have a pair of BD poles for backcountry skiing, and use the adjustments pretty often, with varying types of handwear. I also like them as a tent pole. I use them to support my MSR twin peaks , and the fact that they adjust without twisting makes it easy to tighten up the roof from the inside by jacking up the poles a little bit.