I just got the Black Diamonds after having used Komperdells and my husband's Lekis for several years. Both the Komps and the Lekis had problems locking after they got well worn. Sometimes they would not tighten at all (I knew how to deal with that one - pull them to their longest length, tighten, then shorten the length by 1 inch at a time and retighten each time). But a worse problem was collapsing at inopportune times. I have only hiked once with the Black Diamonds but they never collapsed on me and I did a lot of steep downhill and rockhopping.

I prefer the non-shock type. They have a more secure feel when you plant them. I have arthritic elbows and the non-shock poles never bother them. The shock absorber feature is a gimmick if you ask me. I prefer foam over cork but I couldn't really tell you why. I like the foam handles that extend downward so you can shorten the poles just by gripping the handles lower down.