1. I only have experience with twist locks, and I'm not a fan, but continuing to live with them --- it's a matter of balancing out all the factors, not deciding based on just any one.

2. I've used both types of grip and don't care that much. Like others have said (Franco?), the strap is more important to me than the specific grip material, so long as the grip is durable.

3. I've used poles with shocks and without and prefer them without. Less weight, one less thing to go wrong, less noisy (depending on the shock type), and I figure that shock absorbtion is built into my arms, shoulders, etc.

Other factors to consider in poles:

- weight, and related, the material they're made of. I'm a fan of carbon fiber poles for people who take reasonable care of their gear. Like with shoes "a pound on your hands is worth X pounds on your back"

- adjustable or (like I think the GG poles referenced) fixed length. I think this depends on specific dynamics, but I infrequently like to be able to adjust my pole height. I no longer bother to adjust when going up or down hill, but when travelling or sometimes to work better as a tent or tarp pole.

- Don't even start on the "basket or no basket" debate ... :-)
But related, if you want to dual use these as snow poles, how available is a snow basket, and how much of PITA is it to swap baskets?

- If you plan to do a lot of miles, I suggest you have a look at where and whether you can buy replacement pole tips. For my REI rebranded Komperdells I was only able to buy tips for a different model; not that big a deal, except that the replacement tips are somewhat longer and heavier than the originals.