Nobody's mentioned the fact that the Black Diamond "flick-lock" clamp design used to telescope the pole is far, far superior to the Leki-style screw expander used by all the others.

Unfortunately, I own both.

Also, it's best to remove wrist straps when crossing talus fields. A guide gave me this tip once. Unfortunately I failed to pass it on to my friend, who took a nasty spill with a fairly heavy pack as a result.

In crossing talus, it's common, here and there, to vertically place the pole into narrow, shallow spaces between rocks as you pass along.

My friend fell forward, torquing pole in a horizontal direction, momentarily wedging it against the rocks. Her hand was thus immobilized by the wrist strap for an instant as she fell, and she was unable to use hand and arm to protect her face.

The straps are very valuable, but there are certainly times when it's best not to use them.