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Reviews > Trekking Poles > Poles > Black Diamond Spire > Jason Boyle > Test Report by Jason BoyleBlack Diamond Spire Trekking PolesTest Series
Last Updated: March 13, 2007
Product Description:
The poles have three sections and two locking mechanisms, a binary lock on the lower shaft and a FlickLock on the upper shaft. Additional features of the poles include a 15 degree ergonomically correct angle on the handle, dual density foam on the top knob, non slip foam below the handle, short Flex Tips, padded wrist strap, and low profile trekking baskets. The poles are offered in a regular mode and a compact mode. The regular pole is usable to 140 cm (55 in) usable length and the compact offers a 125 cm (49 in) usable length. Black Diamond recommends the compact pole for users 58 tall or less.
These are nifty looking poles! I like the elliptical shape, but I wonder what the significant benefits over a round pole are. But hey that is what testing is for! The poles seem to well constructed, and all of the pieces and parts operate smoothly. The foam on the handle and the upper shaft seems to be very soft and comfortable. I really like the padded wrist strap. It feels nice on my wrist. The binary lock and the FlickLock are both very easy to operate. The binary lock works by pushing the lock together with a thumb and forefinger. It has a see-through window that turns red when the bottom section is in the locked position. The FlickLock mechanism only requires a little pressure from my thumb to open or close the lock. The tension of the FlickLock mechanism can be adjusted via a small screw. One good thing that I have already noticed about the elliptical shape is that the sections will only go back together one way. So if I have to take the poles apart for maintenance I know I can put them back correctly.
Summary:
Field Conditions:
Report:
The wrist strap has been a Jekyll and Hyde feature for me. It is the most padded wrist strap that I have ever used and the padding makes it very comfortable. However, the actual adjustment of the strap has been quite challenging. There is a button/toggle mechanism that is moved to lengthen or shorten the strap. I find that when I adjust this button to lengthen or shorten the strap, it wont lock back down. It keeps slipping larger. Not sure what the problem is but it is annoying. The poles seem to be very durable. The flex tips have been used on all types of ground and show little to no wear, the same with the adjusting mechanisms. I used the baskets that came with the poles for the majority of the testing including one of my snowshoeing trips. After this trip, I realized that the included low profile baskets would not provide enough flotation for use in deep snow. I purchased a pair of the Ύ size baskets and they have proved to be a good compromise between additional weight and flotation in deep snow. I have also used the poles to set up my Tarptent Rainbow. I wondered if the 15-degree angle on the grips would affect the pitching of the Rainbow and I am happy to report that it did not make any difference in the pitch. I do like using the FlickLock mechanism to make my final adjustments once the tent is pitched. I was able to pick a random length on the poles and then once the tent was up, I was able to easily fine tune the length using the FlickLock to achieve a taut pitch.
I have not noticed any significant difference with the 15-degree cant on the grip of the pole, but they have been comfortable to use with and without gloves over the entire test period. I have noticed that I only grip the lower portion of the handle when I am not wearing gloves; the picture above on the left shows a similar grip. I have small hands and all of my fingers easily fit below the large bump on the handle. I do like the lower foam grip so that I don't have to adjust the pole length when ascending. I just remove my hand from the straps and grasp the lower foam portion. I did extend the poles while descending and for alpine skiing. This was easy to do with the FlickLock mechanism and remained easy to operate even with gloves on. My hikes took place on snow, mud, gravel and forest duff and I have not noticed any significant difference with the flex tips from the tips on other poles that I have used. I have noticed some flex in the Binary adjustment mechanism; I can grasp a pole above and below the mechanism and rotate it slightly back and forth. The travel is very small, but noticeable; at first I thought I needed to adjust the FlickLock mechanism, but they were both tight. One of the areas that I was concerned with at the Field Report stage was the wrist strap. I am happy to say that the strap has not been the problem that I thought it would be. I figured out the locking mechanism, though I am not sure what I was doing wrong to begin with, and have not had any further problems with it. The poles have continued to be durable and strong. I used them several times to pole vault over small streams and for hard plants while alpine skiing with no problems. The poles have a few chips in the paint but there is no real damage to either of the poles. The poles have also done a good job of providing great overall stability while hiking. I have enjoyed using four wheel drive with the poles and have really used the extra help on the trail as I am a bit of a klutz. I have not taken any spills while using these poles. On my backpacking trip to Kelcema Lake, my hiking partner was using a pair of older Black Diamond poles that had the Binary Adjustment as well. One thing that jumped out to me immediately was how much easier it was to adjust the Binary Adjustment on the Spire poles than it was on my partner's round poles. When I pulled the Spires out of my pack I just pulled the lower shaft out until it locked and I was ready to go. My partner had to make sure his lower shaft was properly aligned then he extended it. To me it is the little details that make the greatest difference and the easy to align elliptical shape of the Spires makes a huge difference. Overall, I am very pleased with these poles and they have earned a permanent spot in my backpacking kit.
Thanks to Black Diamond and BackpackGearTest.org for the opportunity to participate in this test.
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