Reviews > Trekking Poles > Pole Accessories > LEKI 14-16mm Ti Cleaning Kit > Owner Review By Clifford R. Haynes

Leki
14/16 mm Ti Cleaning Kit
(Trekking Pole Cleaning Kit)
Owner's Review
03/5/2003

Personal Stats:

Backpacking Background:
I am from and live in Maine. I have been hiking, backpacking, and canoe camping for over 45 years. I am also an assistant scout master; I average 2 to 3 days a week in the woods year round. Over the years I've used or tried a variety of different gear. When I joined scouts as a boy, most of the boys my age didn't have backpacking gear, and their families didn't have money enough to buy it. So we had great fun making our own gear. I can't really say that I have a backpacking style. I take what I need or want, depending upon what I plan to do on the outing. Even before my knees became a problem, I could never see being in a big rush. It is my opinion that camping is part of backpacking, and should be enjoyed at least as much as the hiking. In areas where there is a lot of hiker traffic, I tend to pack heavier in order to minimize impact. I just like being out in the woods, and exploring.

Product Information:

The Leki 14/16mm Ti Cleaning Kit, is designed to clean the barrel (inside the tubes) of Leki trekking poles. The kit consists of a plastic storage tube, 14mm and 16 mm metal brushes, and a connector sleeve to attach one of the brushes to the end of a trekking pole section.

Field Information:

The Leki 14/16 mm Ti Cleaning Kit, isn't an item I normally use in the field. Normally I clean the bores of my family's trekking poles prior to each outing. I often put the kit in the car while going hiking or on vacation, just in case I needed it. I also carried my Leki cleaning kit last summer on a canoe trip (Allagash) and kayak trip (Maine Island Trail). 

Owner Report:

After almost 4 years of faithful service, the expanders in my LL Bean trekking poles were starting to slip. I went to Beans for new expanders, but they didn't stock them. As usual LL Bean offered to replace the poles, but I was sure all I needed was new expanders, so declined the offer. I called Leki Tech. Support and ordered new expanders. The new expanders helped, but didn't resolve the problem. I tinkered with my poles but couldn't get them to lock as well as they did when they were new. During one of the discussions on BGT, someone mentioned a Leki cleaning kit, so I called Tech. Support and ordered a cleaning kit and some new Super Makalu CorTec PA trekking poles (just incase the cleaning kit didn't work).

The cleaning kit consists of 14 mm and 16 mm cylindrical metal brushes, a connector sleeve, a plastic storage tube, and instructions. The smaller brush (14 mm) is for the middle trekking pole sections, while the larger (16 mm) brush is for the upper (top) pole sections. The brushes are sized such that they just very lightly brush the interior of the aluminum alloy shafts without scoring them. The goal is to remove the thin oxidation layer inside the pole section, while not removing metal and weaken the poles. This oxidation comes out in the form of dust (if there is enough for you to see), so the trekking poles need to be dry when they are cleaned. If the interior of the pole is wet, the oxide film will only be redistributed inside the pole section and not removed. Lubricant should never be applied to the interior of the trekking pole sections, or the cleaning kit components.

Instructions:

1. Loosen the expanders and pull the pole sections apart.
2. Remove the expander from the lower section.
3. Screw the connector sleeve to the lower pole section, and the 14 mm brush to the connector sleeve.
4.Insert the brush into the middle section and push to the top.
5.Hold the middle shaft still and withdraw the lower shaft while rotating in a clockwise direction, push the lower shaft back in while continuing the clockwise rotation. (repeat as necessary)
6. Repeat the process with the upper and middle sections.

"What to expect: You may see a white powder substance (oxidation) come out of the poles. Keep cleaning until there is little or no residue coming out of the pole. This should help keep the inside of your shafts clean. Keeping your shaft walls clean will help the expanders "hold" your shafts in position. Do not use any lubricants when cleaning your poles." (Quote from provided instructions)

Final Comments;
A thorough cleaning of my LL Bean trekking poles resolved my expander slippage problem.  Since I had purchased new poles with the cleaning kit, I gave the LL Bean poles to my son. I have only used the cleaning kit with the LL Bean poles and my wife's and my Leki Super Malalu trekking poles. Since starting my pre-outing cleaning routine, we have experienced no expander slippage in our poles. I'm sure cleaning that frequently isn't necessary, but I prefer cleaning before trips to carrying the kit in my backpack. I might consider carrying it on a long distance or thru hike or at least keeping it in a bounce box. For trips of a week or less, I don't feel it is necessary to carry my cleaning kit. Last summer I did carry my cleaning kit on a canoe trip and on a salt water kayak trip, because the environment could accelerate corrosion. But if I didn't depend on my trekking poles as much as I do (my personal poles are used daily, because I use my trekking poles instead of a cane), I probably would not have brought the kit.

*Note:
While reading online hiker journals, I have noted reports of several hikers breaking cleaning brushes off inside the bore of there hiking poles. This is more than likely the result of using the wrong size brush for the section you are cleaning. When inserting the brush, one should feel very little resistance.

When the brush is too large the bristles bend with direction of travel of the brush. When the user tries to withdraw the brush, the bristles jam into the wall of the shaft. Turning the brush (in this case in a clockwise direction) will often allow the bristles to swing around and allow the brush to be withdrawn. When showing my wife and son how to clean their trekking pole, I instructed them to first only insert the brush the length of the bristles, and then pull it out (without rotating). If it jams, they are using the wrong brush, and they will have to carefully rotate while pulling. It is a lot easier to extract a jammed brush a couple of inches (~5 cm), rather than the entire length of the shaft section.

Reviews > Trekking Poles > Pole Accessories > LEKI 14-16mm Ti Cleaning Kit > Owner Review By Clifford R. Haynes