Diorite Telescopic Carbon Fiber Trekking Poles, Cork

I Maintain a portion of the AT in Georgia and section hike weeklong trips each year on the AT, currently in Virginia. I use these poles exclusively for trail maintenance recon trips and my section hikes. They perform well and are a perfect balance between slightly lighter carbon fiber poles that are not nearly as tough and heavier models from other materials. After 3 years of heavy use, there was a problem with one of the sections resulting from aging glue. Out of warranty but shipping and the repair were well worth the price given the toughness and performance of these poles and the cost of a pair. Once received Diorite repaired performed a general tune-up and wrote back asking if I wanted to add the upgraded clip mechanism for a fully updated and stronger system. I agreed and the poles were promptly returned and steady for several more years of service. They are excellent poles for multiple uses. The customer service is timely, friendly, and just stellar.

Finally got the chance to test out my new trekking poles. So far they have been durable and helpful. At 6'6" needed longer poles, so tall people these will work!

The Diorite Telescopic Carbon Fiber Trekking Poles have some great features, like being lightweight, sturdy, and having comfortable cork handles. They’re adjustable too, which is essential for hiking different terrains. But for how much these cost, the unreadable measurement marks are a huge letdown.

What’s Good:
Lightweight and Durable: Easy to carry and tough enough for rough trails.
Cork Handles: Comfortable to hold and reduce sweaty hands.
Adjustable Length: Ideal for hills, flats, and everything in between.
What’s Not:
The measurement marks on the poles are illegible that adjusting them quickly and evenly is a frustrating guessing game. For poles at this price, it feels like they skimped on quality control. Something this basic shouldn’t be overlooked.

Bottom Line:
These poles are good in many ways, but the lack of readable markings is a major flaw. For the money, I’d expect more attention to detail. If you need to adjust your poles often, you might want to look elsewhere.

My brother has a pair of the CNOC poles and said, "this is the one piece of gear I haven't replaced". I needed a trekking pole that could extend to 57" to serve as a tent pole for an ultra light tent. This was the only one I could find that met that need. They are VERY light but feel solid. I've never used trekking poles before but since I now have kinda crappy knees I thought this was worth trying on my trip to the 4 Pass Loop.
After learning the basics of how to use them as an effective assist during hiking, and then using them on the 4 Loop Pass and later on Mt. Elbert I'm a new fan of trekking poles, and these were great. I'm 6'2" and these give me all the range I need for uphill downhill hiking, slopes, talus, as well as the length needed to serve as a tent pole for a Zpacks altaplex.
Cork handles are IMO the best material, and the overall fit and finish is excellent. A word of advice, make sure you have the extension clasps pretty snug and check them periodically as I had the bottom extension get pulled out when it sank into several inches of mud.
These are premium poles at a premium price, but they are as advertised. In a word, quality.

I received these as a bday gift. Used 1 pole 1 time. It was sturdy and lightweight. Next time I will use both as it left my back sore using only 1 pole. They are nice trekking poles.