Karrimor Carbon Anti Shock Walking Poles

[Rhino]

I snapped the bottom section on one of Karrimor X Lite Carbon poles on my New Years Day walk, they were my second set of Carbon X Lites in 21 months. My first pair lasted 16 months before the tip snapped out and i shattered one of the bottom sections of my new pair within a week throwing them down the bad step on Crinkle Crags. I used the remaining bottom section from the previous pair and it is this section that has snapped.


Both pairs cost me £29.99 from Sportdirect and at 21.5 stone i have put the poles through a lot of stress using them on ascents and descents as well as the flat so i am really pleased at the performance vs the cost and cannot fault them.


A recent post on walking poles brought to my attention the new Karrimor Carbon Anti Shock poles on sale at Sportdirect for £39.95 in store or £35.00 online. While shopping in Keswick for a replacement pair intending to purchase the new model X Lites which is essentially the same as the old model but with Karrimor lettering on the straps i saw the anti shock model. A quick look at them showed them to have the trusty fast locks on the top section but the bottom fast locks were now missing due to the anti shock the bottom sections were now a twist to lock. Each pole is 180g so is very light to both carry and to use.


I very nearly decided to put them back having used twist lock poles before and them being a pain in the wet to tighten and in my opinion a danger when they fail. I dont know if it was because i was nursing a hangover from the night before  or a desire to see if things had improved but in any event i purchased them for £39.95 from Sportdirect. On getting home and having a proper look at them they were essentially the same construction as the X Lites made from Carbon and glass fibre mix and with the above features but i then noticed each pole had a camera mount on the top. I was a bit chuffed with the camera mount as that would come in very handy    also included was a trekking and snow basket so to sum up what you get for your extra £10 its: Anti shock system, snow basket and camera mount which seems a reasonable cost for the additional features.


I wanted to try them out before i used them in anger on one of my mountain walks so i decided to do one of my favorite local 15 mile walks to road test them. The route was a mixture of pavement, tracks and very boggy moorland with a few up and downs totaling 2113ft it was raining heavy when i set off and setting up the poles was quick apart from the bottom section, twist, twist, twist, glove slipping round pole, cant tighten them any more but they feel secure. Having not used anti shock poles before i didnt know what to expect, i thought the vibrations normally felt on the X Lites wouldnt be there but they were, every now and again when placing the poles there was a vibration through the pole. The anti shock bit seemed to be spring loaded compression of about a half inch when sufficient force was placed downwards.


It took a bit of getting used to because it felt like the pole was collapsing when it happened    I have read reviews that anti shock poles can increase fatigue due to the extra force being absorbed by the system and therefore more force in general having to be applied to overcome the effect. It was early days yet so ill come back to this, i was now off pavements starting a bit of ascent on a track so i removed the rubber feet and got the trusty grip from the Tungsten tips digging into the ground. Apart from the anti shock system everything was pretty much the same as using the X Lites until i hit moorland and my first descent when one of the poles collapsed with the bottom section sliding back inside the pole. Luckily i kept upright and cursed the twist section before removing my gloves to attempt a bit more grip, my hands still slipped round the poles in the rain but it felt i had got them tighter. A few hundred feet later and the same again the bottom section slid back inside, i tried again to tighten them in the rain but i just wasnt getting any grip    I then had a brainwave and put the rubber foot back on twisting the pole at the same time and hey presto i felt the pole tighten    i then twisted the foot back counter clockwise to release it and the pole loosed as well    i re tightened and had to twist the foot in the clockwise direct while pulling it off which worked and with my gloves on as well. A bit hesitant i now decided to test the pole before setting off again and applied as much downward force as i could using my upper body over the pole and it didnt move other than the anti shock absorbing the force. Setting off on the rest of my walk i had no other problems with them and surprisingly when i came to loosen the bottom sections later they unlocked easily which i didnt think they would. The straps were as good as the original X Lite straps, comfy and easy to adjust. After 15 miles of walking i cant say my arms felt any more fatigue than they would normally from the use of the anti shock system however it certainly takes some getting used to giving you that its collapsing feeling.


I didnt take the camera due to the rain but i tried this out on all my cameras at home, the smaller the camera the steadier it is and the larger it is it can bend a little so you have to tighten the screw up fully which could be time consuming and hard if not impossible to do wearing winter gloves. Certainly an excellent feature if your going to take a number of shots to make it worth the time to put it on.


Overall i still have doubts about that twist bottom section and only time will tell if gets worse or even breaks with the stress of my weight but that aside i like the poles a lot and will be giving them a proper test out in the mountains soon 


Pros


Weight 180g
Cost £40
Fast lock on top section
Camera mount
Anti shock
Carbon/Glass fibre


Cons
Twist lock bottom section








They dont look bad either





Compact and light





The horrible bottom twist lock section





The camera mount

[kinkyboots]

A recent post on walking poles brought to my attention the new Karrimor Carbon Anti Shock poles on sale at Sportdirect for £39.95 in store or £35.00 online.

Thanks for the detailed review.

Now the stock of the old X-Lites has gone hopefully the prices on both new models will drop soon.

Having never been into a Sportsdirect store I didn't realise their instore prices were more expensive than their online prices. 

Their ludicrous £4.95 Collect In Store delivery option now sort of makes sense but on principal I would never pay anybody to use my time and petrol to collect something although it probably does explain why there's a lot of people who won't use this supplier. 

If I was looking to buy I would have to wait for the price to drop or for one of their 24 hour flash offers.

[Rhino]

Thanks for the detailed review.

Now the stock of the old X-Lites has gone hopefully the prices on both new models will drop soon.

Having never been into a Sportsdirect store I didn't realise their instore prices were more expensive than their online prices. 

Their ludicrous £4.95 Collect In Store delivery option now sort of makes sense but on principal I would never pay anybody to use my time and petrol to collect something although it probably does explain why there's a lot of people who won't use this supplier. 

If I was looking to buy I would have to wait for the price to drop or for one of their 24 hour flash offers.

Your welcome and i hope you found it useful   
Most shops have an in store and online pricing difference Gayners and Needle sports are two examples, Go Outdoors has online only deals and in store collect only deals mainly end of line stock. Cotswold have on line only deals. Sportdirect do a delivery option to in store for online stock not in stock in your local shop and you get a £5 voucher sometimes so end up spending no more. I dislike Blacks because they tried to rob me on my GPS purchase but if they have the best price ill still buy from them anything to save a few quid and i can honestly say i havent had a bad experience with sportsdirect on anything ive purchsed.


The X lites had been around for a couple of years before they started dropping the price below £30 presumably because of the two new models just released so you may have a long wait, i only bought them because my others broke and wouldnt have bought them otherwise until i needed them. Hopefully anyone in the market for some new poles might find this useful and give them a try because they are fantastic value even at £40 

[Sloth]

Really good review. My original x-lites have been good for over 2 years but then I do have a sylphlike figure compared to you being only 18 stone. The camera mount looks very good but I do not like shock absorbers on poles and would not go back to twist locks. These are a complete bargain however compared to other carbon poles.

[altirando]

Can't understand the notion of shock absorbers on walking poles.  Surely you want a positive pole plant and push off, with no effort absorbed by the springs,and in any case you are almost certainly going to be on a trail not a town pavement.  Best value poles used to be Alpkit, on line only, but I also have a pair of Black Diamond poles, more of a mountaineering pole than a trail walking pole.  But I suspect I use poles more actively than most people as I once did a lot of cross country skiing where the poles are used in a very powerful swing from shoulder height.  Still seem to be rubber protectors on the poles in the photos, only useful on pavements.

[Rhino]

@ Sloth
Thanks and glad you enjoyed it. I cant fault the X Lites and think they are the best poles on the market. Weight is definitely a factor which is why I always mention it with regards to poles and how long a pair will last. I did find the anti shock a bit odd and perhaps only time will tell what actual if any benefits arise from it. The twist lock is my main concern especially with my weight and as discovered it is horrible to operate in the wet and I am not convinced of its strength when under some really proper weight and stress.
 
@ Altirando
Yes I am at a loss myself to the benefit of them but perhaps on a lighter person the spring effect may have some benefit such as reduced fatigue from pushing against hard surfaces. With my weight they bottomed out anyway and give the impression of the pole collapsing which I had to get used to.
 
With having two old pairs of the X Lites I was thinking last night I may be able to fit the snap fit latches on to the bottom sections of these new poles and in effect convert them to normal poles. Why bother you ask and not just buy the X Lites which are cheaper but that model doesn’t have the camera attachment, something I might look at.
 
I use my poles all the time on ascents and descents letting them do all the hard work and taking my full body weight when I push up on or lean down on them. I watch a lot of people using poles and a lot of the time it looks like they are carrying them and taking them for a walk rather than using them to assist them walking/ascending or descending. I don’t know if I use any technological method such as Nordic etc but I get more momentum using them.
When I visit outdoor shops I always look at the equipment and ive looked at Black Diamond and Leki poles and I cannot fault them and some of the design ideas on them, replacement tips being one of the best features missing of Karrimor poles. However they always have a much higher price tag than the Karrimor poles so ive not yet purchased any. To be honest when I first bought poles they were cheap ones from Ebay and lasted a few weeks and then tried the X Lites which gave me the confidence in this particular bit of Karrimor equipment and havent looked back since. Like Sloth says a complete bargain compared to other carbon pole prices.
 
On the pictures I had put the rubber feet back on as I was at the end of my walk, I used to have rubber feet in all my jacket pockets so ive learnt to put them back on the poles when finished. Like you say they are only useful on pavements/roads and ive learnt to put them on for that as well to save the wear on the tungsten tips, I never did this on my first pair which helped to wear the tips down quicker, It cuts down on the noise a bit as well which some people find annoying.

[heatybob]

I bought some of those X lites on the strength of a thread by Rhino, 23 quid on line 29 in shop,when I mention this they said the difference was made up in the postage and wouldnt give them me for the lower price,anyhow I bought them but when they scanned them they went through at the lower on line price, hayho result, pity they stopped making them,i would of liked a spare pair.

[Rhino]

I bought some of those X lites on the strength of a thread by Rhino, 23 quid on line 29 in shop,when I mention this they said the difference was made up in the postage and wouldnt give them me for the lower price,anyhow I bought them but when they scanned them they went through at the lower on line price, hayho result, pity they stopped making them,i would of liked a spare pair.

Heatybob they still make them its just the new model with straps that have karrimor wrote on them and some red writing on the top section other than that they look identical. http://www.sportsdirect.com/karrimor-carbon-walking-poles-784002?colcode=78400290&src=google&gclid=CNfdvLHKosoCFaofwwodJ6kB2A&gclsrc=aw.ds

[FOX160]

The new X-lite's I've seen have a Cork moulded handle and the poles are White with blue writing

[Rhino]

Havent seen those Fox, the Red writing and design were in the Keswick shop maybe they are doing different versions.

[heatybob]

I like the idea of the camera mount,surprised it's took so long,i was pondering about taking a fishing bankstick c/w thread adapter with me if I go out alone,

[gary m]

i am sending away tomorrow for black diamond trail poles anyone used them

[altirando]

Yes, probably the best, but not the cheapest.  Bought mine originally for alpine use, mountaineering poles, but a loose grip on my alpkit poles has made me use them for trails too.  Very good straps, broad at the point where the side of your palm pushes.  Wonder if anyone else is like me, never telescope the poles once I have found the perfect length, unless I was faced with a rockface needing both hands.  In other words, I do not load them on the pack for occasional use.  Rather, using them is as automatic as changing into walking footwear.

[altirando]

Just a further thought, do you know how to adjust to the right length?  Elbow into waist, fore arm should be horizontal with normal grip.  As to the antishock springs on some poles, it perhaps depends on whether someone is using them for support, to lean on, or as a positive aid to progress, particularly to give  a strong shove going up hill.  I used poles for several years, xc skiing, loipe tracks as well as trail, so I am used to the latter more dynamic use. 

[Rhino]

i am sending away tomorrow for black diamond trail poles anyone used them

I have some Black Diamond gear but not poles however I have found Black Diamond to be very well made stuff. Ive looked at a few models of the poles in the shops specifically the trail and trail pro. The difference between the two models as far as I can see is stainless double pro locks on the pro trail version and additional weight on the pros which I guess is because of the stainless locks, both have replaceable tips which is a bonus and some kind of compression/anti shock system below the handle. With the shock system below the handle and both bottom sections still on flip lock its still quick and easy to setup and adjust and keeps its overall strength because of both flip locks opposed to a twist lock.  
   
Would be interested in your review of them when you have tried them out