Kaito Hammers HP5 Anti-Shock Hiking Pole with Compass & Thermometer

I bought two of these for a two week hike spanning about 100 miles of mountain terrain. They served their purpose very well, and are a good entry-level hiking pole. They are adjustable at two points, which equals a greater range of extension. I'm 6'3" and had no problem making them easily adjusting them for uphill, downhill, and level sections of trail. The spring initially seemed gimmicky, but doing 10-15 miles a day over rocks and gravel, and your shoulders and elbows would be much worse off without it. They are very lightweight, but feel sturdy enough to be dependable the whole time.However, as stated in the title, they are not perfect. While the thermometer on the wrist strap appears to be fairly accurate, the compass is akin to the kind you would find in a Cracker Jack box. You can shake it, and balance it, and wiggle it around, and eventually you will get a relatively accurate reading...but you're better off buying an actual compass if you plan to travel by that method. Furthermore on that note, the compass and thermometer are simply held into the rubber section of the strap by a dab of glue each. I bought two of these poles, and lost a compass from one, and the thermometer from the other. My only other gripe is a minor one. Since purchasing these, I have been to various sporting goods, outdoors, and general stores and have never seen this exact pole anywhere else, but have seen about a dozen other "brands" and styles of hiking pole that are identical, from the cork handle all the way to the tip. They all say "Made in China", as do the Hammers poles, which lead me to believe these are a generic design with a brand name stamped on. The crazy thing is that all these identical poles vary in cost from $15-$50 each, sometimes even at the same shop.

I bought these poles because they were cheap and had decent reviews. I went on an 8-day trekking trip and didn't think I'd really need them, so I didn't want to spend much money on them. Turns out I used them every day and they were a life saver! They got me through the trip. That's why I gave them 3 starts. However, they are poorly constructed and many times I had trouble keeping one pole or the other locked, so when I went to put weight on it, the pole would collapse, therefore rendering itself useless (I'm 5'2 and 115 lb, so it wasn't much weight). My boyfriend could usually get it to stay after a while, but it was time consuming, irritating, unreliable, and I'm not sure I could have gotten them to function on my own. But like I said, they served their purpose and I got through the trip. However, I tried to use them on a day hike this spring and they finally broke. The tip broke off of one of the poles and they constantly get stuck and the springs are falling out, so I'm done with them.BOTTOM LINE:If you're looking for a cheap pair of poles to use for a short period of time, these are probably okay, but there's always a chance they might just crap out on you.I've learned how important hiking poles are for multi-day treks or difficult day hikes, so I will be spending the money for reliable poles that I will not have to worry about breaking on me in the middle of my trip. If you're doing a multi-day trek or will be doing several difficult hikes, I recommend sucking it up and spending a little more money for a nicer product.

I was a bit concerned when some mentioned it had broken on them, but I hiked about 20 miles up and down some steep trails in Glacier Park and it stood up quite well. Collaspes down to pack easily in my suitcase and it is very light. The compass and thermometer?? If you are buying a hiking pole to rely on those items on ANY pole, you'll bound to get lost in the woods! For the record, the compass (once settled down) was actually fairly accurate, but again, take a REAL compass and/or a GPS to get your bearings.I weigh 220 and used it a lot to support myself going up steeper trails and to help break the downward trek. If you plan on pulling whole weight up using the pole, then yeah, it might well break. I use hiking poles to stablize myself on rough trails and a a little to help climb the really steep portions.The grip was very good for my hands (I wear large men's gloves) and was comfortable the whole trip. I do wish it had a "spike" under the rubber foot, I prefer that when hiking trails that are a bit icy.For the price, I think it to be a great value and look forward to using it on some more local hikes. You can get sturdier poles at a much higher cost (and perhaps I would if I were to hike the Grand Canyon again), but for general use, I am quite happy with it. HAPPY HIKING!!

Over the years my preference was to find a sturdy stick and hike with that. My upgrade to a hiking pole was an extravagance - though I must say there's much to be said for carrying a pole that's the right size and weight "out of the box". I would definitely recommend the purchase, even if it doesn't match Harry Potter's "Nimbus 2000"!The cork handle is comfortable to hold. The pole is easily adjustable, lightweight and quite sturdy. I used this during a strenuous two week hiking trip in Utah. I found the temperature gauge to be quite fun - though knowing how hot it was didn't make much of a difference, of course. I frequently switched between the rubber and metallic tips, depending on the terrain, and found the extra traction and "push" quite helpful in both instances. (I used rubber on bare rock, and the unsheathed metal tip pretty much everywhere else. The rubber tip easily fits over the metal end;I simply popped it into my fanny pack when the ground softened.) Unfortunately, the screw-on basket fell off on the first day while I was transporting the pole on the back of my back pack. Frankly, I really didn't miss the basket - even in sandy terrain the pole maintained its grip. The pole collapses for storage/transportation very easily.UPDATE: Almost three years later and the pole is still going strong! We've hiked together in Washington State, Colorado, Arizona, Nevada... America really is beautiful!!! I ended up buying another of these poles for my wife just a few months back.The temperature and compass tools are useless on both, but the cork grips are very comfortable -even when doused in sweat.