Which poles?

Ally (left) has Leki poles with pole gloves, me (centre) with Mountain King poles

Having chatted with a few clients recently about the pros and cons of the main brands of running poles on the UK market, I thought I'd write up a run-down of these. Below you'll find my thoughts on Leki, Black Diamond, Mountain King and Harrier poles. You won't find a 'how to use' guide; for this I recommend either a workshop with the fab Nicky at Hiking Highs, or (budget option) the excellent instruction videos at Harrier.

Choosing a set of poles is a relatively simple process - at the end of the day (as one of my runners put it) they are just sticks - how hard can it be?! The factors to consider are:

• Price vs your budget

• Weight, and linked to this, material; carbon fibre and aluminium are the usual choices. Carbon poles tend to be lighter, but also more expensive. Aluminium poles are cheaper and slightly heavier, but they are less brittle than carbon, i.e. more likely to survive incidents like being fallen on, or getting wedged between rocks.

• Size/bulkiness/construction of the pole (this tends to have a relationship with whether or not they are height adjustable; adjustable poles usually have a clip system to lock the desired height into place which can make them bigger and more bulky to store than fixed height poles)

• Grip system - more on this below; each type of pole has its own system to allow you to hold and use it correctly

I should also note that all the poles described below are running poles, rather than walking poles. Walking poles, if you already have these, can be perfectly easily used for running; the main downside to them is that they are often not collapsible. Running poles are designed to fold into three sections so that they can be stored on a vest or in a special pole carrier, often called a quiver. Some brands sell quivers which only work with their own brand of vest, so check before you purchase!

Leki

Let's begin with the premium end of the market. Leki poles are undoubtedly the most expensive available; the cheapest model I could find directly on their website retails at £135, but most models are in the £160 to £190 range.

For many runners, the attraction of the Leki pole is their proprietary 'Shark' grip system. This consists of a small clip on the pole handle which pairs with a small loop stitched into a glove. The loop hooks onto the clip, and means that the pole stays attached to your hand without you needing to grip it. This is also the way you put force through the pole without having to tightly grip the handle. The basic 'glove' is actually more like a harness for the hand and wrist, designed to be worn with or without gloves underneath. Leki also make a range of different weights and styles of warm and/or waterproof gloves which all have the Shark loop stitched into them.

For me, the Shark system is a con, not a pro. I have trouble with Raynaud's symptoms in my hands, and use a complicated and ever-varying glove layering system to keep my hands comfortable and functional. I don't want to add another (literal) layer of complexity into this by needing to have a Shark glove on top of everything else. But many runners without this restriction love the system, and if you don't have difficulties with your hands then it's worth checking out.

In terms of weight, there is a range; from around 235g at the heavier end to their lightest model at 120g. Leki poles are pretty good in terms of size; they collapse into a neat package, and don't have locking clips that add bulkiness - most Leki poles are fixed height.

Black Diamond

Most of the comments above on Leki poles are also applicable to Black Diamond; they are a premium product with poles ranging between £125 and £185. Carbon and aluminium options are available, with all models being on the heavier side at between 250g and 300g. They have options on adjustable and fixed-height poles, so all bases covered. Black Diamond diverge from Leki when it comes to the grip system; they use a simpler ski strap (really just a loop of fabric attached to the pole handle). Used correctly, the ski strap allows you to push on the pole without gripping it tightly, serving the same purpose as the Leki Shark system.

Given that these two brands are so similar in terms of price point, there is little to choose between them except the grip - so if you want a premium pole start by making that decision, then narrow down the material, weight and adjustable vs fixed-height factors.

Harrier

Moving into the more wallet-friendly part of the market, newcomers Harrier have done a great job with their poles - I hear only good things from runners who use them, in terms of quality and durability. A definite pro is their price - the cheapest model is £49.99, the most expensive £104.99, and they have frequent sales.

Harrier offer all options on material and construction - there are aluminium, carbon, adjustable and fixed-height choices, ranging from around 140g to 270g. I have noticed that their basic pole models are very bulky - this is probably the only point against them. The physical dimensions of their cheaper choices are really challenging to fit onto a pack, and having seen runners struggling with this, I wouldn't recommend them. It is a different story with the newer 'PRO' models - these are slimmer and lighter. Harrier use a ski pole grip system like Black Diamond.

Mountain King

I saved my favourite for last! Mountain King poles in my opinion are the best on the market - they are simple, light and budget conscious. Their heaviest model is 122g - almost identical to the best of all the options above - and the lightest just 103g. This is achieved in part by an incredibly simple assembly system - a string runs down the centre of the pole; you pull this and lock it into place by catching a knot in the string in a notch. It sounds basic, and it is - but it never fails in the way that I have seen poles with push-button locking systems do.

MK poles are available in both aluminium and carbon options, and start at around £90, ranging up to about £160. They are all fixed height, so no bulkiness in the construction either. They use the simple ski strap grip as Black Diamond and Harrier also do. As an added bonus, Mountain King are the only brand who manufacture in the UK, in their factory in Newcastle.

Overview: everyone is different! But if you really want my ultimate recommendation, I choose the following:

• ski strap grip (for ease of use and not having to buy lots of expensive gloves)

• aluminium construction (less breakable)

• fixed height (pole folds down more neatly, is less bulky, and takes less time to assemble)

• cheaper brand (because I own one of the cheaper options, and the quality is excellent; I don't think it's worth paying for a brand name)

• As light as possible within the above constraints, because why wouldn't you want them to be light?

I own Mountain King Trail Blaze aluminium poles; they meet all of the above criteria and have withstood around five years of heavy use so far. They are the lightest of all the models discussed above, barring the MK carbon poles, and are pretty budget-friendly. I'd also recommend the Harrier Catbells PRO Aluminium Z poles - these look like a cheaper option that are only a little heavier and a little bigger than the Mountain King.