Quality one-piece carbon walking poles are hard to find in the USA. Cheap/flimsy 2-piece and 3-piece collapsible poles are flooding the market from China with poles that rattle, vibrate, refuse to hold their settings, freeze up or fail unexpectedly. Quality EXEL one-piece poles don't rattle, vibrate, refuse to hold their settings, freeze up or fail unexpectedly. Backpackers find that walking poles "save their knees" but also find that collapsible poles can't be trusted. One-piece poles from EXEL can be trusted. Ski racers and recreational skiers trust one-piece poles. Collapsible poles can't be trusted. Carbon one-piece poles from EXEL of Finland can be trusted.