That's strange, I haven't experienced either of those things, with either set. They do change the design slightly year to year. It also seems like there may be some quality control issues, as amid all the glowing reviews I'll see people who had a bad set right out of the box. The first pair I bought the straps were twisted--in retrospect easily fixed, but it's Costco so I just returned them and got a new set. So maybe yours are a problematic year or bad individual pair?texasbb wrote: ↑March 12th, 2021, 7:13 pmI'm one of the few who don't like those Costco poles. Two things: the hard cork handles have sharp ridges that dig into fingers when the straps are used correctly; and the straps won't hold adjustment, requiring tightening every couple of hours or so. And the looser those straps get, the more irritating those hard ridges.
This is why I'm mourning mine so much, because replacements will never be exactly the same.