Nordic Walking Poles Custom Fit to Your Height. Quality 1-Piece Poles - 32 Lengths Non-Collapsible. #1 for Hiking, Trekking, Physical Therapy.

Bought these in 2018 and they are still going strong. Well-made and replacement parts are available. Now that I am officially “old” I also use my trekking poles to relieve my painful ankle while I walk for exercise. Worth the extra bit of money, as they are very sturdy and comfortable for walking.

Sometimes when you purchase exercise equipment, it turns out to be a fad or a gimmick. I've used my SWIX Nordic Walking Poles about a dozen times now, and they have turned out to be a wise purchase. I'm an older male, with joint and balance issues, but the poles help maintain my balance, are easier on my knees, exercise my upper body, and improve my cardiovascular workout. Plus, they took about 5 minutes to learn to use. What's not to like?Frankly, I also worried that I might look "goofy" trying to use them, but that turned out to be a non-issue. No snarky comments to date. You mostly just swing your arms in a natural motion and can "push off" on the poles to increase the upper body workout.Also, I might mention that these are the less-expensive poles made of aluminum (as opposed to carbon fiber), and they are non-collapsible. I like both of those features. Carbon fiber is ultralight and great for many applications, but aluminum is stronger and still lightweight. I think trail runners might opt for the carbon fiber, while older, heavier folks would favor aluminum. Carbon fiber tends to splinter when it breaks, while aluminum typically bends. I'm on the chunky side, and I just feel more secure with the aluminum. Plus, the non-collapsible feature helps keep down the weight and just feels more stable.All-in-all, an excellent purchase and highly recommended. As they say, check with your doctor first; but--for many people--these poles are a solid exercise option.

Although I already have good, not-flimsy flip-lock REI 3-piece hiking poles, I wanted a pair of one-piece, no-fuss poles for walks where there's no need at all for constant height adjustments (longer for steep downhill, shorter for steep uphill, per one style of pole hiking that's popular in the San Francisco bay area).The ones that Swix sent are very light but sturdy, quality poles with comfortable, flexible wrist straps and boot-like tips. I like the Nordic style of walking with poles slightly angled back, as it tends to propel you forward and the upper arms get the exercise they rarely do in standard poleless walking, due to naturally doing a full arm extension when you plant a pole inline with the opposing foot's heel, moving forward. The printed instructions were detailed and very helpful, but the DVD video, while somewhat useful, mainly shows people jumping around with the poles in high areas.The first thing I noticed was that I'm naturally walking faster, not that I always want to -- it just happens -- and it leads to longer strides and definitely more exercise for the upper body as you put weight from the heel of your hand into the cradle of the strap. There is less strain on the knees and hips. I'm having a lot of fun with these and it's somewhat addictive.In situations where balance is more important, I'll keep the poles more perpendicular to the ground. Definitely they make downhill hiking less of an ordeal.The Swix representative, Pete, is very responsive in email and is a good communicator, and delivery was unusually fast!

I had a MVA which left me with balance issues before I retired. After regular physical therapy I still had balance issues and pain in my shoulders from working 40 years as a nurse. Trying to avoid surgery, improve balance issues and exercise daily, I found a You tube video about Nordic walking. The doctor and physical therapist on the video emphasized using non adjustable poles, that is one customized to your height so I searched the internet and found these wonderful poles that produced the results I needed to improve my balance, tone my core, painlessly exercise my shoulder joints, and most of all, provide me with a 30 minute daily exercise routine I have been able to maintain for the last 5 years. I purchased these pole for me, a pair for my friend, a pair for my son and a second pair I keep at our vacation home. My doctor also told me there is quite a lot of research on general health benefits for anyone because you are using both sides of your body so it maintains symmetry of all your skeletal muscles. I have replaced the asphalt “paws” tips once because the majority of walking I do is in my neighborhood and local parks. I could not be more pleased by this very beneficial STIX quality walking sticks! I am most pleased with the benefit of avoiding shoulder surgery by improving my posture and body alignment. On a final note, during my 30 minute walk daily I pray and thank God for blessing me with a way of becoming healthier than I was before I retired.