View Full Version : Black Diamond Replacement Tips
swjohnsey
02-07-2012, 13:45
Replacement tips now available for Black Diamond poles. I ordered a pair off eBay, about 8 bucks with shipping. Talked to the folks a Black Diamond and they recommended placing the end section in boiling water to facilitate removing old tip. Tried it, no luck. Then I tried hot cooking oil, success! Musta been over 350 degrees.
Using some old motorcycle tricks, put the pole section in freezer, new tips in boiling water, gave the end of the pole section a coupla whacks with rubber hammer and viola! Poles good as new and ready for another thru hike attempt.
Oh, yeah. The BD site list two tips, long and short. My poles, Trail, had tips that are the same length as the "long" tip. Seems that the short tip aren't available yet.
BD seems to have several tips going! I ordered a StickPic. That site lists two different StickPics for BD poles. Easy to figure out, measure tip to where the basket is. One is 2 inches and the other like 3 1/2. So I order the one for 3 1/2. No fit! StickPic was fantastic and I used a micrometer to MEASURE the diameter of my BD poles, emailed that to StickPic and they custom made one for me! But it had then wondering if now there wasn't a THIRD option for BD tips......
Cookerhiker
02-07-2012, 17:41
That's good to know. I've had BDs for over 6 years and had to replace tips twice but they didn't offer tips only; they sent the lower shaft of the pole.
I bought some of the new-fangled BD poles (the fixed length ones held together with shock cord that Backpacker Mag was so high on) and they didn't last 2 days before a tip broke. They refused to replace them. I'm pretty sour on BD, won't be buying their poles, that's for sure, and I won't be placing much credence on Backpacker gear reviews, either.
Tipi Walter
02-07-2012, 19:15
I bought some of the new-fangled BD poles (the fixed length ones held together with shock cord that Backpacker Mag was so high on) and they didn't last 2 days before a tip broke. They refused to replace them. I'm pretty sour on BD, won't be buying their poles, that's for sure, and I won't be placing much credence on Backpacker gear reviews, either.
I do not have much regard for Black Diamond products, although maybe mountaineers have better luck with their stuff. My hiking pole is only a BD because at the time Leki used crappy pole locks which were a mess in icy conditions. Beyond this, both BD and Leki poles tips will work on a BD pole---for the Leki tips I just had to hack saw off an inch of the carbon pole tip to get the Leki to fit. I much prefer a Petzl headlamp to a BD.
swjohnsey
02-07-2012, 19:58
Yeah, Leki finally copied the BD Flicklocks. Fell on one of my BD Trail poles and bent the lower section. Straighted it enough on the trail to use it but it wouldn't colapse smoothly. Rep at Trail Days replaced it for free.
swjohnsey
07-30-2012, 10:12
Just an update . . . the Black Diamond tips come in two lengths, short and long. The long ones didn't work out so well for me with heavy (brutal) use on the AT. They bent and the broke after just a little use because of the unsupported plastic. The short ones are workin' out well. Put 'em in the oven at about 300 degrees to get the old tips off.