I've used a walking stick occasionally in the past. Haven't used trekking poles, but figured my knees won't last forever so I just got my starter pair: Yukon Charlie's Trek Lite Series Trekking Poles, from Amazon. For some reason for a couple of days the red poles were half the price of the other colors, and I doubt that little bit of paint is going to make a difference in use.

These have cork handles, which I like the feel of; from what I've read, they're good for both wet and dry conditions. The shafts are aluminum (at under $20 for the pair, I didn't expect anything else). Weight is 8.5 ounces per pole according to my kitchen scale. Length adjustment is an interesting mix of systems: twist lock for the lower section, and flick lock for the upper; you set the twist lock once and use the quicker flick lock as you change from uphill to downhill use. The flick locks have big knurled knobs, so if they need to be tightened no tools are necessary. Grips and straps appear to be identical on the two poles rather than left/right specific. There are two sets of screw-on baskets included: bigger baskets for snow, and smaller (sand? I dunno) baskets. There are also protective plastic boots to cover the carbide pole tips, which I can use getting started on the asphalt in my cul-de-sac.

Yukon Charlie's is primarily a snowshoe manufacturer. I found one how-to video on their web site for the trekking poles, which showed how you added and removed the snow baskets.

I'm a trekking pole newbie, so I can't comment knowledgeably about use. So far I've smacked the poles around on my floors and the length adjustments haven't budged. If anybody has something useful to add about these poles, please chime in.