In reply to USBRIT:
Well there may be something in that although most of the cheaper poles will inevitably be copies of the more expensive branded versions, using cheaper raw materials often, even if they are made in the same factory. You do pay a bit for a brand, but it is the brands that do most of the innovating hence have higher costs.
I have used four sets of poles over the years (not because I wear them out, but for other reasons) and two have been big brands, two cheaper copies. One of the cheaper copies (Decathlon) was pretty good actually, the other was a terrible heavy copy with a bad handle. One of the big brands was okay but had a bad fastening system, and by far the best were these from MSR - lightest, best collapsing system, best grip and strap. Whether they were 4 times better than the ones from Decathlon is unlikely, but they are three-section hence they fit in my sack ( which the two- section ones don't).
Alan