Alex is bringing out a new version of the extreme pole which should wear better on the clamp sections I believe.
These are the new improved Xtreme poles with the Stainless Steel inserts to eliminate wear on the clamping points.
Will they be cheaper or dearer than the current poles?
They are actually more expensive to make, but they have been on sale at exactly the same price as the older model for a few weeks now.
This Dual-Pole offer has effectively brought the price down lower than the previous model.
The Stainless Steel banding is on the top 4 sections of each pole, under the specific clamping areas to prolong the life of the section whilst only adding a few grams to the pole.