There is such a wide variety of options and opinions that it is hard to say what is "the best", so just get what suits you. However, people with bad knees probably do need two ski-pole type hiking sticks when negotiating rough terrain at speed. I prefer rigid poles to those with shock-absorbing features, but many people prefer the opposite. I collect hiking staffs and have a wide variety both store-bought and handmade. But I rarely carry any of them unless I am making a multi-day backpacking trip. Then I prefer my homemade hickory staff, 5' tall, 1" thick, very tough, a crutch tip on the bottom attached with shoe goo, and a natural Y top. The Y at the top is perfect for catching snakes, proping my backback against a tree with the carry loop, or to stretch a line across for a tarp shelter. On shorter hikes, I generally prefer to just pick up the first stick I find and keep "trading up" until I have a pretty good hiking stick by the time I get home. If it's really nice, I trim it up and add it to my collection.