Pro-Tech Malibu Clone?

J

JoLo1738

Joined
May 7, 2021
Messages
1
Recently purchased a Pro-Tech Malibu from eBay, and a couple things about it have me questioning it's legitimacy.

The markings are different from any Malibu I've ever seen. There is no 20CV marking on the flipper tab, and instead of the production run and number, "CPM-20CV" is on the spine along with the Pro-Tech logo. What also concerned me was the extremely strong detent and strong lock stick when the knife was first unboxed. This has mostly smoothed out, but fairly often the detent will be extra heavy for a couple flips and have lots of lock stick. The final thing is that the centering just being wholly underwhelming. I've tried everything I could think of to get the blade to be centered and the only thing that gets it close is cranking down the pivot.

Has anyone else had a similar experience with their Malibu? I've contacted Pro-Tech about the matter and have yet to hear back.


Malibu pics
 
They’ll get back to you, their customer service is very good. It’s Friday so give them until next week at least. As far as clones, I’m not aware of the Malibu being copied but can’t say for sure. Protech changes the placement of serial numbers/logos/steel/etc. on different runs so you may have an early run of that knife. Just be patient and see what they say, they may have you send it in to correct any issues with it.
 
I have a black Malibu from the April drop that I purchased from an authorized dealer and it has the exact same marking as yours. I think it’s legit
 
The Malibu can have the steel and Maker’s mark on the spine, mine does anyway.
No stick issues however.
 
Shoot them a message and I'm sure they'll get it sorted out. Sounds like it's probably legit though. Their customer service is among the best I've experienced. I wouldn't be surprised if they asked you to send it in for a tune-up.
 
I bought mine brand new from GPKnives and it has the same markings as yours. Also, it had lock stick issues as well. I fixed it by dissasembling, cleaning, lubricating with KPL and putting it together again. Now the action is perfect and centering is 99% on spot.
 
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