Recommendation? ProTech Malibu 5201 Questions

Oklahoma Outlaw

Oklahoma Outlaw

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For those who own or are familiar with the ProTech Malibu 5201 I’d like your input on the knife. I’m looking at a reverse tanto with blue aluminum scales (not thrilled with aluminum scales).

Anyway, I’d love to hear your thoughts on it.

Thanks in advance guys.
 
The hype is real. It's an excellent knife all around, and one of my favorites.

It will "drop" shut when held at about 10 degrees off from horizontal. Outstanding action in both directions. Minimalist aesthetic, but not plain; I love how this one looks.

I've owned several other button locks (Mordax, Cambria, Freeman, and Smock), but this is the only one I've held onto.
 
Dadpool said:
The hype is real. It's an excellent knife all around, and one of my favorites.

It will "drop" shut when held at about 10 degrees off from horizontal. Outstanding action in both directions. Minimalist aesthetic, but not plain; I love how this one looks.

I've owned several other button locks (Mordax, Cambria, Freeman, and Smock), but this is the only one I've held onto.
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That’s encouraging. Is $260.00 to my door (new) a decent price?

I can’t bring myself to watch the Shabazz review until he gets subtitles.
 
It’s a good knife. I wouldn’t worry about the aluminum scales, they keep the knife from costing $300.

It’s a $225 knife imho. I don’t have any complaints, but I don’t think I’d spend $260 unless it was coming directly from a retailer. You can find them on the secondary for 200-220.
 
It really is an excellent design. Reasonably thin and light, excellent blade to handle ratio, and a great flipping action.

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I went secondary market for mine, more like $215 (if memory serves), but for a USA-made folder from a smaller company, with excellent steel, impeccable fit and finish, and -- from what I've heard -- good warranty support, I think the street price is fair.

(I love Nick's reviews. ;))
 
I was not super impressed. It's a great knife if you dont keep anything hard in your pockets that will scratch up the AL...unless you like that kind of look.

200$ is an OKAY price. 260 is a little high in my opinion.

I'm also the guy who wasn't super impressed with an Atom as well, I think the super-hype and subsequent price hike + hard to find-ness made it so.
 
I like mine very, very much. I think they have earned their hype and are good value. In fact, I liked the aluminum version so much that I sold it after about a week... So that I could purchase the titanium version. It's an excellent knife.

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Oklahoma Outlaw said:
That’s encouraging. Is $260.00 to my door (new) a decent price?

I can’t bring myself to watch the Shabazz review until he gets subtitles.
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I was also curious about the Malibu. So I picked up a used one off the exchange not too long ago for less than $200 (pic below - did not clean the blade as I have been using it). I wasn’t sure how I’d like it at first, however the Malibu has become a regular rotation between it and a Neon NL for edc. It is a bit thicker than the Neon. The action is just like Dadpool Dadpool stated. The sound on deployment is different than a titanium flipper, but I like how distinct it is. The aluminum handles seem to be quite durable and are holding up well. Like I said, I am carrying/using it on a regular basis. Hope this helps.
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Looks as if all of the dealers are out of stock. I don’t really need the knife. I was just doing some reading and came across it. I admit it piqued my interest. I’m not used to laying out more than what a piece is worth. 🤷‍♂️
 
SCTorrero said:
Flipping action is great and it is a good size for me. Grind was, um, not good.

If you want, I'll send you my wharny version for you to check out and decide for yourself. Just send it back when you are done with it.
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That is such a generous offer. I truly appreciate it, but I might overpay for this reverse tanto and if it doesn’t meet my expectations I’ll just send it back.

You are too kind my friend. Thank you.
 
Oklahoma Outlaw said:
Looks as if all of the dealers are out of stock. I don’t really need the knife. I was just doing some reading and came across it. I admit it piqued my interest. I’m not used to laying out more than what a piece is worth. 🤷‍♂️
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Almost impossible to find, and they have been out for a while. If you find them in stock buy immediately. Worth the wait and the thrill of seeking one out, it's by far edc perfection.
 
Oklahoma Outlaw said:
That is such a generous offer. I truly appreciate it, but I might overpay for this reverse tanto and if it doesn’t meet my expectations I’ll just send it back.

You are too kind my friend. Thank you.
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No problem at all. Don't hesitate to message me if you reconsider.

I think the knife (my version, anyway) is a candidate for a regrind, honestly. I bet it was something like 22 DPS (and not the same on both sides). I brought it down to 17-18 DPS on my KME (in my own clumsy way). But there is so much good here: materials, size, clip, protech support. Skiffs fit, too.
 
I've had a blue reverse tanto for about 3 weeks. Have rarely been as satisfied with a purchase as this. It is exactly what was both advertised and what I was looking for. I bought it as an everyday user so I'm not overly concerned about any scratches that might show up over time. Battle scars. The factory grind was not the best, but I fixed that. The action is satisfying in a way that's hard to describe. Even when not using it I find myself playing with it. I've never really done that before. In fact I liked it so much that I bought a Blue Mordax also. That's every bit as satisfying but slightly different.
 
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