Kinetic, Addictive Action & Deployment: Pro-Tech Malibu Review

In a business as close-knit as knives, when a new knife hits it big, everyone takes notice. The Malibu was definitely a big hit. Its combination of size and glass-smooth deployment captured the market when it debuted in 2022. But the competition is stiffer now than ever before. How does this knife stand up 3 years later?

The TRM N2, the Kershaw Bel Air, the Bridgeport Knife Co 495 v2, Giant Mouse Riv, and a few other knives really set the bar quite high in the most competitive segment of the knife market. If you are looking for a knife to EDC, a knife that can do a little bit of everything, easily ride in the pocket, and not cost you an arm and a leg, the market right now is pretty crowded. 

But the base-level Pro-Tech Malibu definitely fits in this elite crowd of cutters.

In short: With unreal action, a nice handle design, and a pristine edge grind, the Pro-Tech Malibu ($225) hangs with the best the market has to offer. Its selection of available steels and its modest price keep it at the front of a rapidly expanding market. While not the absolute best in class, this knife is definitely a contender. If you want a button lock with virtually friction-free action, this is a great choice for EDC.

Shopping for knives? Check out our guide to the Best Pocket Knives.

Pro-Tech Malibu

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8

How we rate products ⓘ

Specifications

• Steel: Varied — MagnaCut in review sample
• Grind: Flat grind
• Lock: Button
• Blade length: 3.25”
• OAL: 7.50”
• Weight: 2.99 oz.
• Price: $225 (as configured)
• Country of origin: Made in the USA

Pros

• Truly superior fit and finish
• Kinetic, addictive action and deployment
• Wide variety of steels and finish levels

Cons

• Aluminum handles for the price of titanium
• Not the most aesthetically pleasing blade shape

Anthony Sculimbrene

Pro-Tech Malibu Review

First Impressions

The knife’s blade seems a little rudimentary, like a back-of-the-napkin sketch version of the Benchmade 940’s blade. But the minute you deploy the Malibu, you get its appeal. Very few knives at any price point deploy as smoothly and effortlessly as the Malibu. This knife is the reason there has been a recent boom in button locks, but none match the Malibu in terms of action. 

Use & Carry

I carried the Pro-Tech Malibu for about a month before writing this review. The knife performed a few different tasks — around-the-house chores and recycling processing. I also just redid the insulation in my basement, and the Malibu went along for the ride.  

This was a great test for the Malibu as it pressed into doing a lot of different cutting chores. After the installation of a new heating system, the basement needed some weatherproofing. This meant that I needed to install a lot of weatherstripping, make a door sweep out of wood, install fiberglass insulation, and do a lot of cutting and scraping. 

The Malibu’s very fine edge worked well as a marking knife for the door sweep, scoring the Eastern White Pine with ease. It also sliced through the fiberglass insulation backing. This is a really unpleasant task, and I really did not want to play around with the fiberglass too much. So, cutting through the material quickly and definitively was important. The Malibu cut the material thoroughly. 

Because of its adhesive backing, the weatherstripping was very dense and quite messy. The Malibu cut through it easily, handling the harder cutting chore thanks to its somewhat thicker blade stock.

The MagnaCut steel gave the edge plenty of toughness. I used it to score material and scrap wood away from pipes to create an easier spot to insulate.  

Even with this dirty work, after a good cleaning, the knife had no dings, nicks, or chips. It was also still shaving sharp. I used it for processing recycling, and it absolutely shredded the cardboard. It also did well with some light food processing, including chopping up apples and strawberries. 

The aluminum, with its blasted finish, carried well, and the clip, a simple deep-carry design, also worked well. The knife feels light for its size, and the choice of aluminum over titanium was, in my opinion, the right one.

I would have liked to see a bit lower price given the materials, but at $225 for the MagnaCut steel version, it’s not that expensive (the 940 is also aluminum-handled, and it sports a cheaper steel — S30V — but costs $20 more).  

Pro-Tech Malibu: Conclusions

If you can’t commit to purchasing a knife like the Sebenza, with its $425 price tag, but you want something nicer than a CIVIVI off Amazon ($35), this is a good option between the price brackets. It is also an excellent knife if you have a smidge of ADHD, as the kinetic, lightning-fast deployment will keep you and your fingers engaged for days.

If you are looking for the absolute bleeding edge of knife design, however, the Malibu might not be for you. With the advent of very hard and very tough powder steels, makers have, over the past 5 years, reduced the stock thickness for blades. In this regard, the Malibu feels old. Compared to something like the paper-thin TRM N2, the blade stock here is about 50-75% more.

The Pro-Tech Malibu was released in 2022, so it is not a super-new knife. However, even 3 years later, it still ranks quite well among the best on the market. It can do a variety of different cutting chores well. 

It is available in a wide range of steels and has dozens of variants with materials ranging from simple anodized aluminum to jewel-encrusted, engraved, and titanium. The base version is a decent value with truly great action. 

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