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Though Pro-Tech is now recognized as a mainstay in the everyday carry space, the company has rumble roots, with its founder Dave Wattenberg designing and crafting the firm’s first model — the Runt — by hand at his kitchen table back in 1999. Nearly a quarter century later and the California company’s catalog has grown to include dozens of different knives, one of the latest of which is its most recent take on its inaugural blade, the new fifth-generation Pro-Tech Runt 5.
Made in America, this particular version of the latest-gen Runt — the Runt 5 Wharncliffe Auto — is constructed around a 0.48-inch-thick integral handle that’s been precision-machined from a single block of aluminum billet. Bestowed with a hardwearing anodized coating and a grip-bolstering textured finish, the Runt 5’s 3.25-inch handle is also equipped with a tip-up pocket clip with flush screws and a button lock that’s also used as this automatic knife’s deployment mechanism.
Mated to the Runt 5’s handle is a stonewash-finished 1.96-inch Wharncliffe blade made from Crucible Industries’ latest ultra-advanced powder metallurgy stainless steel, CPM MagnaCut. Guided by a washer-equipped pivot, this blade is 0.11-inches-thick and features a flat grind. Best of all, because the Runt 5’s blade spans less than 2 inches, this automatic knife can legally be carried in the state of California. Weighing in at only 2.08oz, the Runt 5 Wharncliffe Auto measures 5.12” overall, as well, making it highly pocketable while still affording real-world utility.
The Pro-Tech Runt 5 Wharncliffe Auto Knife is available now with pricing set at only $165 — a steal considering that this is an integral automatic knife with a MagnaCut blade. The fifth-gen Runt is also offered in a variety of different handle color and material options, several different blade steels, and with an available reverse tanto blade.
