99% of SOTW - "eh it's pretty good I guess. It's not the best case, it's not the worse, reasonably good value if it's a good fit. It's probably better than a gig bag"
Jaared (replace 'ProTec' with 'Gator') - "Hello skully12.
I used to own and use ProTec cases for my alto and soprano sax. The alto case was a contoured ProTec International case that was covered in dark brown "chocolate" leather....and it carried a Mark VI alto in it. Carrying it on my back using the shoulder strap one day going through security at Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C., the strap broke from the strap "ring" on the case.....well....sax case hit the ground with a thud....(about a 3 foot drop). When I opened the case, the body tube on my Mark VI was bent. I'm a repairman as well, (over 20 years), so I was "luckily" able to straighten my body perfectly again.
Needless to say, I will NEVER own another ProTec case....EVER!
The problem with the ProTec cases, (along with most others), is the "fit". While having your case opened, with your sax laying in it, if your sax moves AT ALL, then that spells potential disaster if your sax ever takes a fall in the case. That was what mainly bent the body of my sax....was the loose fit on the inside, along with the "flex" from the case due to the impact. That's why I now have custom made cases that are built "around" my exact saxophones...as that's the ONLY way to ensure proper protection. Most people think, (or take for granted), that the most important part of a cases job is to protect the sax from a hit from the "outside"...in other words, to protect the sax from the "outside in".....however, most people don't realize just how important it is to protect the sax from the "inside out". To me, it's ever bit as important to have a proper fit with NO MOVEMENT at all on the inside.
Hope this helps skully12.
All the best."