I have a Mahalo Mahogany (Nato?) laminate pineapple I bought over 10 years ago to get back into 'ukuleles, and this thing had great action, nice build quality, fine intonation, and decent sound even with stock GHS string which got better when I switched to Hilos, then a few years later to Aquilas which really made hear sing. Maybe the Mahalos from 10 years ago better? Maybe the pineapples better? I dunno but I'd recommend a Mahalo pineapple without hesitation.
I would never recommend a coconut shell 'ukulele, the one I bought was crap even after I replaced the strings and tuners (which I had lying around from another 'ukulele). Terrible HIGH action, and zero intonation, not one chord.