I don't think you're doing the breed any favors by simplifying them.
Malinois, like collies, are not super hard to train and in some regards they're a total mind screw. Some Malinois are sweet and easy, I've even met relatively lazy malinois, but most malinois are like my boy. Busy, reactive, possessive, noisy, distrusting, rude, and sensitive to touch. He's still a kick ass working dog but I would not recommend the breed when someone wants a dog to do bitework with, considering life with a dog is so much more than just sport training/competition.
Border collies can be so soft and reactive and quirky, weird is a great way to describe it. They're not an easy breed and I would never recommend them just because someone wants to run agility.