My brother just got back from spending a month and a half in France and he brought me back a couple souvenirs. One of these is my new play-pretty, an Opinel No. 8 knife.
I'd never heard of the knives before he handed me one but he said they were something of a thing over there. @rubido, have you come across them?
I've did a bit of reading about the knives since, their elegant simplicity speak to their history as working or peasant knives. I haven't got to use it yet but it was nice and sharp out of the box and just has a good feel in my hand. I initially thought it had no safety, until I realized that the metal just below the blade was a twist lock. It's got a total of five parts, with a surprisingly light handle made of beechwood.
Sorry for teasing you UK folks, I'm pretty sure carrying one of these on your belt (it comes with a handy pouch/sheath/carrying case) is frowned upon in those parts.
So is there a knife in your area that it's the norm for people to carry? I'm a bit familiar with bolos and kukuris but those are on a bit larger scale. Normally it was Case or Buck knives in my neck of the woods, I'm curious what it's like elsewhere.