Puukko

Military models of puukko were popular in the Russian criminal underworld under the name "Finnish knife" or finka since the 20th century.

The basic components of a puukko are a handle and a blade along with a sheath, which can usually be attached to a belt, but sometimes to a shirt or coat button.

Where the knife and the hand are expected to get wet, such as when the puukko is intended for gutting fish or game, a form of guard is carved into the handle.

The väkipuukko more closely resembles a seax or short sword than a true puukko, although it has inspired the leuku of the Sámi people.

In the Nordic countries, the puukko is an "everyday knife" used for everything from hunting, fishing, and gardening to opening boxes in a warehouse.

Many traditional puukkos are now manufactured on an industrial or near-industrial scale by many companies, Marttiini and Iisakki Järvenpää Oy being the most notable.

In Finnish, these knives are also usually referred to as "puukko" Or "mora.“ In Finland, carrying a knife in public without an acceptable (usually job-related) reason is prohibited, and the only urban areas where open knife-carrying is an everyday sight are military garrisons.

For instance, the deep ecologist, ornithologist and writer Pentti Linkola, who supported himself as a fisherman, often appeared in public wearing his puukko.

[3] A puukko was traditionally the only civilian item that could be openly carried as a part of a soldier's combat gear without breaching the Finnish Defence Forces' regulations.

[citation needed] A good puukko was considered an essential outdoorsman's tool, and thus vital for a soldier in the field.