The Search for the Perfect Knife

I recently started carrying a pocketknife.  Got a nice little Barlow for xmas*, put it in my pocket, and realized that I used it at least daily.  It's amazing how often a small blade comes in handy.  I accidentally smuggled it to Chicago earlier in the month (it was in my carry-on luggage), and decided to mail it back to myself rather than test the TSA a second time.

Since then I've been carrying a different knife, a beat up old Swiss Army Classic that's been sitting in my desk for years.  I honestly have no idea where it came from, the tweezers and toothpick are missing, the handle looks like it's been chewed on, but the blade's sharp.  This little guy has a nail file and scissors, which come in handy from time to time.

This started me thinking about what tools I really want on a pocketknife.  Obviously there has to be a blade.  Scissors are surprisingly useful but not, I think, necessary if you have a decent blade.  I'd also like a bottle opener and corkscrew.  The traditional Swiss Army split ring, toothpick, and tweezer are nice, but not necessary.

It has to be small.  The great thing about the two knives I've carried is they're small, less than 2.5 inches long and 0.5 inch thick.  Either one disappears in your pocket until needed (which is how the Barlow wound up on the plane to Chicago with me).  I doubt that I'd keep carrying a much bigger knife for very long.

Surprisingly, Victorinox (the guys who make the Swiss Army Knife) doesn't let you custom-build a knife.  I'm not sure why.  So I'm on the lookout for the perfect knife.

Which leads me to ask my Devoted Readers:  do you carry a knife, and if so what's on it?

UPDATE:  found an old Normark in my desk (how many knives do I own?  I have no idea).  It has a blade, nail file, and bottle opener and is about 1"x3"x0.25".  We'll see how it carries.

*thanks Patrick and Karen