>>110635A folded metal sheet, two rivets, a very good carbon blade that holds its edge and is easily sharpened, a backspring to keep it open that is quite strong, a lanyard loop at the bottom to keep it closed. It's that simple.
It was made as a cheap trade item, but it turned out to be pretty good.
It's very thin and can easily be concealed. It was quite popular in France and its foreign territories considering it is forbidden to carry fixed blade or locking blade knives, so that makes it an ideal EDC knife. The Algerian FLN also assassinated plenty people using those. They often hammered the handle which turned it into a solid fixed blade knife.
I wouldn't mind using one of those as an outdoors knife, really. The blade is much stronger and won't snap easily like an Opinel's, and overall will be a longer lasting knife. Actually, I knew plenty French outdoorsmen who had nothing but Douks, those that had Opinels would be laughed at. And that's not counting all those sold in Oceania and Africa; I've seen quite a lot of these in Oceanian islands when I went there, they had tons of Douks still in very good condition despite having been running in the family for decades.
Opinels were prefered by sailors and fishermens; they didn't give a shit if the carbon blade rusted, and the wooden handle was very ergonomical, and being swollen not only improved the grip, but would also lock the blade even without using the locking ring, which after all, never really secures the blade fully. They carried them in handmade plastic sheaths, and would never ever close them.
Douks are about as cheap as Opinels, though finding a cheap one can be quite challenging, as despite still being produced and commonly available, it's often considered to be an historical item of value.
