+1 on Dave Ferry, awesomeness. Maybe White River Backpacker or Brisa (Enzo) necker. Finally, going the opposite direction from fixed and life saving, but just plain handy, SA Alox knives in different colors, or plain fun, an Opinel for everyday EDC. A Buck fixed blade.
One last idea, back to fixed, what about a small traditional puuko or Scandinavian style hunter from Helle, etc? Helle Spire? Roselli? LTW knives, I like my Bandit And the Frontier Valley is a great size.