I am also from Finland and must admit that Markku has written a good article on Finnish puukkos to Chaicutlery's domain. That explain why most Finnish puukkos are the kind they are. One thing he does not explain is that the Lapinleuku (a relatively large Lappish knife) is not made for carving like other puukkos, but is made for chopping. That is something even many Finns from Southern Finland don't know (I live in the North). The largest Lapinleukus come near to machetes in size.
About the word "sissi" (in singular form, pluralis is "sissit" in Finnish), it can be translated as Ranger, guerilla etc. into English. It means an irregular warfare fighter (or unit), and someone called by that word is considered a tough soldier here (as Rangers probably are in the USA).
The Finnish Ranger knife, Sissipuukko has it's origins in a Finnish bayonet made for Valmet M62 assault rifle. The first version of the Sissipuukko was actually a bayonet blade with a knife handle without attachment points to the rifle. The current Sissipuukko is the second, enhanced version with a better sheath, but the first is also still available in Finland as well.
The Sissipuukko is a private venture, and has not been purchased by the military as an issue item. It has been purchased by both military personnel and reservists, but is not in any way a regulation item. Everyone can choose what kind of blade they want to carry, and most bring their own blades to military service and reserve excercices. We have a compulsory service for men (6-12 months depending on rank) and voluntary for women.
Here are some links to Finnish knife manufacturers with pages in English:
http://www.marttiini.fi/ http://www.roselli.fi/ http://www.fiskars.fi/
Ossi
