I always thought that UK security was a total pedantic, bone, pain in the bum (or Lulsgate Bottom). That was until last Monday, though. Tegel and Frankfurt are the only places on the planet where I've had to put my wallet, passport and totally see through plastic biro through the X-Ray machine.
To be fair, you could have been concealing a small blade in either of them. I always put all my stuff through, it's easier than potential arguments and delays.
That said, LHR security on Monday did not notice a decongestent nose spray in the side of my bag I had forgotten about...
Incidentally, did I mention that some months earlier I had my Leatherman multitool confiscated by the Waterloo Eurostar Gestapo? I could have maliciously dismantled the train?
The Waterloo business annoys me, because unlike on a plane you can't check stuff in, and because you're really not going to cause any problems with a small blade on a train. Indeed, parts of Eurostar's website say that any blade that is legal to carry on the street in the UK (there is a maximum length) is permitted. The X-ray carnival there was specifically aimed at catching people with IRA bombs.