Poikilo Blade AL-Khem: The Dagger That Splits Into Three
Rotate the pivot rings on this Poikilo Blade AL-Khem and the blade comes apart in your hand. Two outer edge sections swing away from the center spine on a double row of machined linkage posts. Then the dagger stands open as three parallel blades instead of one. Rotate the rings back and the halves close seamlessly again.
Most folding knives hide their engineering. This one puts all of it on the outside. The spine carries a run of faceted relief. The pivot drum shows its gear teeth at the rim. Even the handle slabs wear a micro-milled fluting you can read with a fingertip.
Weight tells the rest of the story. At 13.97 ounces and 0.295 inches across the spine, this piece runs heavier than most fixed blades. Nothing about it apologizes for that.
Two Collectors, Three Years, and a Best in Show
Andy Wang and Vince Wang founded Poikilo Blade in 2021 from Hayward, California. Both men came to manufacturing as collectors first. Vince had been flipping custom balisongs since 2016, where a few thousandths of an inch decides whether a knife spins or stalls. So they started a company to chase those tolerances themselves.
The payoff arrived fast. At Blade Show West in 2024, their first show ever, judges gave the Poikilo Orca both Best Factory Folder and the overall Best in Show. The brand was three years old.
The name comes from poikilotherm, the term for animals whose body temperature tracks their surroundings. Hence the chameleon on the company logo, and hence a catalog that refuses to settle into one house style. You can see the full range on the Poikilo Blade brand page.
How the Poikilo Blade AL-Khem Transforms
The AL-Khem belongs to Poikilo’s Futuristic Series, and the design came from outside the company. Andorise Hu, who founded Mundus Knives in China, drew it as the Genesis. Poikilo then built it. Collectors will recognize the arrangement from other mid-tech work, including the Ferrum Forge and Gavko Spinner, where an independent designer hands a drawing to a shop with the tooling to execute it.
Opening is nothing like a flipper. Instead, you pull down and back on the segmented titanium tab at the top of the spine. That releases two locks at once, and the blade then swings free under its own weight. Reverse the motion and both locks reset.
Two tuning-fork elements sit inside the handle, one per side. Consequently the knife rings audibly every time it opens or closes. Finally, the stop pin can be repositioned to hold the blade open hard, which turns the AL-Khem into what amounts to a fixed blade.
Poikilo Blade AL-Khem Steel, Grind and Finish
Böhler M390 carries the blade. It is a powder stainless running high chromium and vanadium, so it holds an edge and shrugs off corrosion. Our Hawk Knife Designs Talon Auto runs the same steel in a very different package.
This is a true double-edged dagger. Each outer section carries its own satin-ground bevel, and those bevels run nearly the full blade before stopping in a notch at the pivot collar. Against the bright grinds, the flats sit in a mottled dark stonewash. For another take on the double-edged folder, compare the Brian Tighe Tighe Twist OTF.
The frame is 6Al4V titanium throughout, finished dark to match. Poikilo milled the slabs with a fine linear fluting and stamped POIKILO across the pommel. There is no pocket clip, and the design is better for it.
Poikilo Blade AL-Khem Condition and What’s Included
We bought this piece inside a private collection. It is preowned and excellent, with no blemishes and no wear we can find. Both configurations cycle correctly and the locks seat positively. Read how we assess a piece on our grading standards page.
Poikilo issued no Certificate of Authenticity for this model, so none exists to pass along. Instead, the piece ships with its full original kit. More on how we handle paperwork sits on our provenance page.
- Poikilo Blade AL-Khem folding dagger, Standard 02, dark stonewash
- Original Poikilo leather pouch, black with green stitching and a debossed logo pattern
- Velcro Poikilo chameleon patch, embroidered
- Velcro POIKILO BLADE rectangular patch
Poikilo Blade AL-Khem Specifications
Dimensions below come from Poikilo’s published specification and were confirmed in house. Browse comparable pieces in folding knives.
- Overall length, open: 9.99 inches
- Blade length: 4.56 inches
- Closed length: 5.43 inches
- Blade thickness: 0.295 inches
- Blade steel: Böhler M390 powder stainless
- Blade finish: Dark stonewash
- Blade style: Transforming three-piece dagger
- Edge: Plain, double-edged
- Lock: Dual lock-back, released by a spine slider
- Action: Manual, gravity-operated after release
- Handle: 6Al4V titanium, micro-milled fluting, dark stonewash
- Hardware: Titanium, rotating pivot rings both faces
- Pocket clip: None
- Weight: 13.97 ounces
- Year made: 2025
- Country of origin: China
- Condition: Preowned, excellent
- SKU: 00218-PKB-ALKHEM-S02-M390TI-20250101
- Included: Leather pouch and two Velcro patches, No COA was issued by the maker
Video Description: Al-Khem the Futuristic Fighter
This preowned Poikilo Blade AL-Khem is a Standard 02 folding dagger from 2025. The blade measures 4.56 inches of Böhler M390 powder stainless in a dark stonewash. Satin bevels run both edges. Rotating pivot rings split the blade into three parallel sections, then close it seamlessly. The 6Al4V titanium frame wears a fine linear fluting and a faceted spine.
A segmented titanium slider on the spine releases two locks, and the blade then swings open under its own weight. Tuning-fork elements inside the handle ring on every cycle. POIKILO is stamped across the pommel. It runs 9.99 inches open, 5.43 inches closed, and 13.97 ounces. Included: the original leather pouch plus two Velcro patches.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the AL-Khem an automatic knife?
No. No spring drives this blade and no button fires it. Instead, you pull the spine slider back, which disengages two locks, and the blade then falls open under its own weight. You close it by hand.
Is the split blade sturdy, or does it flex?
It stays rigid. The two outer sections ride on a double row of machined posts rather than a single hinge. As a result, the assembly locks up solid in both configurations. Moving the stop pin secures the blade even harder.
What is a mid-tech knife, and is this one?
Yes, this is mid-tech. A custom knife comes from one maker’s bench, start to finish. A mid-tech instead pairs a designer’s drawing with industrial CNC tooling in small batches. Our guide to choosing a custom knife walks through the distinction.
Who designed the AL-Khem?
Andorise Hu designed it. He founded Mundus Knives in China and drew this piece as the Genesis. Poikilo Blade then engineered and built it. Consequently the knife carries two names in collector circles.
Why does it ring when it opens?
Because two tuning-fork elements sit inside the handle, one in each side. Cycling the blade excites them, so the frame chimes briefly. It is a deliberate design feature rather than a rattle or a fault.
Does We Buy Knife Collections actively support the broader knife enthusiast community?
Yes. Based in Jacksonville, Florida, We Buy Knife Collections is a curator and purveyor of fine custom made folding and fixed-blade knives. We are dedicated to the high-end custom knife community and we support knife rights advocacy.
Following our commitment upgrade in April 2026, we are proud to hold an AKTI Premier Membership, supporting the American Knife & Tool Institute’s vital advocacy and lobbying for knife owners, makers, and the future of the industry.
Buy This Poikilo Blade AL-Khem
We photograph and describe every piece honestly, and we say so when something is missing. This one sold out at every authorized dealer. See what else we hold on the Poikilo Blade brand page, or talk to us about selling your collection.
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