Overview
Our sharpening service will provide a good serviceable edge on the blade. The result is typically “very sharp” with a small secondary bevel and a bit of an “apple seed” profile. The resulting edge is somewhat dependent on the particular blade. Some blades will take and hold sharper edges than others and the thickness of the blade will determine how wide the bevel will need to be. We adjust the angle of the edge to suit the specific blade and attempt to get as close to a bevel-less edge as possible without marring the surface of the blade.
The Sharpening Process
The sharpening service is done with a belt sander. The process involves many passes with sanding belts of various grits. The blades are rested between passes to prevent them from becoming hot and damaging their temper. By default we will sharpen as much of the blade as possible including any false edges if appropriate. If you have a different preference, feel free to make that request in the special instructions at check out. We can sharpen only the last half or third of an edge, for example. Our sword sharpening expert has personally sharpened several thousand swords at this point, so will provide you with a professional service.
What the Service is Not
The resulting edge will be “sword sharp” not razor sharp. Our goal is to provide you with a usable edge for cutting practice that will hold up to some use and not require constant re-sharpening. In other words, we intend to provide you with a serviceable weapon, not a personal grooming implement. The service will not provide a completely bevel-less edge. To create that type of edge will necessarily scratch up the blade surface and we lack the machinery and time to provide a full re-polishing of a blade’s surface. A service of that nature would be significantly more expensive as a great deal more time would be required. We do not offer this type of service at this time.
Disclaimer
We make no guarantee that the resulting edge will meet with your expectations. Every blade is different and some will take and hold a sharper edge than others, due to the blade material, heat treatment or geometry. Some customers can also have incorrect assumptions about sword sharpness and improper expectations as a result. All we can say for sure is that the resulting edge will be sharper than the default edge, in most cases, significantly so. We can not provide any refunds for the service once it has been completed, so consider it to be provided “as is”. That being said, if you are unhappy with the product for any reason, we do still allow you to return the item for a full refund, including the sharpening costs under our normal return policy. This does not apply to special sharpening requests, for example if we sharpen something specially for you that does not normally list that option on our site. The vast majority of our customers are happy with the results of the service, so as long as you keep the above mentioned in mind, we are confident you will be pleased with the results as well.
Tanner –
I actually got one of these at a local festival, not through Kult of Athena, so I was surprised to see it here. On the negative side, I did think the handle was a bit blocky, and it came with a slight warp in the blade, but neither of these issues really affected performance.
It has a lot of weight in the hilt, thanks to the brass fittings, so blade control is good, and based on multiple little imperfections, (a narrow spot on the profile of the blade is a good example) I think I can safely assume that mine was individually forged. It is sharp, and the blade flexes properly under stress. I tried to see if I could bend out that aforementioned warp, and that is not happening. It springs true again, no problem. Luckily, the warp itself is very slight.
There is one major problem to this thing: The scabbard was cheaply made junk. It came apart just from light carrying. Neither the stitching or the glue underneath the belts ended up holding out, even to the parking lot where my friends and I were parked. And by the time I reached home, the stitching in the scabbard proper was fraying as well. I ended up throwing it out, and the sword currently hangs on my wall when not in use.
All in all, an imperfect but good sword, for the price. But replace the scabbard asap.
daemon0110 (verified owner) –
It is definitely too heavy. Weighted for the blade actually. About two inches in front of the Cross guard. There are lots of nicks in the brass and especially in the wood of the handle. The brass inlay is a bit off in places and repaired with something like resin.
However it is still very beautiful and well made blade, if a bit thick. The scabbard is better than in the picture and has already been treated. It is very nice but heavy.
Lily –
Essentially the same exact thoughts as the review from June 10th; Also bought mine from a local faire, good control and weight (heavier, but something I like in one handed swords), sharp and flexible, and looks great. I just wanted to add that, while its most likely just a defect for the specific one I got, the pommel wasn’t attached in the most sturdy way. A couple minutes into smacking a pell, I messed up my alignment and hit on the flat with (not full strength but a decent amount), and the pommel had completely snapped off and flown away. But again, likely just a defect of the specific model I happened to get, and other than that incident, very nice sword.