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.
Chris H. –
An excellent historical knife! I’m very pleased by this knife overall. The guard and handle are well fitted to the blade and it handles like a hefty short sword. I would definitely call this a short sword given the 17.75″ blade. The wood grip, I have noticed, varies in color and may be much darker than shown in the thumbnail. If you are on a budget, this is a fantastic blade for cutting practice or reenactment.
Edward G. –
Great quality D-Guard Bowie Resembles a baby cutlass, very compact and applicable. I was cutting bottles with it right out of the box. Comfortable to maneuver forward or reverse figure 8 spins, with an all finger grip. Excellent shipping tracking notification and arrival time. Thanks KOA!
R –
fantastic short saber/falchion/possible butterfly blade This is probably the best d-guard bowie one can get without going custom. It is slightly less thick than a traditional quarter-inch thick bowie, but it’s agile and quick. Also makes a good weapon in tight quarters, so it may double as a cutlass. Because of its shape, some butterfly sword practitioner may find buying a pair of this bad boy more economical than buying a traditional pair. Overall, a good all-around short sword/long bowie knife. A little thicker would be even better.
harry b. –
needs some work this is a very good looking costume piece, but the blade is very soft. mine took nicks very very easily and didn’t pass the file test. very disappointed that this isn’t a true working knife.
alientude –
This toes the line between long knife and short sword, but regardless of the classification, it’s an extremely good deal for those looking to get into the hobby without breaking the bank.
I did a full review on Youtube: https://youtu.be/fiX03W8-51M