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.
Carsten J. –
Pretty but shite It’s a very pretty sword, yet it is not very suitable for fighting, taking some very ugly damage. The edge is extremely thin, and the blade it self is not much thicker, making it way to flexible.
Ian –
Hanwei German Bastard Sword This is a bloody good sparring sword from Hanwei. It has a few issues that a prospective buyer needs to be aware of but overall it is the best Hanwei I have fought with and I have used everything in the practical line and the Tinker Pierce Longsword. The big issue is the quality of the leather which was torn up by my gauntlets within 10 minutes of using it in harness. Otherwise a prospective buyer needs to be aware that the term bastard sword is a misnomer for this weapon. It is a longsword make and that is a selling point in my opinion. The blade is more flexible than the average Hanwei, much like a much more expensive Encifer. The blade held up to serious blows, 4 cuts drill, and half wheel drills well. IT is heavy and the point of balance is a little off but nothing serious and for the cash you aren’t going to find a perfectly balanced sword. The “natural leather” colour is more like tanned miss piggy hide so be ready to dye it or treat it with conditioner and mink oil. This is a good sword for the price and holds up to higher end blades well. If you are on the fence this is a sword you wont regret purchasing just be ready to replace the grip leather if you use it in gauntlets.
Ian C. –
Good for your HEMA club This is the cheapest you can find an actual HEMA sword that will stand against Albions, I-beams, and others that is not a feder. The balance is a little too forward making strikes a little slower, but has alot of blade presence that powers though lighter blades. Flexibility is a little on the stiff side, but not too much, just file off the square edges at the end and you can still thrust reasonably safely. Much better than the wet noodle wulflund junk in the same price range.
Michael Rhum –
A good value for money This is an impressive sword for the money. I would recommend it to any beginning Fiorist, but not to a practitioner of German longsword. This is a real, blunt longsword trainer and not a fechtschwert. It is not as stiff as an Albion Liechtenauer, but is much stiffer than most feders. It is also not as hard as an Arms and Armor or Liechtenauer, so if you will be actively training against AA or Albion trainers you should expect to replace this in about a year as the edges become damaged. In my experience, they become damaged beyond most people’s patience with a file, though if you’re handy with a grinder you’ll probably do fine. The sheath is a nice plus, but frankly unimportant for a trainer. For a stage sword, it’s nice to have, I suppose. I’ve died the leathers on mine a nice red and I’ve seen various other colors, which is kind of fun. More serious points: First, this sword is heavier than most trainers and not particularly agile, though it’s perfectly usable. You’ll develop arms like a blacksmith training with this beast! Second, the cross guard seems to start rattling a bit after being seriously used for a while. This cannot be fixed by simply repeining. The grip needs to be completely disassembled and replaced, so fortunately it’s just a minor annoyance, not a safety issue, IMO.
Charles S. –
Very Nice! A simple clean design. Feels great in the hands and is responsive & lively. Seems to be very sturdy in construction. A great training aid for sure. I will certainly purchasing the sharp version soon!
Wolfe –
Not good enough I’ve had this sword less than a year. The blade broke tonight about a foot above the cross guard. It broke from light slow sparing without any real power. Before it broke I loved the sword. It was light fast and took hits until it didn’t.
Baron Cambell –
Light and wobbly, little durability I wanted to like this sword because ive wanted it for some time, however after using it i found it lacking. It’s light and fast and has alot of length on it, however it is wobbly and feels paper thin on the blade, it may be good for shadow play or practice but pit it against any other blade that isn’t a thin wobbly hanwei blade and it will shatter, ive seen them last about six month,and ive seen several break, and i wouldnt recommend this for anything but display
Shawn –
A rock-solid sword. Will hold up against any other training sword. Although it is somewhat flexible, it needs to be in order to be safe. It can take quite a bit of notching on the edges and still be usable – I’ve seen other swords break with far less damage on them. Heavier than an Albion Lichtenaeur, but not terrible. Absolutely do not use this against a feder – it is too slow to compete and there’s a good chance the feder will break.
Solid sword for the money, and will hold up to pretty intense sparring.