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.
William S. –
Nice Sword But Blade Not Properly Seated Usually buy at KOA but picked this up from another vendor. Where I bought it has no impact on the problem with the sword.
The little strip to keep the blade protected on the guard was loose. It pulled off very easily and there is a clear separation between the blade shoulders and guard. It is not a tough piece like the William Marshall that you can tell belongs on the sword but thin and on mine falling off.
I do not recommend this sword. How hard is it to just mate the blade to the guard? Other than this fault, the rest of the sword is very nice. There is a picture of this on the SBG Site in the reviews section.
Dave K. –
St Maurice jinxes I purchased mine from another vendor. Hanwei’s euros qualify as “starter level” tier marketed weapons. Good bang for your buck, however verisimilitude takes a back seat to rational economics in production. Historically this is a far cry from the Holy Roman Empire’s Reichschwert ( Coronation Sword ). The actual Reichschwert had a silver and gold overlaid hilt and wire grip. ) The hilt is also covered in script associated with Psalm 116 and the Coronation Anthem chanted while the Emporer is being invested.
The Hanwei does well in mimicing the size and feel of an 11th Century Type XIa longsword. This is a large percussive beast intended to be used with high guards and percussive attacks from horse back.
The first distraction is the presence of a cheap washer which is required to buffer a gap between the blade shoulder and the guard. See this with a number of 19th Cent military swords; not on Medis. This is not an auto failure for using the sword in cutting. It will be an ultimate weak point. The plain leather grip is functional, but ahistorical for the Reichschwert. The satin finish on the blade is rough.
I won’t go on. This is a good sword, but when you find one blemish you start scratching, and wind up remorseful you bought the sword. It’s not a bad package for the price, but you might want to let Hanwei fix the gap issue before buying.
William Swiger –
I gave away the sword I first reviewed here and replaced it with the newer model that fixed the issue I had with my first one. The new sword is a good bargain and I recommend it at the price point it sells for. Good job for Hanwei to take customers feedback and improve their products.