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.
Aidan Blake –
Decent weight, Grip feels really nice, Somewhat Blade-heavy This is a pretty decent basket hilt offering from Hanwei. I like the “Andrea Ferara” engraving, which was historically done by many broadsword manufacturers as a sort of “good luck charm”, it was the name of a renowned broadsword maker in Venetia. The rayskin on the grip feels really good, very positive contact in the hand. The basket itself is nicely made and has forward quillons, which is nice to see as a lot of baskethilt makers don’t include those. The weight and balance of the sword is decent, however it’s a bit blade heavy. I think the basket or hilt of the sword could stand to be a bit heavier to balance things.
James Whitworth –
Looks great and functions well enough. I got this sword to accompany a Targe and Dirk. The sword looks beautiful and despite being a bit heavy, both overall and in the tip, it handles well. It is also made heavier by the minimal distal taper. The blade is sharp and has a wicked point. It also has no secondary bevel, which helps in the cut. Although the weight makes it harder to cut small light targets, like 12oz bottles or pool noodles, it does just fine with targets of greater mass. Basically it’s a great chopper.
My biggest issue is with the hilt. Which I may add is an area that most of the Hanwei’s European style swords have a problem with. In the case of this blade, and the Cromwell, it’s the grip is assembly. This grip on this blade is held on by a small nut, which should be enough, but the blade is heavy and the grip itself isn’t all that tight around the tang. In the case of my Cromwell the gap was shoved with plastic sheeting that was wrapped around the tang. Yes, I’m serious plastic wrap. An being that the blade is so heavy it can loosen easily over time. Now this could be fixed with epoxy but that is a decision for us as buyers. But as I said thats a common issue with Hanwei swords with this type of hilt.
Overall it serves it’s purpose. But if you want a more balanced blade I’d look at the Scottish back-sword. However, I already have a back-sword, the Cromwell, so I wanted this instead to add some variety.
William Hrusth (verified owner) –
A very well made sword .. great attn to detail, and very solid. The sword is truely battle ready. I would take it to combat. I am very pleased !!! 5 stars