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.
Andrew –
Nice, sharp knives with noticeable manufacturing differences. (Design changes or individual craftsmanship?) Being the knife enthusiast that I am, I will often buy at least two of something that catches my eye and imagination. The Filipino Ceremonial No.3 is just such a knife. The knives I received are shaving sharp (not razor sharp) the entire length of the blade and have an excellent look and feel with smooth contours. In general, the wood scabbards are fairly nice, smooth and polished. Would have been a 5 star rating except for some workmanship issues or design differences between the two knives:
1) Though both knives are the same overall length, one has a longer handle / shorter blade than the other (approximately 3/4″ difference).
2) The handle is a little thinner and narrower on the knife with the longer handle and as such, doesn’t fill my hand as well as the other.
3) The scabbard of the long handled knife is a “sloppier” fit compared to the other. The belt loop / retainer clip is mounted too high, allowing the knife to move about 3/8″ out before the retainer clip engages the guard. (The clip will need to be adjusted on this scabbard so I will mount it on the opposite side to wear on my left.)
4) The blade is slightly narrower above the guard on the long handled knife.
5) The long handled knife has “TFW” stamped into the blade.
6) The “false edge” is actually sharp on the shorter handled knife.
7) Lastly, the fuller is shorter, narrower, and more shallow on the long handled knife.
The knife with the best fit for my hands, and which fits the scabbard the best, is the one shown in the images above (7-07-2016). The longer handled knife resembles the images shown on the “Traditional Filipino Weapons” website. Unlike the images on the “Traditional Filipino Weapons” website, both knives have brass guards.
I realize the knives and scabbards are hand made and that some differences are inevitable. The differences between the two knives I purchased appear to be more of design changes than mere differences in individual workmanship, although I could be mistaken.
Overall, I am very pleased with the knives though the differences tend to frustrate my “need” to have identical (or very near identical) knives in each hand. :)
goyoelburro2 (verified owner) –
My review is going to be short.
I LOVE THIS “KNIFE”! (It’s silly long for a knife and too short to be a sword)
It is sturdy, the sheath is wooden and tight, the blade is THICC and sturdy, the hilt is wicked and the attached handle feels like it will never loosen.
This is now a star in my collection. If they ever get back in stock, don’t hesitate, buy one!! Buy two if you can afford it!