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.
Tem H. –
A great buy Considering the (fairly) low price, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I was pleasantly surprised. This is a very big seax, and very sturdy. To the extent of my knowledge the brass accents on the grip not historically accurate, but they look quite nice. Given the price, I consider the sheath a bonus. It’s not pretty, and some of the stitching is undone, but it does the job. All in all, this is a sturdy and fairly attractive addition to any Dark Age collection.
Manuel R. –
Cannot be beaten for the money. This is a very functional and quite large seax. The peened pommel makes a huge difference and there was no rattling around or looseness about it even after extensive use. The blade is decently sharp and retained its edge well. Of course, it could always be made sharper should it be desired. The sheath was a nice bonus and while it won’t win any awards for beauty, it is functional enough. The stitching in mine was fully in place. While this may not be historically accurate, it is a very nice piece both to use and look at. You simply cannot go wrong with this piece for the price.
Paul/viking/Alaska –
Incredible…! I can not believe the high quality of this blade. It is incredible. Made of heavy quality steel. Probably 3/16+ inches thick, full tang, quality horn grip. Sharpe…? YES, holds an edge and stays sharp. Hard to believe that a blade this thick can be sharp enough to shave with. Then there’s the price. When I ordered it I had low expectations since it was way under $100. But take the knife with the great quality sheath: that equals an amazing deal. I’d give it 10 stars if I could. Wish I could find an excuse to buy more of these….! Thanks…!
Tem H. –
An Update I recently decided to rehilt this seax in a more historically accurate way, i.e. a plain wood one-piece handle glued to the tang. While dismantling the old hilt I noticed a few things – firstly, the hilt is not peened, it is threaded and glued and secondly that the tang is welded to the blade, not a continuous piece (though this looks fairly strong. Neither of these things bother me overly, since I’m just glueing it into a new handle, but I feel that buyers should be aware of this.
Shawn G. –
Amazing blade for an amazing price I had wanted to buy this for a while now and I finally decided to go ahead and purchase it. First of all it arrived 3 or 4 days after ordering. Fantastic shipping! The seax is beautiful. Beautiful bone grip and the blade is fantastic. I have no problems with the sheath, the leather is heavyweight and stitched together well. All in all a fantastic buy. Thanks, Kult of Athena for another solid experience.
Josh G. –
Good enough for decorative and costume. I’ve had mine for while, and it served it’s purpose well as part of my viking costume. At some point though, the leather of the sheath started to separate from the foam spacer, causing the seax to fall out unless I stuff the sheath. I also recently tried a few cutting tests, and it cut through gallons of water and melons pretty easily. But when I tested it against a small branch, the blade rotated out of alignment with the handle. I think it was a bad decision to make the tang completely circular, as having it rectangular would have prevented this problem. I was able to push it mostly back in alignment, and I’ll continue to us it only as a costume piece.
Jonathan D Reynolds –
Blade grind was way too thick and chunky, edge had to be completely reprofiled to be sharpened.
Bone handle was cracked for the entire length.
Sheath doesn’t have enough tension to retain the knife.
All in all, would have been a fine piece if i had bought a munitions or blemished item, not for standard grade.
Gabriel Stufflebean –
I got this as an anniversary gift 2 years ago, and it’s still holding up. If it really is 420 stainless, I sure can’t tell, as it sharpens and chops like carbon. The hilt is attractive, and the blade is stout. Whether for hard use, or display, if you’re considering getting one, do it. You won’t regret it.