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.
jfrench85 (verified owner) –
I recently purchased this saber and I am extremely pleased with it! There was no option to chose “Blemished” or “Standard” grade, so I was a little worried when I ordered it and didn’t kmow what I was going to receive. However, when my order finally arrived, it was clear that I received a very high quality “Standard” grade.
The fit and finish is well done. The blade is clean, straight and inline with the handle and knuckle bow guard. There is no wobble or looseness in any part of the sword. The wire wrap on the brass handle is very tight and well done with straight, clean lines. The brass guard is well cast with no odd casting lines and the decorative scroll work is very crisp and clean. I paid a little extra for the sharpening service and the blade is decently sharp, but I can’t complain as it is certainly better than having a blunt edge. I can always sharpen the blade more, myself. The sword fits into the scabbard well, but is a little tight near he hilt. The scabbard is nicely done in brass and has no dents or scratches. The solid brass hanging rings are quite strong and do not bend or feel as if they would snap off. There were some dark smudges on the scabbard, but a little Flitz metal polish took care of that in no time.
As far as the handling, this sword is very well balanced and feels extremely nibble in the hand for a saber. The official stats place the point of balance around 7 inches from the hilt. However, the sword handles more like the balance is around 4.5 inches from the hilt.
Overall, a very nice and surprisingly high quality, well built saber by Universal Swords.