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.
Kibbi Hansen –
/(o3o)/ if ur a beginner and want a cheap but good sword to start whit i would suggest buying this sword it is pretty good. but i miss a belt attatchment for the scabbard. and the crossguard needs to be rounded more because when i tested the sword i cutted myself on the crossguard, sounds amazing doesnt it?. The handle is a littlebit to thin but it still works. i tried to hit the sword on a knife just to see if it would take damage but it didnt really take that mutch damage so this sword will not exsacly be broken quicly.
matthew wells –
the word is spelt wrong it is actually spelt +ulfberh+t is the correct spelling +ulfberht+ is a remake around the same time
Khan N. –
+ulfberht+ I received the sword today and I’m in love with it already.
There might be an issue with the leather wrapping of the hilt near the pommel but a Little bit of braided brass wire will fix it and add a personal touch.
Very /excellent for the Price.
Friedrich –
I would give this 4.5 stars – has minor issues This is a great sword for the money – a solid buy that I do not regret. The sheath looks nice and has a nice chape and throat. The metal throat has a tiny patina spot but nothing to worry about (it’s very good condition to come from India). The throat has leather inside, holds the sword tight (upside down) and no metal touches the blade. The sheath is a bit flimsy but appears to be a wooden sheath underneath the leather wrapping – no complaints as many swords don’t come with sheaths although I feel all swords should. The sword seems solidly constructed with great fit and finish. The length is a nice size for my big hands. The grip wrap looks nicely done and should hold up OK. The pommel peen is excellent and a bit polished (not an invisible peen like an Albion but it has no hammer marks). The blade is sizable and hefty. On mine, the point-of-balance is at 4.5″ past the guard, which is more than what KOA advertises and makes it a bit forward heavy but in a good way – after all it’s a viking sword! I love the spatula tip, which looks durable and good for slicing cuts but still narrows to somewhat of a tip (more than 10th century viking swords). The blade has a hammer forged look, which I like (e.g. not machined). There are a couple tiny scuffs on the blade but nothing most people would notice or care about. The Ulfburt etchings look good. The guard fits around the blade well (there is a slight bit of space on the flat side of the blades but it’s filled with something and not noticeable – the fit on the edges is pretty good). The fuller is nice looking but looks about 1/8″ off center near the tip – but it’s OK and I’m fine with it. There is one minor problem that is a bit more noticeable if looking down the edge of the blade, towards the end of the blade the blade edge profile has a dip inward of about 1/16″ along a 2 or 2.5″ section. In other words the blade profile / taper isn’t perfectly symmetrical – but it doesn’t bother me and I will certainly keep the sword. I think it’s from the factory and not related to the sharpening service. The sharpening service I paid extra for looks great. It’s not quite paper cutting sharp but it catches paper and will cut an inch or two into it roughly – this is perfect for me as I’m clumsy and have cut myself before and I don’t want it any sharper than this. But if you did it would be very easy to finish it up with some sharpening stones and get it razor sharp. Overall I’m very content and confident with this sword. It’s not fit for a king perhaps but I think Vikings or soldiers of the day would have loved it. It’s about as heavy a sword as you’d want to carry on a belt. I’d like to wear it in the woods or camping. I plan to do some light cutting tests with it soon, on some meats and vegetables perhaps, maybe some water jugs and milk cartons too. But I plan to treat it well and not abuse it.
Tyler –
Good sword for the price This is a very good sword for this price very excellent when I do cut with. Very good sheath. The only problem I have with it is the Ulfbehrt is painted on so after some use I see it going away other than that it a very good sword for the price and it is very well construc. Nothing has come loose during the cut test or the abusive test.
mohammd a. –
not buy this sword i tried to swing with that but it hurts my hand the brazil nut is to big save more money and buy arming sword
Steven Merrill –
A bit of a specialized sword Like other reviews point out this is a good sword at a low price point. The spelling wasn’t considered incorrect when I bought mine several years back, as this really only was investigated in depth (at least for the public relatively recently). For better or worse it is painted or similar coated on. Also it has a period correct grip – style for the period and culture. It forces a hammer grip like a tulwar (talwar) or rondel dagger and like both seems intentionally made that way (might be to help keep the point up, use less muscle reduse fatigue? Or to keep the blade controlled when you perry, or hit a sheild, or to force what was cothen considered “proper form”? Or heck cuz it was considered cool back then…). Again not the only style of the period but a interesting one. But unlike a rondel you CAN hold it in a handshake grip if you put the pomel alongside your wrist and letting a finger over the gaurd helps this and these make fencing style thrusting easier vs rondel style techniques for thusting vis upward, or like a side hook, or reversing the grip for an ice pick grip. Admittedly I am still on the novice side though so I am sure I am missing something. But this is a fun, well built sword for the price. (But no, no I won’t ever confuse it for my Albion (I love), nor with my Condor – which I like too.) So yes it is a functional fun sword to learn some unique things with, at a great price.
Nathan r. –
Know what you’re buying. I’ve seen to many people review swords like this one negatively, just because it’s not the perfect sword they were hoping for. When you pay $200, don’t expect a $1000 sword. That being said, I purchased this sword knowing there would be some miner imperfections, I was remarkably surprised but what I received. The swords is amazing, for the price I payed I was expecting it to be essentially I high quality wall hanger. What I got was a blade that if it came down to it, I would trust to bring into battle. The edge needed a little touching up after the sharpening service but I had no problem with that. The only con I can list, is the scabard. Made out of press board (aka saw dust and super glue) wrapped in a thin layer of poor quality leather, I almost think it’s just painted black with a false seem to make it appear to be leather, the metal fittings on the scabard are decent quality, but the scabard itself leaves a dust on the blade when drawn, almost like when you shave a little bit of cardboard with a knife. This isn’t a issue for me since I have the resources and knowledge to make my own wooden one. But I understand why the scabard is so crappy, its part of how they can keep their prices low, they cut cost where it doesn’t matter as much, so they don’t have to cut cost where it does. The only things keeping it’s rating from being perfect are the scabard and the fact the the blade is etched a little to dark for my liking it’s to much like a faded black, I would rather it be more of a darker grey. I took away one star for the etching, but I rank the scabard at -2 stars.
Shaun W. –
Couldn’t be happier! I am loving this sword, it is very much what expected especially coming from KOA!
Bruce Johnson –
Completely Satisfied I scoured the internet reading and watching every review of this sword I could find, before I purchased it. It was the overwhelmingly positive reviews that helped to sell it. Despite everything that I had read or heard, it still managed to surprise me with just how agile and lively this sword truly is. I highly recommend this product.
Chris Schram –
Fantastic!!! I was looking at a few Viking swords offered here on KOA’s site as they are a premier retailer of swords and cool stuff. I chose the Windlass +Ulfberht+ and I am in sword shock. Thanks for the fast shipment and the beautiful sword and scabbard. Will buy more when needed.
J.T. –
Great buy As a great piece to my collection, it’s worth the money!
Izaak –
Great sword (obviously not literally lol) I purchased this sword about 2 years ago watched and read every review I could and eventually came to the decision this was what I wanted living in Australia we are very limited on availability and the exchange rate means we pay a lot more so with shipping this cost me a bit over $400 aud and I’m still happy with it the sharpening service was okay (makes the job easier if you want it sharper at least) I’ve done a lot of testing with this sword and it feels great in the hand it’s great aesthetically the lettering is etched and I believe with research the etching is actually filled with a type of wax so not not really “paint” and would be easy to re do if you wanted I personally liked the way it looked after a bit of polishing and dulled the lettering down a bit. Now I got a bit over confident and swung at a few tree trunks in the yard and the cross guard has come loose not very loose but I noticed the blade stopped “riniging” bit of thinly split bits of wood and some apoxy and its all good also gave me a chance to learn how to fix small problems on a sword and at this price point it’s really not a problem at all more of a learning curve before getting something more expensive for the collection all in all great sword would recommend!
Richard Miller –
This was the first Windlass Steel swords that I ever purchased, and it’s still one of my all time favorites. I have had mine for over five years and it is still going strong. I got mine sharpened and have only had to touch up the edge a few times, and that is after a LOT of (mats, water bottles, cardboard and pool noodles) cutting! I have managed to also hit some 2×4’s with nails in them (not intentionally!) and some wooden dowels without any rolled edges or nicks. It balances very well and because I have had it so long, feels good in hand. If you have never had a sword with a Brazil Nut pommel or another Viking hilt, it will take some getting used to, but that is NO reason to fault the sword! It’s an authentic style.
Some previous reviews have claimed that the name (+ULFBERHT+) is “misspelled”, but they are just showing their ignorance. There are MANY examples of fine, authentic swords from the age spelled with the “+” before or after the “T”. Some clowns saw a decent show about the +ULFBERH+T, and now consider themselves “experts”. Pathetic, actually. As was said before, this is an inexpensive, well made and damned fun sword. It is well worth every penny and with decent care will last long enough for your next several generations of family to enjoy.
As for the rating, it is not like a high-end custom or premium line sword in finish, fit or aesthetics. For the money though, it is definitely a five-star entry level sword that will serve well, not fail and be a lot of fun to swing. One of the best parts about owning an inexpensive sword is that I never worry about screwing up the finish or scratching it or any other “OOPS!” moments, so I will not hesitate to put “everything” into a cut or to try a double or triple cut and not be worried about the swords re-sell value! Seriously, if you can cut well with an inexpensive sword, you’ll just appreciate the little details that go into a great sword even more.
Many of the swords made by Windlass are retired after a while and sometimes they will bring a sword back if people really want them brought back by “popular demand!” but I doubt that I will ever see this one retired. I have seen them run out of stock on this sword several times, but they always keeping them in their line-up and then selling out almost as fast as they get them in.
Great little sword!
Berserker Bruce (verified owner) –
Everything was and is amazing, speedy shipping, package had no shipping damage from Fed ex, the packing was great. Most of all, everything about this sword is straight. And the communication from kult of Athena was great. There response time and politeness earned my trust for business.
Skiranger (verified owner) –
Well…I do love it.
Its real, and sturdy, and takes and edge very nicely. Despite it simplicity, it has a fundamental beauty; that of a well crafted tool you know will do the job.
I did cut tests on large boxes and was extremely pleased with edge durability and the way the sword handled. I fits my hand perfectly and the Brazil nut does help with weapon security.
Unfortunately, after my first session slicing up boxes, the handle began to move on the tang and the cross guard also now clicks back and forth very slightly. This does not affect the function-ability of the weapon, it just clicks with movement and is annoying. I will have to fix it.
The leather on the bottom of the handle is coming off and will need to be re glued, though I might replace it entirely when i fix the clicking handle. I see this noted in another review and its just poor craftsmanship for windless to think that its going to stay in place secured with only glue. I will wrap the bottom with something as that other reviewer suggested.
I did not expect this weapon to be perfect, and i am well pleased with this sword. I would buy another one myself or recommend it.
In comparison shopping Kult of Athena consistently has a lower lower price on this item, and all other items i was able to compare. Very happy with this company and i will be buying another, higher end sword at some point.