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.
Josef –
Surprising. First time I held this sword it felt so surprisingly light. The finish on it is like a mirror and blue of the scabbard is striking. There is no denying this is a weapon though even it comes non sharpened the point on the piece could impale anything without much effort.
PaleWraith (verified owner) –
Would not recommend it, The pommel did not feel heavy enough to balance out the sword. The blade was not as sharp as I expected from browsing the ‘battle ready’ tag, although the point was sharper than the rest of the blade. There is a big stamp towards the hilt that reads ‘made in India’ that is not shown in the pictures. I suppose its not bad for a ~$300 sword but there are better options.
Elias Katsaros (verified owner) –
I received my Rapier this morning, and I am really happy with the quality, of this sword. They did excellent job sharpening the blade, it’s very sharp, and the balance of the sword is very good.
Elias
g.howarth (verified owner) –
I’ll preface this by saying when it comes to swords I’m a complete noob so take this review with the appropriate amount of salt.
Excellent service from KOA. USA to downunder in 6 days. Fit & finish is generally very good for the price but the sleeve between the quillion and the shell is a loose fit and has an annoying rattle. I payed extra for sharpening and the point is “ouch” sharp but the edge of the blade is just “sharpish” and a bit inconsistent along its loooong length with a definite burr on one side of each edge.
The leather scabbard is a tight fit with just a tiny amount of rattle and is finished in a nice dark blue colour.
Improvements – round off the square edges of the quillion which can become uncomfortable and a bit more weight in the pommel.
Jack –
The sword is very nice looking and fairly sturdy. The point is sharp but the edges are not as sharp as I would have hoped. The weight and balance aren’t bad but I felt the pommel could have used a little extra weight. The quillons are a little sharp and I needed to sand them down. Overall I would recommend this sword as it is pretty good quality for the price.