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.
Dan B (verified owner) –
By some miracle of luck I managed to snag one of these from KOA. While easy to dismiss as “tacticool” due to certain features (synthetic rubber grips, full exposed tang, fiberglass saya) this is a serious cutter and is well proportioned and balanced.
Came very sharp and ready to use. I would say this is perfect for test cutting and even if you’re a katana snob you might appreciate having a beater around to practice with. The overall design is useful for kenjutsu and iaijutsu kata, tameshigiri, and tomfoolery. Highly recommended.
eric_n_spear@hotmail.com –
I purchased the Tactical Katana (29-SH2462) and Tactical Wakizashi (29-SH2432) back in 2011 and later the matching Tactical Tanto (29-SH2483) in 2014. For years these have not been available. I am glad to see that they are no coming back in stock after almost 12 years. They are all very nicely made and use 5160 high-carbon spring steel which means they will take a beating and not break. They also hold an edge well and are very sharp. These things are made to be used; they aren’t “wall-hangers”. I was fortunate enough to be able to buy all three in the set before they went out of stock and disappeared for all these years. If you can grab one of these when they are in stock, don’t hesitate, as they seem to sell out and never get restocked…
Remi Lee (verified owner) –
Absolutely amazed that I managed to get one of these, as they had been out of stock long before I got into swords. The Tactical series from Hanwei offers some very good choices for hard-use beater swords, and they’re quite nice to look at as well.
Created with the idea of modern use in mind, the tactical katana is more practical than hanwei’s actual practical series of katana. A fiberglass sheath that resists water damage, monotempred 5160 HC steel, and paracord Saego stand-in that allows for mounting on a sling. These features make the sword a great no-nonsense cutter and being loosely based off the Raptor series of sword, it’s sharp, and holds an edge well.
However, despite all the benefits, this sword is the first I’ve ever owned to roll its own edge while sheathing it. Something with the scabbard seems to damage the Kissaki of the blade and has chipped or rolled a good seven or so small points on the tip of the sword. While the damage is easily worked out, it’s safe to say a scabbard shouldn’t be doing this to its blade.
I also find the sword’s tsuba unsatisfactory, and it feels too small to be practical. Although to be fair, it’s not like it will ever get used in a real fighting situation, and it does greatly add to the ease of wearing the sword as it doesn’t get in the way as much.
Overall a good, tough sword that really had some thought put into making it practical to use or carry around in a modern setting. Even just cutting in rain or wearing on the walk to your cutting location, the design choices put into this sword make it my go-to cutter.