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.
Frank N Beans –
Very Nice Quality bought one when they first came out, 2 years ago I think? blade has a nice flex to it so can take abuse. Handle feels good in hand but has a good grit to it so you dont have to worry about it flying out of your grip. The Sheath light weight sturdy and holds the sword nice and tight so no worries of it flying out or slipping out when angled downwards. All i can say is GET THE SHARPENING SERVICES. it comes about as sharp as a Butter Knife or Maul Axe.
Brandon Oliveira (verified owner) –
Just a few nicks on the sword but love it, handles perf for either or both hands, can feel the power in the weight and feels godly. Not a fan of the $50 shipping and the extra $60 shipping on arrival in canada. Got sharpened service deff much nicer
Nick –
Just watched shadiversity reveiw on this sword. According to him Lot of great qualities but need to cut the weight by about half to see full potential. I have not personally purchased or used this sword myself I’m just passing along information from shad to hopefully improve upon this product. My personal opinion I think it looks awesome
David W –
Nick – we’d be happy to fill an order so you can try it out yourself. If you’re not sold on gladius but want to try other APOC models, the katana has excellent reviews. If you want to stay focused on a gladius, both Devil’s Edge and Windlass have items in stock that also have 4 stars.
Nick’s Dad –
Don’t own this just like Nick. Just leaving 5 stars to negate Nick’s 1 star. How can you review something you don’t own. Nick should be banned from life for being so stupid.
David W –
That’s a little harsh Nick’s Dad, but we appreciate the effort you put in (who creates an email alias to negate a review? a true fan!)
Luke –
Love the sword, but it’s definitely on the heavier side. More of a two handed sword.
Jake Schneider (verified owner) –
I recently purchased this sword and have been very impressed with it. Have cut a few bottles with it as well as some tree trunks to test the durability. Very satisfied with my purchase and would recommend. Will most likely be purchasing another from the APOC line.
Nick’s other Dad –
Because my son Nick left a 1 star review for a product he didn’t even purchase, both Nicks fathers feel so ashamed for his actions that I went ahead and left this 5 star review as well. Even though I just purchased my Tactical Gladius right now, hopefully our two combined 5 star reviews will counter his ignorance just as a Gladius counters all other swords. I agree with your other daddy Nick, you need to be banned from life : D
Jack Callaway (verified owner) –
Bought this awhile back and I am honestly very happy with it. It’s heavy but is also a solid beast . I got the sharpening service for it when I purchased it and it was worth it as well. Bought it for a heavy cutter and it is exactly that .
Antonio Hawkins (verified owner) –
Just an average guy that wanted crush my enemies, have them driven before me, and hear the lamentations of the women. Was looking for a capable and resilient sword to pull out when the roaming desperate town folk go door-to-door forcibly stealing essentials. Really was just looking for a third option to fall back on when the bullets and arrows are exhausted. I recommend the sharpening service. This thing is scarily sharp and stabby to the point where an untrained swordsman could defend the home and family in combat while also risking personal injury if not careful. The scabbard end cap broke off out of the box (just glued in) but nothing gorilla tape can’t fix. First time ordering from KOA, great experience. In summary, sword looks cool, recommend buying- good luck out there and when the going gets tough- don’t come to my house.
Jason –
I bought this with the sharpening service. Fellow commenter mentioned the shadiversity review. I agree 100% with shadiversity’s assessment. I would say that the spine of the blade is too thick and the angel of the cutting edge is too wide to make it a great cutter. Imagine is a sword and an axe had a child together, and the child favored the genes of the sword. This sword would be the result.
Downsides: Blade is heavy. Some people will have difficulty wielding it one-handed. Edges on the pommel and the guard are not rounded enough in my opinion which results in abrasion when wielding this sword one-handed. Blade might be more choppy than slicey due to blade angle and width of spine.
Upsides: Gladius-type design with the ability to use two hands for extra leverage! What a bonus in my opinion. Blade is an excellent length for close quarter combat. Additionally, with the sharpening service the blade is very sharp. No one will be wiling to grab it which makes it an excellent defender against crowds. The point is absolutely vicious. The thickness should make the blade more durable.
That said, if I were a Roman soldier, I don’t think I would like it. I wouldn’t want the weight, I would want more slice, and I would not want the longer handle with my shield. But I do not have a shield nor a government supplying me with replacement weaponry. If I were in a failed state, absent of rule of law, I think I would prefer this to a standard gladius due to durability and two-hand capability.
Nick’s Dad’s Boyfriend –
I, like both of Nick’s Dads, am ashamed of Nick’s cavalier use of the 1-star rating for a product he has never purchased or owned. His Dads are good fellas, but unfortunately Nick ate too many lead paint chips growing up and also received minor brain damage from a regrettable incident involving a Peruvian llama, 2 midgets, and a Spanish cannon while visiting historic Sutter’s Fort for a field trip in grade school. Since that time, he has had trouble understanding how reviews and ratings work.
For quick math, to “cancel-out” Nick’s 1-star rating, it would technically require 100 five-star reviews to average out to 4.96 stars (((5×100+1)/101)=4.96). Therefore, I am also leaving a 5-star in support of this effort, despite not having purchased the gladius (I really want one!).
Nick’s Uncle (verified owner) –
Agree mostly with reviewers. First, if you’re getting anything from the APOC line, even if you are a seasoned sharpener, get the sharpening service. You will likely have to remove a -significant- amount of material to get a good edge on it, as my experience with the Yataghan informed me.
Saw a video of a guy using his to split firewood from logs that were sometimes 12″ diameter, perhaps more. Tough blade. Vibratory sweet spot is right at the widest part of the blade, so I have to imagine the cutting power would be pretty severe (again, haven’t tried it yet but this will be my beater so I certainly will). However to somewhat contradict myself, the shortness of the blade wielded two-handed does lead me to believe you’re not really able to get full benefit from it on a two handed cut; it just doesn’t have the length and leverage to really benefit fully from that fat leaf blade geometry. Note I am also untrained, so I could be wrong and haven’t tried it yet. Just dry swinging and using intuition/perception. I’ll have to report back with another 5 star review after weebing in the woods, to help compensate for Nick’s atrocity of a review, from someone who actually HELD it.
It is quite chonky (read: stout and heavy), but it’s very finely balanced. A strong arm (not me lol) can manage one handed fine I’d assume. It’s still manageable for me. Two handed, this thing is very fast to swing and redirect, even untrained. Excellent for messy close quarters.
A little sanding of the scales, or replacement of them, would make it feel great in the hand. It’s fine as-is, but just a tiny bit of work can make it great.
The scabbard clips in pretty securely out the box, but I worry it will loosen over time. It did with the Yataghan. I will likely attempt a fix by squeezing the flanges together and supergluing the seam where the two halves of the scabbard meet at the opening to try to get it tighter.
Perhaps if Nick had better role models than his two harsh dads and their occasional ‘third wheel’, he would not be driven to the arms of Shadiversity.
Nicks Homie –
Don’t own the sword due to the nature of my work. I don’t know why Nick would leave such a harsh review. The APOC line is solid and the tactical wakasashi is a staple of my kit.
I’ve tried some other brands and can say with all honesty I’ll never buy a sword that isn’t APOC.
Nick’s Memaw –
My poor grandbooboo made an oopsie. I’ve have two of Angus’ blades and made sure to leave a review after purchase. That nice young man, Angus, works hard to create toys for all the good little boys and girls and it seems unfair to him to get a one star bc of You Tube hearsay. I apologize for my grandson, he’s getting tube socks for his next birthday.