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.
Nick –
Polish saber by Cold Steel I’ve been keeping my eyes on the market for years for a mass market Polish saber and Cold Steel answered my prayers! Very beautiful and VERY functional. It feels light in the hand, and the strongly curved blade cuts through water bottles like butter. Very solidly put together. This Polish slasher is ready to fight off Swedes, Russians, and Ottomans on the battlefield. The only thing I would change would be for the false edge to be sharpened.
Steven H. –
Excellent craftsmanship Though sometimes Cold Steel’s offerings are less than authentic, their workmanship is excellent, & this Polish saber is superb. It is very comfortable to handle. It’s sturdy yet light weight. I am quite pleased with it.
eddie –
polish saber love it like im in Hussaria cant be happier with the saber in my hand if you want you can come check out my skills lol jk but didn’t come totally sharp plan to sharpen it probly cut through anything after that
Tim Verrinder –
Thumb Ring? Really? When I unpacked this sword from it’s somewhat damaged Cold Steel container I thought I was in for something special. I feel differently now. I was happy with just about every aspect of this sword until I saw the stupid thumb ring. The blade was beautiful, the grip was beautiful, the scabbard was beautiful, even the guard was beautiful. So what wasn’t beautiful? The stupid thumb ring.
I have wide hands. My paws are just under 5 inches wide, which means I need every bit of space on a sword grip I can get. Hello stupid thumb ring. First of all the thumb ring pretty much blows the possibility of using this sword with either hand. Yep it sure does. Secondly I found the thumb ring to be awkward, and in the wrong alignment. If the designer felt compelled to include this idiotic feature, he could have at least had canted the thumb ring into a more natural position for the thumb rather than straight up and down. I don’t care what Cold Steel says about this thumb ring helping to control the sword, I find it exceedingly awkward. I would rather they had continued the guard to the pommel, like all other Polish sabers, it would have been a much better solution. On a minor note, the thumb ring also destroys the symmetry of the sword.
On a practical note, apparently the designer never heard of blade shock. When a sword blade hits another sword blade a shock is transferred down the length of the sword blade. That’s why a swords grip is so important. A good grip helps absorb the shock to the blade, so that less of the shock is transferred to the sword hand. In simple terms, a good grips offers the sword hand a certain amount of insulation from sword shock. Having your thumb stuck inside a steel ring can become very problematic when dealing with blade shock. You’ll would probably wind up with a broken thumb, which would tend to put the kibosh on you sword fighting abilities. What if the sword is knocked out of your hand, does your thumb go flying away with the sword?
Okay I get it none of us are going to step into a time machine and emerge on the eve of battle at Waterloo, but seriously this stupid thumb ring really hampers the ability to use this sword to it’s full potential, and detracts from it appearance. This thumb ring disaster has all the earmarks of some product liability lawyer’s doing. ” What you’re not going to completely enclose the guard? Then I insist on a thumb ring safety device to make sure we here at the company don’t face any class action lawsuits from the people using this sword.” I’m pretty sure that’s how it went down.
I called Cold Steel to ask why they included this idiotic feature on what was otherwise a beautiful sword, but the drone on the other end of the line kept repeating “That’s the design, That’s the design, That’s the design……..” I guess I’m getting old. I remember when Nicholas Cage could act, and I remember when Cold Steel listened to their customers. Cold Steel all you have to do to make this sword perfect is eliminate the Thumb Ring. It will be easier for you to manufacturer, and as a selling point the saber will become usable by both right handed and left handed swordsman.
I’m going to find a competent metal worker to remove the thumb ring on my saber. Hopefully he will be able to make it look good. Even if he doesn’t, at least I’ll be able to use my blade in either hand, and I’ll be actually able to grip the thing.
Frank N Beans –
Another sword I purchased else where as it was sold out here at the time. When I recieved the sword the quality was amazing looking while the handle is decorative looking it feels good in the hand aside from the Thumb ring which I will get to in a bit. The Scabbard is decorative and matches the handle nicely although I do kind of wish the cut outs was on the other side of the scabbard as well but that’s a minor nit pick I can over look as it is a predominant right handed sword. the blade has a very nice curve and can be used nicely for twisting of the wrist when slicing bottles and what not. The weight while it has some weight is still light enough to not be bulky when using. The Thumb Ring which makes it a Polish saber looks nice and matches the handle nicely sits incredibly HIGH too high for comfort for me in it’s stock form I had to use a rubber mallot with a dowel a bit larger than thumb to tap it down for decent usage. would have been a 5 star from me as it is my current favorite sword but the placement of that thumb ring ruins it for me
Nate S (verified owner) –
Had to wait some time for this one but it was well worth it. It looks great (those double fullers really give it an even stronger visual impression than I’d anticipated), it has some weight to it but is well balanced – I probably don’t need to repeat what looks to be the general consensus here, so I’ll just add a couple points:
The red grip and scabbard are darker – and if I’m being frank, more tasteful – than in the images. This was a pleasant surprise as far as I’m concerned, just be aware that it won’t be quite as bright and saturated as the nearly candy apple red in any of the pictures here (or anywhere else that I’ve seen, for that matter).
Polish styles of swordplay heavily favor a hammer grip held tight against the crossguard, and the thumb ring I got seems to be right where it’s supposed to be to facilitate that. Just for a point of reference, in case there’s inconsistencies or maybe they sometimes get bent out of shape in shipping somehow, mine was placed so the bottom is just over half an inch below the crossguard, and the top of my thumb (between the two knuckles) runs right alongside its centerline when I hold it.
maciakl (verified owner) –
I was on the waiting list for this blade for ages, and when it showed up in stock, I ordered it immediately. This was at the height of the pandemic so it took well over 6 months for KoA to actually ship the order due to supply chain issues. The support staff was great in therms of communication.
I would say it was well worth the wait. The saber is fantastic.
To dispel some of the criticisms above: the thumb ring is where it needs to be. This is an authentic historical design. If you want to have an authentic Polish saber used for fencing on foot, it will likely have the thumb ring. Cavalry sabers designed to be used from the horse back, typically do not have this feature. Neither do some of the eastern inspired designs that were popular in Poland. But the thumb ring is a unique feature of a dueling saber.
That said, while historically accurate, the thumb ring can be an accessibility issue if you are left handed. The Cold Steel blade is exclusively for right handed use, and as far as I can tell, there is no left handed version, which is a shame.
The saber is a little bit on the heavy side compared to similar blades I own. It’s rather choppy, but still well balanced. It feels solid in hand. Probably the most comfortable grip from all the curved sabers I own.
The grip is fantastic, and the design and ornamentation are top notch. It comes with a fantastic scabbard, which is fitted to the blade. An absolutely stunning piece that will absolutely turn heads at Ren Faire.
KoA does not offer sharpening service for this blade, but it comes pre-sharpened from the factory, and to be honest I have no complaints about the edge.
The blade was shipped in the scabbard, and thus did not have the signature KoA brown paper wrap. I guess this is standard for blades that are not sharpened in house. Thankfully the scabbard is well fitted, and there was no damage to the blade, so no complaints there.
The entire saber was absolutely soaked in oil, including the grip, that has a lot of metal parts. It took a while to clean to the point where I could hold it without it feeling slippery and greasy. And yet, despite all of that oil, I found several rust spots, on the pommel and the cross guard (but thankfully none of the blade).
That is my main complaint about this blade: rust spots. That’s what I’m knocking one star off the review. An otherwise amazing blade, marred by improper handling and care.
I think this might be due to the supply chain backlog and my blade spending a lot of time in some shipping container, before it even got to KoA. I’m not sure KoA could have done anything differently to prevent this from happening anyway.
Slawek Wisniewski (verified owner) –
Very exceptional and not easy to find.
Strong,good sabre, the thumb ring excellent,as centuries ago.
Beautiful. I am very thankful for your craftsmanship.
Yes, it is ready for battle.
I am happy to have it.
Gunny –
Cold Steel Polish Saber:
OK, OK, I do not even have the sword yet and I am writing a preliminary Review. As an example of this type and style sword. I am almost SURE the Thumb ring is properly placed – not for some buyers – but then it is in place for historical accuracy. Are you REALLY going to go out and do battle with this sword? If you are I would also suggest your wear gloves that would also help alleviate the shock of banging this against another sword or the log post (whatever).
I saw a whole You Tube video by a guy who has way more budget than I do. This sword looks good for its price point and contrary to his opinion, certain details of his chosen sword (right down to the thumb ring) had some flaws that did not indicate the craftsmanship was on a par with the price point. He noted the price he paid for his “battle ready” . The gent doing the video was quite proud of his purchase. He stated his cost in Euros – but my quick calculations (not 100% accurate) estimated that he spent about $1500.00 or more in USD and had to wait around 6 or 7 months for it to get to him. They make the sword when it has a completed order form backed by a 100% cash deposit.
Now, I truly did not understand what his intentions were but evidently it was going to spend considerable time hanging on his wall as a display.