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.
Drew A. –
Beast of a sword If you seen the Lynn Thompson video on this sword, then I do not need to say more. It’s an amazing and intimidating weapon.
William M. –
Not without it’s faults I purchased this for $200. It arrived with a loose cross guard. I had to disassemble the handle in order to refit the crossguard. After taking it apart. I realized that it wasn’t a tight fit. So after using some JB Weld and resembling the handle, I was able to perform some cut tests. The blade is overly heavy for it’s size. The thickness of the blade could have been shaved down significantly. The width and length of the blade are fine. The leather used on the handle and center point feel cheap. And just low quality compared to some of their other swords.
Weld points on the crossguard were slightly visible. The finger rings are a nice touch. Providing extra security. Blade geometry was perfect. It swings heavy but allows for deep cuts and thrusts at a fantastic range. The handle is comfortable and tapers down with ridges. Allowing for a good grip even while sweaty. The added length of the handle is good, allowing for some variety in strikes. Half swording is fun with this. The massive crossguard allow for heavy swings. The blade is strong and flexible. Bending 40 degrees and springing back into shape. Though it could have been better with a slightly thinner blade.
Damon –
I love this sword! This sword came with a decent edge, no blemishes, stunningly beautiful aesthetics, and only one minor problem; a slightly loose crossguard.
With minimal work I honed the edge nice & sharp and made a scabbard for it. The loose guard will be easy to fix, I’m going to disassemble the hilt and tack-weld the guard in place. Not a big deal.
What IS a big deal is how great this sword is for the price! The balance and cutting power are spectacular. It’s not too heavy for me, and once you get used to handling it, it’s quite nimble & responsive. With the touched up edge it cuts very well, and is stiff enough to transmit all of its mass into a cut or thrust equally well. Half-swording makes it very quick for closer in-fighting techniques. It’s also beautiful in it’s clean lines and overall appearance. It has become my favorite large sword in my collection. Other than the slightly loose guard (which I will fix) it had no problems. If your collection needs that big beast category filled, you can’t go wrong with this beauty! :)
Louis L. –
Some issues This is a visually imposing sword, and very attractive and true to the German Zweihanders. The leather wrapped ricasso is a nice touch. I have owned two of these, and both have had issues. The first problem stemmed from this having a screw-on pommel. The screw portion is welded to the tang, and when I did some cutting, this weld broke, and the pommel flew off. This completely unbalanced the sword and allowed the rest of the hilt components to come loose. I returned it to Cold Steel (about $75 USD shipping through UPS), and they replaced it, however I never got my scabbard back with it and they refused to give me another to replace it. The replacement sword has had the crossguard begin to come slightly loose. This could be fixed by either tightening the pommel nut or disassembling and reassembling the hilt, but special tools are needed to remove the pommel nut, as this piece is polished smooth with no provision for ordinary tools to move it. This sword is a bit on the heavy side for a two-hander, but is quite maneuverable when half-swording from the ricasso.
parkin (verified owner) –
The sword is wonderful, arrived in 13 days, the blade of the sword is sharpened, although it is written that it is not. Overall the sword is of very high quality, I have no complaints, I recommend it