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.
McM –
Great outdoors axe… I’ve owned this axe for a few years now, and use it constantly. I do lots of hiking in the woods, and this axe will handle any task at hand. The light weight makes it easy to strap onto a backpack. Not exactly super-sharp out of the box, but a little elbow-grease and a file and stone will leave it razor sharp. Do yourself a favor and sand down the handle and add some wood stain, clear-coat, and some leather grip wrap for a really authentic looking Viking axe. Also, go the extra $ and get the edge cover. You’ll thank yourself later. ;)
Dominick Fini –
Nice I love the axe. It feels great in the hand. The only disappointment I faced was that it was a completely blunt, flat faced edge even though it is advertised as “sharp”
TheLaughingOne –
Just received mine, sticker for “American tomahawks” from Taiwan on it, and the handle is… Cheap. doesnt quite fit and only held in place by the screw lugged in, looking to replace it myself as its rather.. Meh. Otherwise the axe head thus far seems quite fine, needs some touches itself, removing the excess of varnish from the surface, filing down sections so it can get a proper fit on a handle without tearing it apart, and possibly some smoothing. Great project axe if your looking to get something to customize, and a quick google will show you TONS of customization people have done to their own.
Jordan (verified owner) –
As many reviews of Cold Steel axes have stated, these are great for customization. It’s a bit generic and lackluster as-is, but put some love into it and you will, well, love it! The stickers and the “TAIWAN” stamp on the blade make it look cheap out of the box. And hey, it is decently cheap, but that’s where the value comes in.
It has an edge, but even if you want to chop wood with it, it’s not that sharp. I’m guessing I’m going to have to file that bad boy.
The set screws Cold Steel puts in all their axe heads to “secure” them… Cold Steel needs to just stop it. It’s bad. Looks bad, functions bad. It’s literally only there for you to pick it up out of the box and not have the head loose immediately. But it will loosen as soon as the head impacts… anything. It just keeps them from having to actually set the head right. You can get functional axes with a head that is properly fixed to the shaft from any old hardware store for this price. But… it doesn’t look like a badass Viking axe. So I’ll take that hit and make it my own.
For this reason, I would not call this “Battle Ready”, because it’s simply not ready for use, let alone battle, out of the box. If it starts to fall apart the first time it hits something, that’s not battle ready. And that applies to any Cold Steel axe or hawk. If you see the set screw, know that the head is not secure for anything but decoration.
For all that poo-pooing, it’s a great value if you’re willing to put the time in. This is a fighting axe and not a wood chopping axe. But even a fighting axe is expected to stand up against a shield and armor. If you want an axe that is truly battle ready right out of the box, I’m guessing that’s going to be 3X the cost or more. You get what you pay for. I spent almost this much on a different axe from a different brand and it was JONK. This at least has real potential that makes me excited to work on it.
O.K. Hopkins –
I don’t own this particular hawk but I have owned three and do currently own two other Cold Steel hawks. All have been outstanding. As far as complaints about the pin holding the head on this shouldn’t be an issue. All battle axes or even axes in general with wooden handle need to be “swelled” like the old wood boats. Just throw your hawk in a bucket or pan of linseed oil or other wood friendly oils or even water if you have nothing else. The handle will absorb the oil and swell the wood, locking it tight as hell. Combined with the pin it should be perfect. Give the outside of the handle a rub as well to keep it conditioned and looking beautifully seasoned.