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.
SM (verified owner) –
I purchased this sword to accessorize a Renaissance Faire outfit that I have and I wanted to share my experience with it.
It’s a very sturdy blade with little flexibility, definitely a thruster. It can certainly cut/chop as well, the point of balance is several inches forward of the grip and the fairly short, stout blade concentrates force well. The sword came plenty sharp, it could cut printer paper easily, but it wasn’t quite sharp enough to cut receipt paper. The grinds are even and clean, and the point is *very* pointy. The Damascus steel is beautiful and matches the “magical” look I wanted out of this sword.
The grip is the weakest part of the sword, in my opinion. The gray laminate looks nice and the conical studs don’t get in the way, but the edges aren’t completely even, the edges are also squared off and somewhat uncomfortable in some grip positions. I’m not sure how the grip scales are attached to the blade, but they have not loosened after light cutting and chopping tests.
The sheath is basic, but it serves the purpose of holding the sword and securing it safely. I do not use the baldric belt that the sword came with, only the belt loop. Retention is medium, the sword won’t slide out on it’s own, but it can be shaken out with little effort. It came with a snap closure that goes around the grip, I recommend using that to help keep the sword in place.
Overall, I’m happy with this purchase, I would recommend this to others looking for a budget friendly short sword. Although I’m using this as a costume piece, I could definitely see this being used for actual short sword tasks.
Matthew Friedman –
I bought the standard grade version on 6/18 and it came 7/1, which I am very grateful for. The Damascus swirls are so much more beautiful and prominent than pictures can do justice, and the tang is super thick and heavy enough that the blade is nimble but incredibly strong (in my opinion). I don’t have Tatami to cut, but a few thick gatorade bottles and i found thrusting through them to be a joy. I wasn’t able to cut through them like a full length blade would, but you can literally poke through thick plastic slowly and feel no resistance, like a slice of butter. I would recommend this to anyone who wants a great deal, it’s very strong and the handle is delightfully simple and smooth. 5/5