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.
Kirk –
Excellent cutter Excellent cutter. Great looking blade and very sharp. Try one, you won’t be disappointed.
Geno –
Light and practical Please bear in mind this is my first Japanese sword. I found this to be an excellent quality blade overall. It’s not quite as light as I expected, but certainly light enough to make fast and accurate cuts. Handles well with one hand but is still balanced better for two handed use. It’s not too exciting aesthetically, but the sword feels well constructed and sturdy. There is definitely a Zen-like approach to its design. If I had one minor nitpick, it would be that the sheath is a little loose.
Marquis Bosuego –
I am a long time sword practitioner and owner (over 25 years) and have many Hanwei swords in my collection (as well as many other forges and makers). I purchased the sword from KOA and as usual they had excellent customer service and follow up. For the price point, this is an excellent every day katana for cutting practice and Iaido. The fittings while understated, are nicely done. I actually prefer simple sword fittings as opposed to more ornate koshirae, especially for every day practice. The imitation ray skin looks surprisingly real and functions nicely with the suede leather iaito, for a solid grip. I have used this sword almost daily over the last two years and it’s held up well under use and practice. The iaito is still tight after extended use. The blade is also nicely crafted with no factory blemishes or defects. The hamon is also well defined and is complete along the length of the ha including the geometric yokote and kissake. The blade also has a nice grain pattern in the Ji. The Blade cut very well during tameshigiri with full tatami mat rolls .The saya is nicely lacquered with no chips or defects in the finish and comes with a decent quality synthetic sageo. Overall, if you’re looking for a durable, everyday practical katana, this is great value for the price point and coupled with Kult of Athena Customer Service can’t be beat.