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.
Jarl I. –
Hanwei Tinker 9th Century Viking Sword This sword holds a special place in my heart. My heavily customized Hanwei Tinker 9th Century Viking Sword goes where I go and hangs by my side while I journey through Midgard with the Vikings of Draugar Vinlands as their Jarl. The blade is lively and it holds a wonderful edge. The sword is pretty well balanced out of the box and will become more balanced with every sharpening. Swords very similar to this sword were found in archaeological digs all over Scandinavia so there is a certain degree of historical provenance that comes along with this sword. If you are looking for a moderately priced good quality Viking style sword then this is it.
David H. –
Hanwei Tinker 9th Century Viking Sword About 3 years ago, this was my first sword purchase from Kult of Athena.
It has been an outstanding performer, and the blade seems to get better with every sharpening. It came “Hanwei sharp: meaning it was fairly sharp, but needed some evening out.
The temper, flex and balance are very nice, and the grip is rock solid.
My only quibble is with the scabbard. It seems to be fiberglass and looks way too modern.
However, a trip to my local Tandy Leather Store fixed that.
This is a great sword for the price.
Rick M. –
As good as it gets… at almost any price. This my fifth Hanwei sword and my second Tinker Pearce designed model. I own some high end pieces like the Trondheim pattern welded sword as well as some fine reproductions by other manufacturers available at KOA.
When it comes to swords that I can’t wait to put into use, the Tinker line is the the first that comes into my hand! This sword is sturdy serviceable and has very good balance, particularly for a Viking style sword. I fully understand the somewhat blade heavy characteristics of migration period swords, and the near five inch p.o.b. of this weapon gives it a feel of great power. What more could a guy want from a Viking sword? I have a sword that will deliver a powerful cut, imparts the sense of strength with good blade presence in hand and (with a balance point just four or so inches from the guard) fine tip control.
This is a sword that begs to be used!
Hypurr –
Great Sword – Well Worth the Price I love my Tinker 9th C sword. It handles well and has a very well made blade. I was cutting with it and hit the cutting stand and in the slow mo you could see the flex in the blade, there was absolutely no damage and it sliced well into the wood. The only complaint is this style of pommel tends to dig into your hand if you don’t hold it right, using the handshake grip alleviated the problem. Here’s a short video of me cutting a jug with it.
https://youtu.be/hMc_GoubR2Q
Kibbi Hansen –
/(o3o)/ i grinded this sword down so i could use it as a stage combat sword when i got it and ive been using it for 1 year now in reenactment and it doesnt hawe a single scratch on the blade it is absolutley a tank of a sword i even used the pommel as a sledgehammer one time
maps & dragons –
A detailed analysis of the sword. The video below will cover everything about the sword from blade and pommel typology to peen and point .
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJWnSA997S0
Edgar –
well worth it id buy it again Beautiful sword, very very durable handles great and holds an edge great if it were to break ide be devasted but I would easaly buy it again money well spent,the only con I saw to me is the handle was a bit thin from the middle and couldn’t feel like I had the best grip I could get with it, but its easily fixed wrapping some leather even tape if you felt like it
Mike M. –
Not impressed, buyers remorse While I did not buy this blade from KoA, I will still give my review. The Sword is much lighter than anticipated and the blade is quite thin. I can’t argue as to the strength of the blade, its definitley sharp and it does seem like it would pass a proof test.
My fault with this Sword is its just too light, and it seems like it was intended for smaller handed people with skinny arms (rice anyone?). Perhaps the fault is with me, for I have been saving up for this blade for a long time, and may have built it up in my mind and found disappointment when it finally came. I tend to like heavier blades like Deepeeka or windlass brands. If you love Viking swords that are heavy choppers and slashers this isn’t for everyone. Much too expensive for a display Sword in my opinion.
Mike M. –
Its growing on me…but not impressed I wrote a 2 star review of this and I have done some customization of the handle and scabbard. Woven leather and fur adorns the baldric laden sheath for more aesthic value. I have chosen to wrap the handle with a leather lace that has small pieces of metal integrated into it, which augment the hole punched look of the pommel and guard fantastically, though perhaps not period by way of material, but still looks the part and then some. While I have found this Sword to be light and not easily maneuvered from the factory grip, but since I have improved mine in looks and function it balances and handles well, which thin and light blades tend to do.
This has grown on me as I have started personalizing it, and plan to do more.
3.5/5 – 7.5/10 would be my new score for this Sword. It is easily upgradeable. But don’t expect it to do any hard cutting and live…
Kibbi Hansen –
kibbis second review i just had to write a second review on this, this blade just keeps impressing me, it has held up very well and i hawe used it 3 times a week in huskarl reenactment training, i grinded the blade even thinner a cuple of months ago and it refuses to break, i hawe left it outside in the rain a cuple of times and it got runned over by a tractor one time by acsident and i hawe used it against a 2 handed sword a cuple of times, i hawe only managed to get 1 scratch on the blade after all this time and it hawent been bent either. but the handle is getting alittlebit lose i would suggest to use a diffrent wood on the handle and maybe hawe a better fit on the hand guard
Torbjorn W. –
Good blade. Minor flaws. Because I live southeastern Wisconsin, it only took two days to be delivered. The blade is great. Good flex, not whippy at all, just the right amount of rigid.
Cons: The tang/handle was a bit off center of the blade. It doesn’t seem to effect balance and handling, but I’m concerned that the tang might be strained during use as a result. My wrist is sprained a bit, so I wasn’t able to put it through the paces as well (chopping wood). It chopped into boards pretty well with minimal force. The pomel peen is a bit rough, but all the fittings are sturdy. The scabbard is good. The blade tip might try to dig into the core of the scabbard when you sheath it. The handle is a bit thin, and may require another leather wraping. The pros outweigh the cons in my opinion. It was a good purchase.
Cayden –
Good Sword for the price. Very durable sword. I’ll definitely purchase from Hanwei again. My only fault would be with the size of the grip which feels just too small, but still works just fine.
Alarik M. –
Has Issues It is a nice looking sword. The blade looks great and it should hold a good edge.
The blade is to “end heavy” for me. I think it would be ok for a chopping motion but I think it is to difficult to control the tip.
The handle is a terrible fit for me so I don’t use I don’t use the sword.
The fit of the handle with my hand is so bad I can’t imagine using this sword in real life and death combat.
It does make a great wall hanger though.
summit o. –
Well worth it Firstly i ordered it on a saturday and received it by Wednesday so that alone is some top quality service. The sword itself seems much better than what you might expect in the 200 price range. the blade is stiff with a good temper. it handles well, has a lot of blade presence without feeling cumbersome. the leather wrap on the grip is solid and virtually seamless. the peen is solid but unpolished so that’s a minor aesthetic nitpick. the gap in the guard is existent but very very small. the scabbard is also actually pretty decent, it’s simple but useful. my one real criticism is that it’s labeled as sharp but didn’t have any secondary bevel and while the quasi-edge dragged on fingernail it wasn’t actually sharp enough to cut paper or chop water bottles. but even with my limited sharpening skills i was able to get it sharp enough to cut with