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.
Brendan –
Hanwei War Sword I love this sword!!! It’s very well balanced, not very sharp (oh well, can be fixed), and very light weight for its size. All in all, a great buy. Shipping was fast and hassle free as always.
Robbie –
I love this thing. There were no available reviews anywhere to be found when I first bought the Hanwei War Sword a little over a month ago but it’s a solid, wobble-free weapon with good balance. Glad I took a chance on this one!
anonymous –
meh The sword has good balance and weight, but the handle is loose and the pommel is unconformable to hold after a few cuts. Hopefully I can get a replacement.
Kellen Rosenberger –
Excellent beginner hand-and-a-half sword I got this sword in the mail today (great shipping) and I’m very happy with my initial reactions. The sword feels solid, if only slightly sharp. The blade itself has a decent flex and pretty good balance – with the scabbard having about the same general quality.
I intend on updating this once I get a few good test swings in with it – but overall happy with the quality and price so far!
ricky –
bought this as my first sword I have to say i like it ts not too heavy, feels good in the hand but it needs to be sharped. over all i love it.
Honestreviews –
Honestly buy one, you wont regret it! Build like a tank!!! Owned one for years ad its quality exceeds the price tag by miles. Only downside is the sharpness of the sword. Would be nice to have it sharpened. Other than that, it handles beautifully, its not too heavy and doesn’t wobble too much.
Daniel J. –
Probably the best value-for-dollar in hand-forged, medieval-style combat swords Could not be happier with mine. I had been wanting something like this for awhile, and I never settled on a particular sword because there were several different styles I really liked, and every time I saw a particular sword, and said “that’s one I want!” they would be way outside my price range. Furthermore, I am only 5’8″ 140-ish lbs. so there is a limit to the size of sword I can reasonably carry and wield – then I saw this sword and knew it was perfect, and it has been. It’s quality it’s unreal for the price you pay – they didn’t polish the blade or the hilt components, but so what? They’re hand-made with lost-wax casting, the blade is 1566 hi-carbon spring steel, with hand quenching (hardening) and tempering (increasing ductility and durability) with a perfect size- big enough for a “hand-and-a-half” grip with two hands (second hand partially gripping the pommel, which is perfectly comfortable) but extremely agile and nimble in your hands and totally usable with one hand. Hanwei does not make the fanciest or flashiest stuff but they make some excellent products with outstanding quality-to-price ratio. I used an AccuSharp to sharpen mine, which many sword experts will say “ruins the blade geometry” but I couldn’t care less, the thing is extremely sharp now and very easy to touch up in the future by polishing along the edge. I’d love an Albion someday or maybe even one of the $350 step-ups from several different manufacturers but this price can’t be beat for what you get. Also, I think it looks pretty badace too.
Nicholas –
Best sword ! I guess it’s the best one handed sword :)) Yes, it is said that it is a hand and a half sword but it isn’t soo long and soo heavy such as otcher 1.5 hand swords I have trained with. This one is a very good sword, ther is no need in looking for more expensive ones. It can handle a lot. I would deffinitly recommend it to all begginners looking for not expensive, not too heavy & well ballanced silgle hand sword (of course with an ability to put on second hand).
G –
Hanwei War Sword A quality item through and through. Well-made, not a single blemish, no unnecessary wiggle. The length of the hilt and the shape of the pommel allows comfortable wielding even for those with larger hands. Proportions are both utilitarian and historically accurate. Requires minimal maintenance to remain in top shape.
Basically, if you want a hand and a half sword, this is the sword you want.
Nicolas K. –
Not so good I was cutting some branches from a dead tree and the tang broke apart from the blade, i was very disapointed because i buyed this after filter as battle ready in the online page, the branches were slim and were totally drenched and very soft.
After checking the point of breaking the steel showed signs of bad tempering.
AA –
Excellent Beginner Sword for those who want to get in to Collecting or Solo-training for HEMA. At $200, this thing is a hell of a lot of value for the price. The construction is solid, and the hilt assembly seems to be nice and tight. It doesn’t say here but according to other research I believe the blade is 5160 Spring Steel which is an excellent, higher-quality alloy steel that has good toughness and edge retention. The balancing is as-advertised and the grip feels good in the hand. It’s a good middle point between one-handed arming swords and more dedicated two-handed longsword, and so with a little bit of compensation can reasonably be used to practice both one-handed and two-handed techniques. The standard sharpening is absolutely not enough to cut paper, but the edge is still decent enough that it can be sharpened easily, though if you don’t have the ability to do it yourself and you want to do test-cutting right away, I’d recommend adding on the sharpening service. My only real complaint is the scabbard has an ugly looking stitch on the leather, and it seems like occasionally the blade will try to dig in to the wood on the interior, causing it to get stuck. Some small wood chips actually came out stuck to the oil on the blade at one point and I didn’t have any issues with that afterward, so maybe it was just a poor finish on the wood.
All in all, as somebody who’s finally taken the first few steps in to HEMA and sword collecting in general, I couldn’t be happier with this purchase.
Crazy blind Jake –
Definitely purchase one of these. It’s an amazing sword for the price and in all honesty whether you’re buying it to add just to your collection or you plan on practicing with it you will be extremely pleased. Good steel good quality good make.
Roman (verified owner) –
It’s good for its price. I paid extra for sharpening and it’s shaving sharp and it feels good in the hand. I’m only worried that the pommel was peened a little too flush and that it might break but it hasn’t after days of hitting hard/soft snow with it. There’s a faint rattle and the handle is a little short but overall I love it.