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.
Archimedes One –
Looks great, but poorly balanced For $170 this blade is exceptional value per dollar. From the flawless hilt ornamentation to the decorative case that all Iron Tiger Forge blades come with, it’s hard to believe all this at such an affordable price, but it does come with one drawback–The balance.
Maneuvering this blade is just bizarre. The point of balance sits right in the center of the forehand, which makes it feel as if all of the weight is concentrated in that one hand, while both the blade itself and the back hand feel as if they are totally weightless. As far as I can tell, this a result of the construction of the handle. The upper two-thirds of the handle appear to be a solid steel rod, while the bottom third is a hollow tube. This is a real shame because Iron Tiger Forge probably could have removed up to a full pound of weight if the handle had been a fully hollow steel tube with the tang being perhaps being encased in wood, or something else to secure it to the decorative metal handle.
With that aside, what you do get with this blade is a beautiful blade of folded high-carbon steel with no secondary edge bevel and a very sharp edge. A nicely-stitched scabard with metal ornamentations and decent quality leather. And a decorative case which includes within it a blade cleaning and care kit, and a table stand for the blade.
So while this blade falls short for test cutting, it is a great piece of art.
Daniel Flynn –
Beautiful sword that is putting on airs When translated, da-dao literally means “big knife.” This just about sums up what this sword actually is: a big knife. It’s a sword that is no nonsense. The dadao also has a frightening history. This is the weapon that was appropriated by Chinese nationalists and communists during the early twentieth century. This weapon was used by police officers to publicly execute political dissidents. One historian describes this period in Chinese history as the “democratization of violence.” There are absolutely terrifying visuals I wish I could include in this review, but take my word for it that the mere sight of this weapon by a Chinese peasant in the early twentieth century must have caused them to involuntarily soil themselves. The weapon was also given to Chinese militiamen and paramilitary during the Sino-Japanese Wars due to the scarcity of firearms and munitions. One paramilitary group famously led a charge on the Japanese line with only their swords to defend themselves. Due to the heroism of this fighting unit and the weapon’s frightening past, the dadao became a symbol of Chinese resistance to imperial Japan and a major symbol of Chinese nationalism. Why then has a peasant weapon, something so basic and rudimentary, been replicated in such a splendid version such as this? I am not sure. Though while this sword is certainly no replica, given that no dadao in history was ever this ornamental, it is quite beautiful. It is also a real bargain for the price. I initially thought this weapon would be terribly unwieldy due to its weight and point of balance. When two hands are used at opposite ends of the handle, it feels well balanced enough for my liking. My sword is definitely not “very sharp” as KoA claims. The polish is beautiful and the blade shows no problems with the lamination. I still feel as though the sword is too heavy. If I were KoA, I would modify this model to make the blade broader, and craft the handle out of wood with metal accents. Even though the sword is putting on airs, I am sure it could still execute a political dissident.
Archimedes One –
Update on previous review In my first review, I speculated about how the handle of this piece was constructed, but that needs to be corrected. At first, I was unable to remove the handle because it was so tightly fitted, but eventually I was able to get the pieces apart and this blade does NOT have a solid piece of metal for the upper half of the handle. The handle comes in two sections and both are hollow, however the top has a wood core. The reason for the exceptional weight, is completely due to the thickness of the metal used on the handle.
I’m currently in the process of re-handling this blade, and can honestly say that, if you view this listing as a blade blank, rather than a completed sword. the $229 price tag is still a pretty good deal.