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.
Jordan (verified owner) –
Amazed there aren’t any reviews yet at the time of me writing this! LK Chen does simply amazing work for the price. It is a truly flawless piece. The old paintings and drawings this sword is based on were seen being carried with the scabbard tilted up and the handle tilted down, and you can absolutely do that with this (as with the Flying Phoenix I also tried out).
It is a very snug fit. So snug, in fact, I hope it loosens just a tad in time. And I like really snug fitting scabbards. My one and only complaint is that the tip of the blade rattles in the scabbard, as the blade is very light and slender and a bit springy. Nothing that won’t be fixed by stuffing something down in the bottom of the scabbard.
Still speaking of the scabbard, the lower, smaller ring on it was loose on mine. But that’s because it’s actually a friction fit, so all that was needed was to slide it back up and put some good pressure on it, and it’s secure. So, much like a tomahawk head. You could put glue up there but it would be really easy to make a mess out of your beautiful scabbard doing that. It’s fine as-is; no need for that.
This is essentially the ancient Chinese rapier; it served the same purpose and was used by the same class of people. It’s just half the weight of one and only compromises the excessive wire basket hilts (which are pretty, but so is this). The lack of the big basket hilt also pushes the balance further away from the hand, but it’s so freaking light you will be grateful you feel the weight somewhere just so you know where the blade even is. Lightning fast sword and very elegant. And judging by other LK Chen swords, impressively sturdier than it looks.
LK Chen says this is a sword carried by “scholars”, but I think that’s just a poor translation for “aristocracy”. It was what Westerners may call a gentleman’s civilian sword. Light and elegant, made for piercing, but could definitely target arteries and more delicate tendons. A skilled swing may even get through a collar bone. It was designed for an environment where armor would not be a concern.
All that yapping aside, if you like anything LK Chen does, just get it. Their work is basically perfect, their steel is quite good, and it’s a phenomenal value for the price.