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.
YoloAnonymous (verified owner) –
As a starter sword, I am impressed at the outcome, very easy to carry and great attention to detail. Would recommend this one if you are on a budget or would like to test out the sword for other future purchases.
TheCollector (verified owner) –
I have a decent amount to say for this sword.
In terms of looks ill give it a 9/10 because the attention to detail makes the sword almost damn near immaculate.
As for the handle and the wrapping on it already starting coming off near the tsuba started coming loose.
Now in terms of sharpness is just wow, The blade came in barely cutting paper in terms of sharpness and then I took it to a pool noodle and barely cut it along with taking it to the milk jug barely cutting it then to the tatami mat felt like I was using an Iato
If you plan on buying this I recommend getting a 1000 and 3000 whetstone because your going to need to sharpen it
LordStarchMaster (verified owner) –
For the price this sword was a great buy, the only problems that I could see was that the blade was a bit bowed near the end and it has a tendency to get stuck in the scabbard. But besides that, it’s a great buy.
Jordan (verified owner) –
I just don’t understand the less-than-5-star reviews at all. It’s freakin’ $70. This thing is fantastic for the price. Incredible value. It’s a starter sword; learn how to cut with it, sharpen it, take it apart, re-wrap it, fix it, put it back together, so you can figure it all out on a sword you won’t literally weep over if you scratch or chip it. Or hang it on a wall and be done with it, and it’s a decoration that looks way more costly than it is.
If you use even a high quality, high dollar katana, it’s going to get dull. Things will loosen up on basically any katana, especially if your form isn’t perfect, and if you’re even considering buying this, demographics say your form isn’t perfect.
It’s a beautiful piece with great attention to detail. Judging by the handle wrap, which granted is a tad loose and probably doesn’t have hashigami, I can see it getting too loose in time. When sheathing, the last couple inches seem to require an ever so slight twist before the blade will sit all the way in. It has a good friction fit, by the way. But overall, this could easily be twice the money and would still be a good deal. I’ve seen these kinds of problems on much more expensive swords.
As an example for comparison, I have a Dragon King Winter Sun katana. Yes, the quality differences are clearly noticeable. And it’s a much better steel and even a bigger sword overall. But it’s also a minimum of quadruple the price of this, on sale. And this is still pretty good sword for a beater.
If you buy this and there is not a glaring flaw and you’re still disappointed, your expectations are quite literally too high. This thing is a steal at this price.
Ian (verified owner) –
I bought this sword as a beginner after doing some research, and I have to say it did not disappoint! It isn’t that sharp out of the box, so you will need to do some sharpening once you get it, but that isn’t much of a problem. The sheath’s paint also easily chips and the wrap around the handle will come slightly loose to reveal the wood next to the fake rayskin, but it doesn’t come loose to the point of it feeling bad in your hands. If you’re buying this as a decoration, don’t. If you’re buying this as a functional katana that you can mess around with, absolutely go for it! Besides the things i previously mentioned, it is very well made and feels very nice in the hands with good weight distribution, and I’m really really enjoying my time with it. For the price, this is amazing.