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.
Matt –
Excellent! I’m new to the HEMA world but a veteran of the knife community. After researching what steel would make good swords, ronin katana caught my eye. For 250 this blades two biggest competitors are th cold steel hand and a half/italian longsword, and the hanwei tinker. The cold steel models are rumored to have guard issues and in their marketing videos these purposely warp their swords without showing if they can re-set the angle of the blade. This demonstration and the 1055 steel they use worried me (though ive never used one of their swords). The hanwei is rumored to have heat treat issues. While it may not be a problem with every one of their swords, i worry that my 250 would be flushed down the drain on a sword that would just end up shattering under some more aggressive backdoor cutting.
Got the blade in today! Kult of Athenas service was superb. i was notified of shipping and had blade in hand within 2 days.
Did some rough outdoor tests today. Nothing horrible. Cut through some rotted branches. Friend and i cut through some two liters. Edgde was satisfactory out of box. Sharp enough to cut, but not sharp enough to be dangerous to a bare hand, when no force is behind the blade. Cut some boxes and finally even did some goofing off with 2 by 4s. Only damage present after maybe 2 hrs of ameteur sword strikes into some light materials omly yielded a tiny half inch section 2 inches from the tip where the edge seems to have rolled. Probably the result of the 2 by 4 which IMO really isnt an appropriate cutting medium. Comfortable in hand, though i dont have a great understanding for what is and isnt maneuverable. For 250 I am THRILLED with my Ronin Katana model 7. My next sword purchase will likely be a RK and it will definitely be from Kult of Athena!
Marshall D. –
Very good for the price! Picked up this this sword the other day, and it was outstanding. Nice and sharp out of the box, all the fittings nice and tight, and nothing rattled. I saw videos prior to getting this sword, about the hilt being poorly made, examples of this is the leather being lose or coming apart. But that wasn’t the case at all. Very good buy.
Romain R. –
For the price, what you get is unbeatable Introduction
First of all, I would like to precise that I’m no expert in sword cutting. I’m a HEMA practitioner and began sword cutting quite recently, so some of the statement below may sound a bit off for the experienced. Anyway, I assume that there will not be many of them looking for such a cheap/low-end sword, so beginners: hop-in ! :)
The sword
I like the shape of the blade, which reminds me a bit of the type XVIIIb from the Oakeshott’s typology, and while I’m not a huge fan of this kind of cross guard, it feels good in the hand and does not interfere with the thumb during position changing. The blade fits really well in the guard and there is only at worst one or two millimeters gap. The hilt is made of wooden plates, secured with a fine leather sheet then wrapped with a cord. It is comfortable, but the cord seems prone to unwrapping since it is not tightly tied. The pommel is remarkably well peened, since you cannot feel the peen with your hands. The shape of the pommel makes it a bit uncomfortable with bear hand, but is fine with gloves.
The blade has a diamond cross-section, with no visible secondary bevel and is mirror polished. Unlike many other low-cost swords, I was surprised not to see any major wavy pattern while observing the blade in the direction of its length. The edges are definitely not paper sharp, but it makes the sword well suited for half-swording, even with bear hands. Moreover, I think that this attribute is good for beginners, because the sword does not forgive any mistake: if you want to cut, you will need proper technique.
The tip is quite thick and sturdy, and can definitely pierce through a lot of materials with ease, although I’m not sure that you can expect going through riveted chain mail.
At first glance, the point of balance felt a bit far off to my taste for fighting purposes, but keep in mind that I’m used to the Regenyei standard federschwert, of which point of balance is really close to the hilt. Since most of the high quality swords from Kult of Athena have an even further P.O.B., I assume that this characteristic is not off.
While being a sword cutting rookie, I was still able to execute some clean cuts through bottles and cardboard. Personally, I think that this level of sharpness is much more “historically accurate” than a shaving sharp model.
What I can highlight is that, to my eyes, the sharpening of the blade can be a bit problematic: since the angle formed by the edges is a bit wide, you will have to take away a lot of material before being able to reach a better level of sharpness. On the other hand, this characteristic gives the sword sturdy edges. But again, I’m no expert.
After a few afternoons of test cutting bottles, pool noodles and cardboard, I noticed a tiny play in the guard and the cord wrap of the handle became loose. That said, the sharpness of the blade remained acceptable after my cutting sessions and the piercing power is astonishing.
The scabbard and retention system
The scabbard is well made but does not hold very tightly the sword, and you should be careful when sheathing because the edges tend to bite the lips of the metal cover. For the price, it is not something that I can complain about.
Forget about the retention system, it is pure crap. It is designed for holding the sword at the right and holds it, at best, horizontally and very low. This is really one of the only drawbacks of this pack. If I could suggest one point of improvement, it would be to either get rid of it (and study historic examples with 2 points of retention to the scabbard, with the highest that has 2 buckles in opposite directions) or to completely remove the retention system to improve the handle quality and durability.
Conclusion
Pros:
+ Price
+ Overall quality
+ Fully functional
+ Scabbard included
+ Well suited for beginners
Cons:
– Retention system (pleaaaase change that !)
– Clumsy handle wrap
– Maybe problematic for sharpening?
This is a very good sword for the price, especially considering that the scabbard is included. I really recommend it as a budget sword.
Kevin_andersen72 –
Perfect for the price After comparing the ronin katana Viking,arming, and longsword I finally came to it and bought the ronin katana longsword #7 and it was an excellent choice I did a lot of research before choosing and I just went with my gut and bought this one and I can’t be more than happy with my purchase the fit and finish is flawless the guard, pommel, the blade, and the scabbard are perfect for the price but for a sword sub 300 it does have it’s draw backs like the lines on the blade aren’t perfectly straight and there is a very small gap between the blade and guard but nothing to worry about the peen on this sword is really well done the cord handle wrap feels extremely nice and well put together the only reasons why I give this sword a 4 out of 5 stars is becuase the scabbard belt kinda sucks and the slight gapping between the guard and blade and it came fairly sharp I did have to touch up the blade and the guard is kinda sharp and does rub on the hand rather aggressively if you get a high grip on it but besides that it’s a perfect piece and another thing about this blade that I was rather concerned about was that I saw YouTube videos of this sword and it looked rather wippy and I’ve never been more wrong in my life the blade has a good amount of flex but for a sword for this size that’s bound to occur if you buy this sword you will not be disappointed
David H. –
Well made despite some drawbacks I’ve had this sword for some time now and think I can weigh in on its quality.
First of all, the blade is phenomenal. I’ve put it through it’s paces and abused it in ways I shouldn’t have and it it stayed strong and true. It’s sharp, easy to control, and lively in the hand. Definitely quality forge in the steel. I have a lot of fun with it.
The peen is solid and despite all my abusive testing, has only some scuffing and scratching that in no way affect performance. The grip is very comfortable but not what I’d call historically accurate.
My sole gripe with the sword is that the guard has come loose and rattles, but this is largely due to my extensive abuse of the weapon. At this price range, one should naturally expect something wrong and this is what is wrong with mine. The crossguard is not well fitted and prolonged use of the sword can and will cause it to eventually show. If not for the well made peen on the pommel, I’d have no doubt the sword would come apart altogether. Again, this is mostly due to my abusive testing but if everything else is excellent about the quality, why should this one thing be present?
The scabbard is decent enough, but the belt system included is absolute rubbish and I ended up discarding the belts and buckles as they were so cheap that it detracted from the product as a whole
Pros:
-Strong, light, and easy to control
-Very affordable
Cons:
-crap belt system
-fittings are hit or miss
eatshit –
Phenomenal sword for the price point. Everything about it is amazing. I won’t take a star off because of the scabbard or belts because they’re basically an added bonus and I could care less. The people who reviewed the sword before me on this site are completely inexperienced morons so please ignore their mumbling idiocy.
Samoth –
I purchased this sword a couple of months ago and am pleased so far. Great functionality with minor issues on the aesthetic front.
Please note that what you get now when you order this sword differs slightly from the pictures shown above and from what older reviews show, so I will address these things as they come up
First, to get it out of the way and never get back to it, let’s discuss the suspension system. It is now only the triangular bit with 2 attachment points on the scabbard and 1 on the belt (incidentally closer to historic reality now), but it is still cheap faux leather that looks and feels horrible. Luckily there is an easy fix for this: Remove (and dispose of) the suspension system bits.
The scabbard itself is decent enough, it holds the sword nice and secure. There is no danger that the sword might slide out unintentionally. The leather wrap is not perfect but fine enough, the (stainless steel) metal fittings plain but fitting the style of the rest of the piece.
Now onto the sword itself, and here is another slight change. Older reviews report a cord over leather grip that threatens to come unraveled easily. I am glad to report that improvement has been made here. The grip is now leather over cord with clean stitching up the back. The leather itself has some texture to it, so you have a secure hold of the sword without being overly rough even in bare hands.
The guard and pommel are described as being steel, however they are only slightly magnetic, so I assume these are made of some stainless steel as well. The pommel has a nice shape to it and feels nice in the hand, both when the back of the palm rests on it for a normal cutting position as well as when performing techniques where the pommel is grabbed. The cross guard on the other hand is a different story. I have found no issues with the fit, but I am not to fond of the thick quillons. Their shape seems to be more fitting a blunt sword for training or sparring, on a sharp sword I would prefer a “sharper” look to the whole piece.
Lastly onto the blade. I had to touch up the edges slightly as I found the sharpness out of the box to be lacking a bit (especially compared to the sharpening job KoA provides), but the blade geometry is great. The blade is diamond section with no noticable secondary bevel, only a slight appleseeding towards the edge, which is actually a good thing as this makes for a really sturdy edge. After giving the edges a polish with a 4000 grit stone it is now a lot of fun to cut with this sword.
In summary I would definitely recommend this sword if functionality is the focus. The functional aspects like blade geometry and dynamic properties are there. It has a clear 21st century look to it though, so if you are looking for a representation of an actual 15th century sword, this is not it. However, if you made it this far, you have already clicked on the picture of the sword, so you are aware of that fact.
PROS:
+ Price
+ Functionality
+ Quality of the actual sword fittings
CONS:
– Aesthetics
– Quality of the scabbard fittings
corpiergaming (verified owner) –
A great beginner sword. Highly recommend. Feels good in the hand, cuts like a dream.
Pros:
Cheap cost for a great beginner sword
High quality for the price
Great blade geometry (This sword shines when cutting heavy duty targets even without a razor sharp edge)
Emulates higher quality swords at a budget price range
Comes with a very nice scabbard
Cons:
The handle is a bit narrow (The corded texture and oval shape is nice for grip and edge alignment)
Does not come very sharp (It does come sharpened, though this sword does not need an incredibly sharp edge to cut into heavy targets)
The suspension belt is garbage (unimportant, just ignore the useless thing)
Jordan (verified owner) –
3.5 stars – definite buy for a functional sword with concessions and faults
I purchased this sword for my fiancé. It is her first sword, but i have years of experience with them, and in metallurgy, leather-working and woodworking
My first experience with this sword was not pleasant but upon use it showed it’s true colors.
If i could rate half points it would hit at 3.5 stars. I marked it at 4 as the sword is perfectly functional and the most important things are done right here.
To summarise this sword is a definite BUY for anyone looking for these qualities
PROS
•good cutting capability
•quality metal working
•ease of use with sturdy construction
•comes with scabbard (regardless of quality)
CONS
•abysmal grip leather quality
•abysmal belt (useless for right handed individuals)
•poor scabbard interior (very dirty on delivery)
•poor presentation (lots of glue stains on grip and around metal)
If you want a full formal review and breakdown read on.
I opened the sword and was presented with a dried adhesive on the grip, pommel and guard, and a scabbard that was way to tight for the sword. The blade consistently receives glue like debris on it when inserting and removing from the scabbard, and the leather quality on the grip was noticeably cheap and felt like foam.
In practice this sword has quite an incredibly straight and sturdy blade with good edge alignment, and a good bevel that holds an edge really well. The quality of the steel is quite pleasant for this price point and the furnishings are well milled, the pommel really stands out for it’s delicate smoothness.
Based on that alone this sword qualifies as a BUY because it’s practical use is quite phenomenal and a bit above this price point. Meaning the sword does what it should do phenomenally well.
The additions such as the scabbard and belt mar this sword as they take away funds from what could have been another-wise perfect sword at this price.
The leather quality on the grip was abhorrent. I removed it, wrapped and stitched some quality veg-tan in place.
When removing i was able to rip the leather in half with my bare hands like it was a piece of cloth.
For reference most cheap leather is much harder to tear than this was.
I cant help but believe that Ronin would be able to use truly quality leather on this sword if it were not for the additions of a scabbard and belt; that while nice to have, do not justify the additional cost they incur in production that likely takes away from the sword itself.
The belt is designed for left handed individuals and unless one has skill in leather-working, is likely useless to most people who are right handed.
The scabbard is sturdy with good construction but the throat guard was covered in glue residue and the interior is bare wood of low quality. The interior was also filthy upon receiving, which breaks the cardinal rule of scabbards that the only dirt in them should be from user error (ie not cleaning your sword before inserting it)
I make the concession that a scabbard is always good to have. And despite the low quality and potential to damage the blade, it is in-fact a soft plus in favor of this sword.
The belt is utterly poor in it’s construction, with a much higher leather quality than the grip.
Which makes little sense and begs the question if one could not do without the belt and use that same quality leather to wrap the grip. Saves on time and the cost making the belts.
Nothing you pay for is ever “free” so the scabbard and belt are not additions but part of the package and i judge the package as a whole.
Without them this sword would dominate at a lower price, perhaps $50 less. Or be of slightly higher quality at the same price.
As it is the sword blade is phenomenal, the fittings are very well done.
If you can stomach the poor leather grip and get pst first impressions this sword is absolutely worth the money.
The scabbard benefits the package only slightly by providing storage and “protection” but the interior of mine was very dirty and too tight to start.
The belt is nearly worthless and the cost to make it would be better spent on improving the grip leather and perhaps lining the scabbard interior.
Solid 3.5 stars with 3 being for the sword and the .5 being for the scabbard. The remaining 1.5 removed for the grip and belt.
David (verified owner) –
A sturdy, serviceable, comfortable budget longsword. Would recommend.
Pros:
-The fit of the scabbard is tight enough that I can hold the scabbard upside down and it will not drop unless I shake it several times.
-The lines are clean, and the satin finish is attractive.
-The sword is comfortable to hold and use.
Neutral:
-The stitching on the hilt and handle is quite noticeable. I have several Kingston Arms swords where the seams are flush (but may only be glued, and so may be less sturdy?). But the seem is aligned with the edge of the sword, so it helps me index the blade and is not uncomfortable against the creases of my fingers.
-The edge has good appleseed geometry, but is not sharp. It will not “bite” the pads of my fingers. I don’t mind because I sharpen all my swords with a 1″x30″ belt sander from Harbor Freight and finish with strop belts.
-As clearly noted by Kult of Athena, the belt and frog are made for a left handed person. They are also very cheap and rather loose. Basically garbage. The sword would be better without.
Cons:
-The sword tip was slightly damaged like it dropped about 1 inch onto concrete.
-There is must be excess glue in the scabbard because it leaves skid marks on the sword when drawn.
-The top of the scabbard where it meets the cross guard only likes up perfectly if I have the stitched side of the scabbard aligned with the stitched side of the grip. Otherwise it looks crooked and there is a gap.
-There is a pit in the blade about as wide as a needle, shallow. But fortunately without rust. I filled the pit with wax polish.
Joseph (verified owner) –
I enjoy the blade geometry, length, and style. Great at stabbing. There are some marks on the quillons and pommel, but nothing that bothers me much. Though I really like the scabbard, I worry about the metal piece at the throat which may dull the edge. Even though I ordered it sharp, it was too blunt for some thicker bottles I was cutting. Overall, I’m happy with my purchase.
Provolone (verified owner) –
Great sword for the price did some rough cutting and the sword held up very well with only minor scratches. The sword itself is great however the only issue I had was the scabbard seems very cheap but at this price range its expected. I would absolutely recommend this sword, if you were looking for a budget sword you can put though almost anything.
BB –
Photo album link at end! I’m going to nitpick here but man this is awesome at this price point.
5 stars just for value vs quality. I was going to dock it a star for the tip coming slightly bent, but fault of the shipper most likely. Unfortunate but 1075 carbon shouldn’t be terrible to repair I hope.
-Very nice blade and steel, feels great ergonomically but haven’t gotten to test it extensively yet.
-Some minor cosmetic blemishes on guard and end of blade, but extremely minor and overall a beautiful blade.
-The last millimeter-ish of the tip came bent ~90° to the side so it will need some slight repair.
-Minor gap in scabbard but it seats without rattle if you store it on one side (guard blemish comes in handy for this one actually).
-Retention is poor as others have mentioned but does have /something/ other than gravity. Not much, but the (waxy?) interior of scabbard holds it in a tiny bit.
Unlike store pictures they thankfully moved to a 2 buckle system on scabbard and added an alright leather wrap to the handle like others have mentioned. Included a sword belt but quality is poor (and too small for me but that’s usually the case I’m chunky)
Overall I love this thing. As long as I don’t abuse it this should last a long time.
Photo album after unboxing and minor cleaning/re-oiling:
https://imgur.com/a/kSkWPlB