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.
Yuri Reznikov –
Solid Blade The handle is very solid with the triple pins and the blade fullers are gorgeous and even down both sides. There are only two downsides with this sword. It comes very dull which takes a bit more work and the second is that it tends to stick to the entry of the sheath. The dullness is completely understandable given the great price point. Overall this is a fantastically solid sword.
Mike c. –
Good feel to it I opened my newly arrived package from the fed exp truck this afternoon. Packaging was good, unwrapping easy and the item was not damaged at all. I pulled the blade from the scabbard with little effort, perhaps just a little too easy. The scabbard is very nice, seems solid and the fittings are well attached. The Shashka itself felt good in hand, blade heavy as I expected it to be. The wood grip was comfortable in the hand. The blade is clean and the fullers give it a great look as well as less blade weight. I have no intention to sharpen this blade and thusly I was pleased to see the blade fairly rebated rather then edged. Had it been sharp I would have needed to grind and polish the edge dull. I was pleased that was not required. For the price, it will make an excellent costume piece for an outfit I am putting together. For that purpose I have no cons to say about this sword. It well met my needs and expectations for this purpose. Thanks.
T. J. –
For the price? Yes. I bought this as a backyard cutter and I have enjoyed it. I did put an edge on it which took a bit of work but I didn’t mind.
You can see the imperfections on the blade from the quick forging job, but it has a good polish on it and the fullers are very nicely done.
Mine fits very loosely in the sheath. In fact, the bottom of the handle hits against the throat which dinged up the wood a little. If I hold it upside down, it falls out easily. Who cares…at this price any sheath is a bonus.
The top of the wooden grip dug into the base of my index finger so I rounded those areas to make it more comfortable.
I tested it on a pumpkin and the last third of the blade bent after one of the cuts. It bent back easily, suggesting that the heat treat left something to be desired.
I bought this expecting to put some work into it and now I really like it. The quality is not amazing but the price is. If I went back in time I would buy it again.
Marc Lawrence –
Good cutting sword I bought one as cutting sword for students to use, once sharpen it worked very well. We have cut clay blocks, bottles and reeds and it has done very well. I posted the videos on line of the sword in action. I would make one change to the scabbard so that for draw cutting edge of your hand has better access. If you wish to learn more about proper training with Shashkas, read the Cossack Saber Manual volumes 1&2.
yuripiterskii (verified owner) –
The balance on this sword is more like 12 “, which makes it feel a bit heavy.
ams111701 –
This is a very good blade. However it is a wrist breaker if you aren’t careful, and even if you are, you will still feel it. It is best to keep a wide berth of anything important or delicate as when swung at speed, this blade will provide a hefty concussive blow, if unsharpened, and a deadly one if the blade is sharpened.
Devin (verified owner) –
The balance point on the two I ordered is actually 13 1/2″ which makes it feel very heavy, the two I have each weigh 2.2lbs, so are much heavier than the specs suggest. The blade also thickens towards the tip, as opposed to thin so these are basically useless for cutting, without going through a serious grind and distal tapering. I didn’t get these for cutting though, I got them for my kids to learn Cossack sword dancing, but with the balance over 14″ out it makes them unwieldy for that purpose. They’re fine for the price, and are usable with some more work, but as they are out of the box? Could be better in my opinion.
dgringo (verified owner) –
I’m being generous with this rating. Essentially, there is NO distal taper, it is the last 1cm, which might be considered slimmer, but that is the point; the whole sword is the same thickness.
I try to buy intelligently and on a budget. I do not wish for any flashy stuff, just good battle ready equipment… admittedly I would/will have to put an edge on this, but… With two hands, it’s probably manageable. But it is a one-handed sword. For this price, I am happy to keep it and /work/ on it.
It’s is likely the source, Deepeeka — discounting the poor claims by Kult. Windlass historically, and more so now, developing some amazing blades.