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.
Z –
Beautiful sword! Pictures don’t do this blade justice, its incredibly beautiful and the details on the hilt look amazing. The sword is a bit blade heavy as I believe most/all vikings swords were and is a powerful chopper. Kult of athena also does a good job sharpening this sword if you wish to purchase the service. The blade itself has good flex without wobbling too much. Personally, it took some getting used to handling this sword and initially was uncomfortable but after a few days or swinging it, I have no issues with it. The sheath is decent quality as well and the sword comes with a certificate of authenticity. I am very pleased with my purchase.
Mike –
For the Price, Five Stars Based on the other swords I own in this price range, this is at the top in terms of fit, finish, quality, and aesthetics. Based on my experience, buying swords in the $200-$400 price range can be a crap shoot and it is important to read up on reviews if they are available. I researched this model and the opinions and information did not reveal anything of concern. I had my eyes on this for a while and the aesthetics were the selling point for me.
There isn’t a whole lot to complain about. If you were to judge it like you would an Albion, you would find things to gripe about — quality of the peen and minor scuffs on the guard and artwork. But it’s a $300 sword and for the money, I don’t think I have owned a better example in terms of overall satisfaction of quality and aesthetics. The construction is solid and there are no rattle of parts or issues with fit(the biggest issue I have found in this price range.) The blade shows no signs of grind marks, which is another thing you can typically expect to see in this range.
It’s on the heavy side and a bit blade heavy, but it’s not unwieldy. The feeling in hand is pretty much what you expect when you think of all things viking–beefy, hefty, brutish etc..I won’t be sharpening the blade and plan on adding it to my display and using it as a trainer/conditioner. A blade-heavy sword has its advantages, one of them being it makes a good trainer to condition the wrists and forearm etc.
Brady S. –
Totally worth it Purchased this blade after a good deal of thought, as it was the first sword I’ve purchased, and I must say, I quite like it for the price. It isn’t perfect, the copper ring in the middle of the grip is a bit loose, the collar of the sheath doesn’t quite match the shape of the crossguard, and also leaves a fine white residue on the blade. Still, the artwork of the hilt and sheath are quite beautiful, and it is worth it just for that alone. I’d say definitely a show piece, but with a good edge it cuts great.
Tucker S. –
YEAH MAN!! There are others in this community that know much more about swords than I, but I am not completely ignorant, either. I got my Suontaka yesterday and I can’t stop staring at it. As one other commenter stated, there are some visible orbiter marks on the blade, but that is about as critical as you can get. It a a beautiful piece and it feels absolutely SOLID, adding to the feeling that I got a steal for the price. I requested mine be sharpened and the edge is truly scary! Everything on the hilt is high quality and fits nicely; the peening on the pommel is well done, the scroll work is very nice, and the copper band on the handle is a nice touch. The scabbard is a bonus, nicely matching the sword in fit and finish. All I can say is that if you like what you see in the photos, you will LOVE this sword in person!
JC –
Love it!! Ordered the sword on Thursday and got it the next Monday. Sword looks amazing. Feels great in the hand. Everything seems to be well constructed. It is heavy for its size but I like it that way. Couldn’t be happier.
Ryan –
Great sword I purchased this awhile ago and it looks much better in person and i was and still am very happy with the purchase, but i’m rating this 4 stars because the scabbard was little scuffed up more than a sword that i purchased in KoA’s “Dent and Scratch sale” but that was and still is my only problem with it.
Paul –
A beautiful and well-balanced sword. I would compare it to the Vendel sword, which is similarly well-made.