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.
Mike M. –
Assault buckler! This little beauty is slightly large and heavy for a buckler but it is really more of a small shield/secondary weapon than a true buckler. Sure, sure, it can parry, block and deflect just like a normal buckler but it is also purpose built to hack and stab and bash with. The pointed ridges along the top would make for a nasty surprise if they were caught in the neck, face, or unprotected chest. The highly tapered bottom point can also be used as a brutal attention getter/head cracker. The huge boss and rows of spikes along the front make for quite effective body blows. I find the handle to be a bit thin so I suggest wrapping it yourself for a good grip that wont twist in the hand. I find it also quite beautiful. It’s design is based on a rose motif. The boss is the bud, surrounded by thorns and sitting on a jagged rose leaf. The spikes come blunted (but are still heavy bruisers) and I wish that the boss came to a sharp point like in the manuscripts but I’m very happy with it overall.
Jared –
Good for the price The first thing I noticed about this is how uncomfortable it is to hold without gloves on and I think it’s just due to the shape and size of the handle. It’s a bit heavy but really not too bad. The shape of it is very nice looking although I’m not sure what the spikes would be used for. When I tested it nothing I shot it or stabbed it with got through. Arrows from my 50 pound bow deflected off leaving a couple scratches and when I stabbed it with a sword it went into the shield a little bit leaving a small but noticeable hole. Overall though it’s pretty decent for the price.
William M. –
Well Built, Great for Rapier This is a really great buckler, especially for the price. Solidly constructed without being too heavy and great balance in the hand. With a reverse grip, the long tail of the shield makes a great parrying tool for rapier fighting.
Rob –
Great buckler for the price The weight is a bit up there, but its still effective to use as a buckler, the spikes and fluting serve a defensive purpose to trap thrusts and prevent them from glancing. The ridges along the outside of the buckler also act as a way to prevent sliding when encountering slices and chops.the tail end of the buckler is an extra measure in defense, but also a hooking device. Over all I’m pretty impressed with how solid it feels.
Guy –
Extremely good value for money This product is fantastic, especially for the price. If you’re on the fence here I’d say go for it without a second thought. I do SCA rapier and I’ve fought mostly single sword for 2 years, but I was looking for an off hand to use in melees. I’ve only been playing with this thing for a week of practice and I’m already in love with it. The appearance may intimidate some marshals so you might have to deal with some reluctance based on looks alone, but I’ve fought in two different baronies this week and it passed inspection in both.
Thoughts:
– The shield has a really good weight and balance. It’s not too heavy to move around, but if you make dramatic movements it will tire you out, especially in a melee situation. That being said, I bet you could replace the handle with a wooden/plastic/aluminum one to shave some of that weight off, but I’m not sure how that would affect the overall balance.
– The boss and the spikes are exactly as effective as you might expect at deflecting blades. I’ve found that if you hold it with the top and bottom pointing to your sides instead of up and down you can get away with some truly ridiculous parries.
– The aggressive look really does throw some people off, which can give you an edge.
I found this shield when I was doing a google image search for bucklers 3 years ago and I’ve wanted one ever since. It did not disappoint. (:
Yuexin –
It’s a beautiful piece! Great price for the quality but be aware that it’s mild steel so you have to oil it.
The weight is on the heavy side and you can really use it to gain your shoulder muscle. I primarily fence with sabre, but by training with this buckler I got much stronger arms.