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.
Rick M. –
Not Your Typical Windlass Blade At last inventory of my collection, I owned four Windlass medieval European swords. I own the Ouse River Type XVI, the 15th Century Long sword, Type XIX, the Oakeshott Type XIV and the Sword of Robin Hood Type Xa. None of these swords are what I would call “Battle Ready”. Although they take a good edge and cut well, none seem sturdy or robust enough to be a sword that I would have entrusted my life with had I been living the days where swords were ones main source of defense in battle and and in self defense.
This sword is very different from any other Windlass I own or have ever held. It has some of the same features of other Windlass products such as the hand sewn leather grip and fit is like others, but this is a whole different animal. First, the finish is a kind of mottled black on blade and hilt furniture, and the peen is much more pronounced and visible, though a bit sloppy but the real difference is the temper and stiffness of the blade.
On other Windlass swords that come sharp, there is a clear secondary bevel to the edge. There is no such bevel here. The Battlecry line looks to be made with the intention of cutting and thrusting and not a display sword that could be sharpened.
This sword clearly was built to be used and used hard. I have worked this sword against a pell and never worried about the edge folding or the tip bending. The balance is very good for me with a point of balance at about two and a half inches from the guard and the center of percussion is such that I don’t feel too much if the impact in wrist or palm.
The grip isn’t the most comfortable barehanded, but a good set of gloves (especially with a padded palm) makes this a non-issue.
The only reason that I gave this four stars instead of five is the sloppy peen and the silly black finish. as far as functionality is concerned, this is a five star practice sword all the way!
I will be buying the two handed Bosworth Longsword as soon as the money hits my checking account.
-Rick M.
Ryan Windsor –
Not perfect but great for the price! I ordered this sword recently and I am very impressed for the price. It is definitely a level above what I would expect from a Windlass product (I also own the now discontinued Oakeshott Type XIV which is a fine sword itself). The balance and weight seem fine, the edge came “sword sharp” which is fine by me, and the grip is quite nice. The peen is beefy and there appears to be a resin or some such filling in the gap between blade and guard. While neither is aesthetically pleasing, it leaves little doubt as to the robustness of the construction. The scabbard is also surprisingly nice; while it is just leather it managed to grip the blade very tightly and the frog is a nice add on.
This all would make for e perfect 5 if not for some cosmetic issues. I like the overall aesthetics of the sword but there are some signs of sloppiness. The fuller in particular is very poor, off center and uneven on one side of the blade. This does not affect function and one is unlikely to notice it unless one is looking for imperfections (I think the blackened blade makes it harder to notice). There are other, more common and expected at this price, cosmetic issues but none as significant as the fuller. I actually like the blackening in this case due to the weathered appearance it has; I think it gives some personality to the sword and helps protect it. The rough peen and resin filling the gaps isn’t an issue to me as it at least demonstrates the rugged construction well enough.
All in all this is a great buy for the money as long as you are okay with potential cosmetic issues and don’t mind the rather distinct aesthetic it has overall. This is the embodiment of function over form but the form isn’t half bad overall and I can entirely recommend this sword.
John –
Agincourt Warsword – where beauty, quality and value meet This is a fantastic sword. Every part of it is solid and beautiful. The blade is shorter and lighter than the average arming sword, and the hilt is narrower, fitting the hand very well and making it perfect for a smaller warrior. The point of percussion is 11 1/2 inches down the blade, which means you need to get in very close to your target to make a decent cut, but there is nearly a foot of taper with which to thrust. As a bonus, the sword came with a very stylish frog (that clips into the scabbard preventing slippage), with semi-adjustable belt straps that make this the most comfortable sword I’ve ever worn. The scabbard itself is very handsome. It’s true the lighter blade sacrifices cutting power, but it is still capable of delivering a blow that would take off the limb of an unarmored fighter with relative ease. Plus, its versatility and shorter length would give an advantage when fighting in corridors and alleys against foes with longswords or arming swords. It is less sharp lower down on the blade, allowing for half-swording and so on. And while it’s true I would have sharpened the upper edge more myself, after doing a few test cuts, it is apparent the edge it comes with is going to both do the job and hold up to repeated use… whereas a sharper edge might tend to knick and need to be sharpened often. All-in-all, it’s a quality blade.
Paul G. –
From a Happy Camper This says it all.
https://sbg-sword-forum.forums.net/thread/53976/battlecry-agincourt-sword
Kyle –
A very good true “bastard” style sword for the money For the price easily 4.5 starts. And finally a true hand- half sword meaning it can be easily used in one hand but the grip provides enough length to be used with 2. More of a thrusting design I did however do test cutting on milk jugs as well as rolled soaked news paper and wooden dowels. It preformed decently enough, while as stated before it is more of a thrusting sword it would cut a lot better if it had a proper edge. Even with KOA sharpening service the blade could not paper out of the box, while the edge it came with was usable and that’s what I tested, it probably would have preformed much better with a proper edge. However the point will pierce nearly anything you throw at it. The sword is very good at thrusting. My only other complaint about the sword is the circle pommel is a little unconformable to grip. You could place both hand on the grip completely but a sword of this design is more geared towards grabbing the pommel for more leverage during 2 handed use. The fleur de lis on the pommel though looks quite nice. Now for the scabbard, the scabbard looks very nice with the metal accents however no wooden core is a let down for collectors who prefer to display or store their blades in their scabbard as a leather only scabbard can trap moisture on the blade. The suspension system is a nice touch though. All in all for the money it is a durable and well handling and preforming sword.
Summery
Pros
– Price
– performance
– looks
– Handling
– An actual bastard or hand- half sword
Cons
– No wooden core scabbard
– Edge is sub par even with the sharpening service
– pommel a little unconformable to grip while swinging