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.
theejjdean (verified owner) –
Right out of the box I’m less than thrilled. Given the people involved in this project I expected a MUCH higher level of quality control.
The pommel on the sword that I received is slightly misaligned with the grip on the handle. I can’t tell if this is as a result of the pommel itself being misshapen or if someone was overly aggressive when peening the sword. One side of the pommel does seem to line up with the grip quite well so my assumption is that the pommel is misshaped. There are also some irregularities on the pommel (Tool marks and scrapes) in places that they don’t belong. This to me makes me feel like the person working on this piece didn’t take the time or care to do it properly but instead rushed.
There is a slight angle to the crossguard which is only noticeable to the obsessively detail oriented like myself. This to me isn’t that big of an issue and it does not seem to have any impact on the structural integrity of the quilions but it is present regardless. The grip itself is more a less flawless, the leather is very nice. The cord impression is consistent and well executed. The seam is visible but can hardly be felt and to me isn’t noticeable unless I’m looking directly at it.
The blade arrived with some minor scratches. I’m not sure if this was out of the box or maybe happened during sharpening. This is a sword which I fully intend to use for cutting and as such am not in the least bit upset about there being some superficial scratches on the blade. Also this thing is a monster long blade and I can’t imagine that I could have sharpened it myself without it taking some scratches in the process. (If that is where they came from.) The blade is very springy and I wish it were just a little bit more rigid but that is personal preference. Weight and point of balance do make it a very responsive sword but it is still quite hefty. It’s not blade heavy exactly but it doesn’t need much encouragement to get that tip speed going. That is exactly as promised on this sword.
The blade is paper shave sharp. However when sharpening KOA left a small section of the blade near the hilt unsharpened. This would have been perfectly fine had they gotten the grind lines evenly matched for length down the blade. I appreciate that the sharpening is well done and I also understand how time consuming it is to sharpen a Windlass let alone one of this length. I am satisfied with the sharpening service, however on a piece of this nature I would suggest that a little bit more attention to detail be put into those grind lines going forward. It probably isn’t an issue for most people, it’s also an easy fix, but it is also very easily preventable as well.
The scabbard is excellent and well fitted. The stitch work is near flawlessly executed and the leather is a decent quality. I would probably have preferred that the leather be a matte finish instead of a gloss. I would also have preferred that the chape be silver in color rather than bronze. Given that it’s historically unlikely this sword would have come with a scabbard in the first place, plus the shiny leather, I think it is a bit of an odd choice to go with bronze which for me personally breaks the aesthetic of the sword. I appreciate that this is an effort to make the piece more aesthetically historical. Again personal taste. There is absolutely nothing wrong with it! It is functional, solid, and seems well attached.
Overall the sword is very solid. No loose parts, all very well fitted (Minus the pommel issue, which I consider an issue of fitment.) Availability is one of the reasons that I settled on this piece. Not having to wait for a year or 18 months for a custom build or an Albion but being able to have it in my hands promptly was a large part of the decision to purchase. That being said this sword is approaching the price point of an Albion or a custom made sword. There are some little things about this piece that just scream Windlass. I’m not terribly fond of that. It to me is disappointing because with just a little more effort I feel that this piece could have been on the same level in terms of fit and finish as an Albion. I may be being overly critical, but it’s just my opinion.
However with sword, sharpening, and shipping this sword comes out to $861.70. Personally at that price point I was expecting a much higher level of attention to detail. I’m sure that all of the things I am taking issue with on this sword are very likely historically accurate, and probably are not going to be an issue for most people. It is a beautiful sword and it feels good in the hands. I feel like the premium for the workmanship is not the highest value. However given that the wait time is currently next to nothing it is a good option if you just can’t wait to have it in your hands. The sword is a high quality functional piece. I can’t fault it in any way when it comes to the functionality. My problem is purely with the aesthetics and the sticker price for those aesthetics.