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.
Ray B. –
hanwei raptor unokubi zukuri katana This is a very goog cutter ,I had to sharpen mine up but after cut 10 beach mats with large pool noddle inside about 21″ around,also various watter bottles and 2″ bamboo.Love the fittings and the blade is just great!All the the fittings and the wrap on tsuka still tight after all the cuttingThis is just a great swird!
TJ F. –
I have had this sword for around two years now, and I would consider it to be one of my ‘go-to’ blades in my collection. I have cut many of bottles, nicked the edges of many caps and bottle necks, and have overswung at trajectories which have landed this blade into the ground, and throughout all of it the only indication of edge damage is a microchip 3/4ths of the way into the blade. Hanwei make proper blades made of proper spring steel and I wouldn’t hesistate to buy another, thumbs up from me for their Raptor and Practical XL series of blades.
Fair warning though, although this blade is fairly light (mainly because of the amazing balance) it is quite a beast in terms of size in person, so I’m not certain how it would fare in the hands of someone who is shorter in stature. Either way, this blade is a dedicated cutter and its no surprise that Hanwei have revolutionized the reproduction market with the Raptor lineup of blades.
alientude –
Pretty good example of an unokubi zukuri, although the crazy long tsuka makes it feel a bit different than other unokubi. And it’s got the axe handle shape that Hanwei has a reputation for, which I found a little awkward to use. Still, overall it’s a well-executed katana that should be a good backyard beater.
I did a full video review on YouTube: https://youtu.be/-42KiGKytYE
eugen –
The only thing that Gesshoku has ever cut since I’ve purchased her (it’s a SHE damnit, let me be! Too much Bleach, kkthxbye), has been paper. Not the same thing can be said of my first practical katana Himawari, also from Hanwei, the Musashi Elite series. I have managed to chew threw that beautiful leather tsuka with my palms, practicing and chopping wood. Had to re-do all the fittings myself. Feels good to say that for some reason.
Anyway, two years later, with bi-weekly maintenance, Gesshoku still cuts paper. A sword is best left in her sheathe, someone smarter than me once said.
Gregor44 –
Very nice sword that cuts and feels like a much more expensive blade. I purchased mine preowned from someone who purchased in from Kult of Athena recently. The seller loved the sword but needed money so I was fortunate to find this but the seller was new to shipping and failed to wrap the katana with any packing material and tape so it arrived in an open package loose. I suggest buying new from Kult of Athena whenever possible but despite the sword being loose bouncing around inside a box with no protection across the country during Christmas time,the sword and saya were undamaged. It looks brand new and cuts like swords that cost 2-3 times more. Paul Chen founded Hanwei in the 1990s and his weapons are made to last while looking like works of art on any budget and are always made of very consistent quality materials.Another reason I would avoid eBay swords and stick with KOA is because many ebay items are listed incorrectly and not accurate about the steel used or methods used to make them.