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.
Ryan –
Well worth it. This thing is just awsome,it does have some semblance to actual historical designs but i dont believe its modeled after a specific find, at just under 3 lbs its light and agile even in one hand but the balance leaves it with quite an imposing feel, the blade honestly looks a bit wider in person than the pictures may suggest, the edge and blade geometry lend themselves excellently as a cutter as well, the hilt is quite sturdy and the finish is nice, nothing spectacular but in all for this price range it went beyond what i was expecting, i havnt done destrucfive testing but ive seen ronins cheaper medieval swords put through their paces and since theyve started using the peened hilt construction i have no worries about how the blade holds up, the only issue ive found is that the pommel has steep edges that dig into the hand if your not careful, this can be remedied by either grinding down those edges where they contact the hand or perhaps wrapping black cloth or other substance around the bottom of the handle so it tapers over the part of the pommel closest to the handle, but otherwise it comes workably sharp (5 minutes on a stone and its shaving sharp) with no secondary bevel, if you are considering this purchase id say its a step up from hanwei or windlass and in a similar price range
Corey F. –
Honest Review Based on Price to quality i gave it 5 stars because 4 1/2 is not an option I would give it 4 1/2 due to 2 issues of which only 1 is native to the sword design itself.
To begin with I own 6 other longswords so i will try to be as fair and honest as i can.
The blade.
It has a distal taper and is very shinny and well polished. The one i got had some blemishes where you can see the polish wasn’t done as properly as it could be but i do not believe it is common among Ronin Katana as i have the Euro #7 and there is no problem as well as i never herd of this polishing problem before from Ronin Katana so i believe it is isolated to mine or a few swords.
Hilt.
The Quillion/cross-guard is fine. It has a recess cut into it where the blade fits in and is an odd construction type for modern swords but not for historical swords as it was common to be done this way in the past. Also because of this the guard is perfectly aligned not slanted to one to one side as far too many are now a days.
The grip is a bit thick but not unreasonably thick for me. The ridges are nice and are made of string not wire so it doesn’t dig into your hands when you swing without a glove like many spaced wire wrap grips do. The one problem i had and you can see it on one of the pictures is that the leather is sewn together with no glue causing the small leather flaps of the seam between the stitching to move back and forth a bit. This was EASILY fixed with some super glue with a fine applicator and no more problem.
The pummel was nice and the peen was well ground and then polished. Mine was ever so slightly off center but again it may just be mine as i own other Ronin Katana longsword and it doesn’t have a problem.
Balance
The balance of the sword to me is a bit more to the point than i like however when used in 2 hands like it is supposed to i have no problem, again not unreasonable due to the distal taper of the blade. Balance can be a personal preference some like it closer to the hilt some farther however it is not some point heavy monster.
Overall
Overall i feel this sword is great for the price. I’ve seen more expensive ones that have far more issues and can easily recommend this sword. For the price it is well worth it.
Joel –
Nice sword It is a very nice sword fast and fluid in the hand the only ting is that where it widens out it is rounded but it still feels good overall it cuts well very happy with it
Matthew A. –
Nice sword Received this sword, and it is beautiful I’m very pleased with it my only complaint is the cross guard moves just a little bit when jiggled but other than that this sword is a beautiful piece well worth it
Nate –
Good sword This is my first decent sword, so I’m not an expert, but it appears to be well crafted. It is fairly well balanced and has a nice taper. It came sharp enough to cut paper, but I haven’t tested it on anything like tatami yet. My only real issue with this sword is that the guard came a little loose after chopping up some fruit, but not dramatically so. overall, I would say this is a good sword
Andy –
This sword is the best sword on the market for a budget sharp. Agile in the hand, strong in the cut and the thrust, and it just. Looks. Gorgeous. From what I’ve seen of the durability of the products made by this company, the thing will take a hell of a beating before giving out on you, too. All of that functionality at that insane price, and it comes with a scabbard and sword belt, too? That is a fantastic deal, and if you have the scratch for it, take it. What else can I say that hasn’t already been said?
My one issue is that when handling the sword bare-handed, the disc pommel felt very uncomfortable after a while. With a pair of gloves, this problem is entirely eliminated. That said, if it’s your life or the comfort of your hands, the choice is easy.
Oscar (verified owner) –
Nice and sharp out of the box. Somewhat tip heavy but not terrible. The reason why I’m giving it 4 stars is because the one I got came with the tip slightly bent. I had of reprofile the tip with a file.
Mark B –
I haven’t yet been able to try any cutting with this sword, as I am currently awaiting a total hip replacement surgery. After I’m back in one piece and can move around a little better, I intend to get back into some test cutting and exercising with it. Overall, it’s a beautiful sword, unadorned but lithely shaped, and feels solid and dependable in comparison with other swords I’ve owned. There’s one issue that bothers me about it, and so far it hasn’t presented a usability problem, rather it being other than what was advertised. The website description says that the guard and pommel are both stainless steel, yet neither of them are magnetic. I know that surgical steel is non-magnetic and non-reactive, but this isn’t surgical steel either. I first noticed because of the temperature- it was very cold in the room where I kept the sword, and the blade was appropriately cold to the touch, yet the pommel was only slightly less warm than my skin. I found the same with the guard, so I stuck a magnet to the blade with the expected result, but watched it have zero attraction to the pommel and guard. I don’t know if it’s some lighter steel alloy, but it does make me worry that the guard might break during use.
Ryan (verified owner) –
Really solid quality all around. I bought this around the middle of 2023 for a knighting ceremony during my wedding, and have plans to make a custom scabbard as a slight upgrade, and to inset synthetic ruby and emerald engraved with cameos of our family crest into the blank rounds of the pommel.
I did have to gently file down the edges on the parts of the pommel and guard which face the handle. They didn’t feel sharp to the touch at first, but the pommel cut my palm open pretty good the first time I swung it around with real force, just due to the weight and speed of the sword. I wound up accidentally staining the handle with a bit of my blood, but you can only tell if you look quite close. It was a 5 minute fix, so no real complaint on my part.
In regards to what Mark B said in his review: Stainless steel is non-magnetic. Neither the guard or pommel takes rust. Like all carbon steel, the blade needs to be well-oiled, and I have done so diligently, never really bothering to oil the pommel or guard, and have had 0 problems.
D. Drake (verified owner) –
I’m very happy with it. It has a beautiful blade, and quite sharp and the scabbard is excellent as well.