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.
David (verified owner) –
Passable look and balance. Very poor guard construction, unimpressive edge even with usually-excellent KOA sharpening.
txmosberg (verified owner) –
Amazing sword to buy! Guard construction is not poor, high quality steel, and amazing balance! Would definitely recommend.
Matthew Nguyen (verified owner) –
I quite like it! Balance is nice, its a basic but very pretty sword (perhaps thats just the aesthetic I like). The blade seems stiff, which is nice seeing as how windlass had a problem with their longer blades being too flexible in the past. Now this sword is more or less a spadroon which is cut and thrust, but mind the blaring “Unsharpened” tag in the specifications. Windlass is based in India. They cannot sell or ship sharpened swords. I bought mind with the kult of athena sharpening service just to put an edge at all on the blade, but let me tell you even with that service you’re barely going to cut anything. Its edge is almost pitiful, but at least with the sharpening service…you have an edge.
How much that bothers you is up to you. I wanted AN edge on the blade but I dont plan on doing much cutting with it anyways. More for display and to feel a little more cool when practicing fencing. If you want it to be more functional, take it to a whetstone, grinder, sand paper, or file, but just know that whether or not you get the sharpening feature…You’re not going to getting a sharp blade in the mail. For my purposes however? Love it.
Jacob Halder –
THE AMERICAN SPADROON:
Ah yes, the spadroon! That most lambasted of swords and yet also the least understood. So how does this popular repro fair when it comes to representing “the perfect encumbrance?”
WHAT IS THIS:
Though I did not purchase this off KoA, I feel the piece I bought via a different seller is reflective of what KoA is offering here. So right off the bat, this is meant to represent the US Model 1840 NCO Sword of the Mexican-American War, American Civil War, and Spanish-American War aaand there is a problem of accuracy. Prior to about the 1870s, the M1840 NCO was not carried in a steel scabbard but a leather sheath with brass hardware. Windlass also sells a newer, updated version of this sword with a more accurate grip design and leather scabbard; if visual accuracy is what you want, that is the better choice.
ACCURACY:
In addition to practicing historical swordsmanship, I also handle and collect original swords on a regular basis. As such, I have handled several M1840 NCOs and can *confidently* say that this isn’t quite accurate to the M1840 NCO in handling or looks…but it’s a fair attempt. The originals I’ve handled feature far superior distal taper, going from about 9.56 mm at the base to 4.76 mm mid-blade to 2.38 mm at the tip. This major tapering resulted in the originals being lightning fast and responsive in the tip when making wrist cuts, to the point that the things moved liked greased lightning. Windlass’s offering is far too meaty in the tip and too narrow at the base to match that by any means, with the blade thickness being basically uniform and without distal taper.
But is that a bad thing? Despite how inaccurate this feels, taken on its own merits, it feels wonderful! The presence of the blade feels very manageable and responsive yet reasonably strong in the hand, and it is very stiff and stout for thrusting. While not very accurate to the US M1840 NCO sword, it none-the-less feels like a pleasant treat to use. Just a shame the grip kinda ruins it.
THE GRIP IS AWFUL:
Oh Windlass, why oh why did you make this the worst grip I have ever handled in my life? I’ve held dug-up swords with bare tangs that felt better to use than this. In attempting to copy the original’s half-faux wire grip, they turned this nice sword into a cheese grater. Not even all that accurate to the OG grips either. Without grip tape or leather gloves, swinging this felt like my hand wanted to die. Windlass did fix this on its updated M1840 NCO by hewing more accurate, but I haven’t handled that release so I’m not sure if it still has the same issue.
OVERALL:
For all its issues of accuracy and cheese grating, I adore this thing. Layering some grip tape onto this, it has become my favorite repro to mess with and do drills with. I still long for the day when a true masterclass spadroon repro will come out that truly matches a 19th century original, but I can happily make do with this. Your mileage may vary when it comes to the grip, but I still recommend this. Certainly makes for a great starting sword for a first-time buyer.