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.
RWB (verified owner) –
Positives:
Durability- Very High
Comfortable Grip
Scabbard is nice
Negatives:
CHONKY BOI: Too overbuilt
Forward Balanced Blade- Tends to “pull” the user around
Robert Lankford (verified owner) –
This blade kinda took me by surprise when using it. A bit heavy in a good way though, it will definitely lead you around so be prepared to use that to your advantage. The only 2 complaints I have with it is, I wish they would have reinforced the tip of the blade and made the end of the tang like they did on the broadsword. I can easily live with the latter but the former kinda gets me. Other than that it’s a really good sword.
CWR –
In my opinion this is among the top ten short swords on the market you can split a brick with this Lady, However she is truly a xxxx to get sharp I put a rounded dull edge that will just slice sheet of paper that way when I Chop a bone the edge will retain its integrity this 9260 High Carbon Steel is tougher than my mother in law bless her heart in heaven God she was a battle axe LOL
ARM (verified owner) –
When reading the following consider that the blade came with a factory edge. If I were purchasing another I would use KoA’s sharpening service. That said, you would not want someone hacking at you with it as is.
First, what this sword is not. It is NOT a gladius and should not be judged as one despite the name . Anyone can tell this before purchasing it by looking at the images and reading the specifications and then comparing those to the images and specs of various gladii on KoA’s website. If you have or do purchase it without doing that and are then disappointed because it does not look or handle like an actual gladius, the fault is your own.
Second, what this sword is. It is a chopper and a sticker. It is inspired by the gladius, thus the name. It is somewhat similar to another blade inspired by the gladius: the Model 1831 French Infantry short sword aka the Cabbage Chopper and its knockoffs. It is a bit heavy for its size and is designed to hold up to a bit of abuse. That said, it’s point is a bit better for thrusting and probably less durable than the Cabbage Chopper’s. Some of the complaints or cons people have regarding this blade are the same as those for the Cabbage Chopper.
The APOC Brutus’ hilt consists of two screwed in place. They are somewhat blockish, but the corners are well beveled–more comfortable to hold than one might imagine. Cloth tape improves the grip as the scales are smooth. Some might like them to be a tad narrower in cross section. It would be easy to modify or replace them.
The guard serves to prevent the hand from sliding forward. It is too small to depend on to protect the hand otherwise. The guard and ricasso have squared corners. It would be nice if they were rounded abit, but that is easy enough to do at home.
The point is well suited to thrusting. The point control is is manageable and you can rap a finger around the cross if you like. . Just remember this blade is intended for more than thrusting.
The scabbard seems durable. It would be nice if it came with a belt loop, but it is easy enough to improvise with the current design.
Summary: If you want a Roman Gladius, buy a reproduction, not the APOC Brutus. If you want something similar to a gladius consider the Brutus. Also consider the Cabbage Chopper, a qama, kindjal, or other gladius inspired weapon. Whatever you do, read and compare the specifications. Caveat emptor.
Note: I do not base PRODUCT ratings on shipping or customer service issues. That said, this product was delivered in good order in a timely fashion. There were no problems with customer service.