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.
evilchristopher12 (verified owner) –
I received my sword today. It came a day later than expected and I paid for sharpening and it still has the factory edge on it. No attempt was made to sharpen it at all. I’m very heartbroken about this. The sword is solid and looks great but is duller than a butter knife. Am so disappointed.
David W –
evilchristopher12@gmail.com (love the email) – We are sorry you were disappointed! Thank you for reaching out to customer service and working to find a solution – I am glad they were able to help.
davidshapiro94 (verified owner) –
I received this sword on Friday and was overall pleased with the product I bought. The sword feels good in hand, a little blade heavy but that’s to be expected with a sword of this type at this price point. The grip is surprisingly comfy, a cut above the windlass swords I’ve handled before but under the Ronins I’ve owned. The blade is great, flexible yet stiff with the fullers taking a lot of the weight off of what is an admittedly wide blade. I’m very satisfied with it , except that one edge of the blade i sharper than the other . Got to get on top of that guys.
davidshapiro94 (verified owner) –
This sword deserves five stars for its price point and handling. My first impression was incorrect.
Mike –
I added the sharpening option to my order and the sword is fantastic. For the price point, you can’t go wrong.
The balance, the quality, and the handling of the sword is great.
Kris Martin (verified owner) –
I have long desired an arming sword with this blade design. I must say, I am not disappointed one bit. I am not going to spar or do cutting, this is a modest priced sword that is perfect for history buff and reenactors alike. The pommel , grip and blade are all robust. The scabbard is not bad, the cross guard could be a bit beefier for my taste. But , overall I would recommend this sword to the average Joe that wants to reenact , or make a killer knightly get-up.
Nathan K –
I bought this second hand. I owned the Del Tin version. When this one showed up I sold the Del Tin. Very nice.
Ikh Mongol Tserendorj (verified owner) –
Oh my god, this is genuinely the best sword for beginner collectors, the handle started peeling off but I fixed it myself so don’t be a crybaby in the reviews guys, you can be cooler
Ryan Hoffman (verified owner) –
Truly a fair thing,
The sword is beautiful, the balance is excellent, and the Latin phrase ringeth true even in the most dire times. I object only to the sharpening service, which was quite poor. Though there was a edge it could scarcely be called keen, for I had trouble even cutting cardboard with it. In finale, the sword is excellent, but perhaps be prepared to sharpen it.
nnies12 (verified owner) –
It’s like a Walmart Albion!
I’m honestly really impressed with this sword. It feels wonderful in the hand, has surprising fit and finish especially for the price point, and really *feels* like a proper sword. When I pick it up it’s just aching to be swung around. Especially at this price range, you don’t see a lot of swords made of decent steel, peened construction, and come with a proper wooden scabbard. It’s wonderful.
Here are my only gripes. I see some places where the fit isn’t quite dead on. For example where the chape on the scabbard meets leather, it’s cut into it somewhat leaving a little booger of leather hanging over. The leather wrap on the handle has the same, where the edges of the leather don’t quite mate perfectly together. Some sort of filler has been used to close the gap between the blade and the hole in the guard. However, I can only see these things when looking extremely close and really searching for imperfections. Additionally, the “factory edge” isn’t much edge at all; you can actually see there is almost a flat side on the edge of the blade. I got mine for half display and half for wear in living history though, so I prefer it that way anyways.
This is a hand made thing, and it shows on the piece. Some very slight variations in the grind on the guard, some grind marks when your turn it in the right light. In my opinion, all of these things make it even more like a real piece taken from the 14th century. I absolutely love it.
rodriguez.santamaria (verified owner) –
I ordered my sword with factory edge. This sword build is very high quality. Fit and finish is outstanding. The scabbard is very nicely done. There are 3 points of criticism: 1.the guard does not appear to be true to the type of sword it represents; 2.the grip leather is only glued on and after a few days of very light practice, the seam is opening apart; 3. (the most egregious) the hardening of the sword is off, my file is able to cut into the steel and does not “skate” along the edge.
Points 1 & 2 are not very important and easily fixed. I do not regret my purchase. I like this sword a lot, handles very well, great indoors, flex is “just right”.
Point 3…well, I can not fix that.
Isaiah Salehi (verified owner) –
Fantastic sword, especially for the price!
I am thoroughly impressed with the build and quality. The finish and the primary bevel are exceptional for this price range of sword, and it feels very solid.
After putting an edge on it, I couldn’t be happier!
MyPanache (verified owner) –
WOW!
This sword is quite light yet feels very solid. The scabbard is quite nice. I am pleased with the KoA sharpening service. I hold this blade in my hand and it feels like a real sword. I think the value for this piece is very, very good. The only small mark against it is that the leather wrap around the grip is glued on (instead of stitched) and corner of the leather is peeling away after holding it a few times. This is easily fixed with a little super glue. It is a beautiful piece and will be a highlight of my modest collection.
If you are looking for an arming sword and trying to find a real sword under $300 this is a really good deal.
John Hildebrandt –
This is the first Balaur sword I have ever purchased and to be honest, I’m blown away. I cannot find one thing about this to complain about. My last sword was a Darksword Armory at $600 plus and this one matches it quality wise in every way, at half the cost.
All the parts line up, blade is completely straight, well-tempered and very well polished. The grip looks good and is comfortable. I ordered it sharpened and it came that way with a very even grind. I have no problem with giving this sword a five-star rating.
One of the reasons I bought it is due to so many totally positive reviews. These swords live up to the promise in the description-
rayblundell@yahoo.com (verified owner) –
I ordered mine on 2/3 it shiped on 3/4 and I got it today the 10th.That time span is longer than I have experenced befor.The only negative thing tonight I cut some water bottles and the handle wrap-leather started comming apart , fixed it already.Imay change the lether wrap anway.What cutting I did it cut very well.This style of blade is one I really like.The weight on mine is 2.10oz,the blade length is 30″,and the pob is 4&3/8.It handles great ,the sharping was also very well done,after about 15 years or so of collecting swords I am able to sharpen them but it is nice not to have to also.Speaking about the balance this sword handles better than my windless oakeshott type xIv whith of a blade length of 26″ and a weight of 2.14oz.the sword (new) one is not to thick,also it is flexable,but not to flexable.I have read a lot of reviews on this Balaur brand and heard lot of people say it is hit of miss with this brand.I heard now there are made by windless-I have always had good luck with windless,also the gap between the guard and blade is not bad at all.The scabble is simp;e but nice ,I like the rain guard style at the top of the scabbard.All in all this is a great sword,I’am thing of getting a nother one,but I will try and get it shiped via express due to the last two including this one fedx hal s let the sword set in there delvery hub for two to three days! If yoe like this style of sword I would recommed it,rember only cut water bottles,mats,and bamboo safe cutting Ray Blundell
Justin Pon (verified owner) –
I am very pleased with this purchase. This is a killer sword for the price! Pun intended. I purchased mine sharpened. When I received it, it was pretty sharp, but I polished out the edge to more of an apple seed profile. It was sharpened except for about an inch unsharpened near the cross guard. Which I’m completely fine with. Sharpening was symmetric, even on both sides.
I then purchased a brass cross potent pommel marker for the pommel from DBK scabbards. This sword looks so amazing with the pommel marker.
Balance is great for this sword. Has some blade weight, but with a lot of tip control still. So I find it to be well balanced.
I purchased the second generation, so the grip is smaller than the first generation. I think this second generation is perfect.
I did have some slight grip issue, with a small bit of the leather grip loose at the seam where it comes together. But I’m an amateur leather bender, and used a good leather glue to glue it back on. Haven’t had a problem with it since. Could the leather grip have a better seam? Of course. But for the price, I’m 100% happy, and it’s easy to fix.
Just a super attractive, well built sword for the price. With a decent scabbard now! Great deal.
matt (verified owner) –
I really like this sword, but I’m very disappointed with the quality control. The scabbard is noticeably warped to the point that it makes it difficult to draw the sword. I feel like it should have been sold as blemished rather than first quality. However the sword itself is excellent for the price and handles surprisingly well for it’s weight.
Ray Blundell (verified owner) –
Update on single mat cutting.The sword cut through but took more effort than I through I would need Ray Blundell