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.
Steven Wynn –
Takes a lot of abuse Had mine for about 2 years and certainly put it through its paces. Its weight and handling is not historically accurate, but this is built to take heavy abuse. I’ve destroyed cinder blocks, chopped firewood, hit it on a most anything I could get away with. If you want something sharp and sturdy, this is what you need.
Olafr G. –
Cold Steel Viking Sword This is an outstanding weapon.Blade flexes well,retains a SHARP edge.Very well balanced.Man the longships it’s time to go a viking
Joe –
This sword is Perfect for the price, the Handling is excellent. Thank you KOA for the low price and fast shipping. Amazing quality for the price, sword came with a great functional edge and fantastic geometry, not only that, but through testing the sword on wood, heavy plastic bottles, and aluminum cans, The sword performed really well, but developed some wiggle in the handguard, but the wiggle was already present before the test, but it got slightly worse. However the aluminum from the cans never got stuck on the very edge of the sword, which must require the right geometry, cause on many other swords and knives I have tested, the aluminum gets stuck on the edges, But even after numerous aluminum cans being cut, none of the aluminum got stuck on this sword. Though the aluminum that would get stuck on other knives, was from cans that had extra thick painted aluminum, which seemed to cause the sticking, but, again, not on this sword, very interesting I thought, and nice. The edge took pretty much no damage besides some slight edge reflections upon closer inspection, which is normal, no discernible loss in sharpness after cutting wood, cutting about 20 bottles including very thick bottles, and cutting 20 or more aluminum cans, the bottles and cans were filled with water.
Karen –
Very nice sword but defiitey not as sharp as on Cold Steel videos etc My husband bought me this sword and don’t misunderstand me. I love it. It is a beautifully crafted weapon. And this thing would pierce flesh like it was nothing. But, after that, some of the sharpness seems to be a fair bit exaggerated as compared to The Cold Steel Videos. Mine (brand new) has a tough time slicing paper, could know half a plastic soda bottle filled with water. (Although, on it’s side on the ground, the blade tip pierced it leaving a big tear in it with little effort.)…It gives you the feeling that Cold Steel keeps their sharpest blades and gives the less sharp blade to it’s other retailers. Nevertheless, I love this sword, how it is made and looks. And my husband bought it for me as display of part of heritage which DNA sources show to trace back to early Viking raiders in Scotland / Ireland…I plan to display with a Viking shield and Shield maidens dress….So, I am not greatly bothered by the exaggerated bade sharpness in my case. And I can say, if I were a burglar, I wouldn’t to run into someone wielding this weapon! lol….
J –
This was my first sword. Even without prior experience owning swords, I feel I can give a fair review. I did not expect perfection at this price point. The overall sword and sheath feels cheap. Again, because I’m new I have nothing to compare it with but I know it’s very low quality. Same with the hilt. The guard and pommel are very cheap looking. The engravings are very shallow and look mediocre. The photos look SO MUCH BETTER. I bought it because it looked gorgeous and at the price point, appeared to be well worth the money. Now, I wouldn’t even want to hang it on my wall. It’s so plain and vanilla. There is nothing fancy about it at all. AGAIN, for the price that’s all okay. I’m just being honest. However, this sword is fully functional, I wouldn’t doubt that it can take a lot of abuse. It works, came with a mediocre edge but can cut. The sword does not fit entirely into the sheath either. There is about a two mm gap one one side between the guard and top of sheath.
All in all, VERY UGLY, very plain and vanilla, but is a functional sword. Is it worth buying? Yes!! Absolutely!!! I highly suggest you buy one. Don’t expect perfection, be sure you are okay with how plain it is!!
I ordered the Windlass suontaka Viking sword today. I’m very excited to see how it compares to the Cold Steel Viking sword. In terms of looks, I already know the Windless will look ten times more amazing and gorgeous than the cold steel. But looks aren’t everything. Keep in mind the Windlass is only about 50 dollars more (maybe even less)
Buy both!! Do not let my review prevent you from buying this cold steel!!! I honestly think its great! I have a feeling they are selling function over fit and finish. Which is great but I don’t use my swords. I’d like my sword to be useable but I’m never going to use them. So I prefer a decent balance. Looks matter to me. I’m looking for a sword that is visually appealing and functional at this price point. It may not exist!! However I am looking!! Wish me luck and I hope you end up buying this cold steel. You won’t regret it!
Erik –
I have owned this sword for quite a few years now and love it. It’s REALLY HEAVY AND UNBALANCED – like a sharp club. It’s not 900AD w/ real battles…so the balance works great for cutting! It looks cool and has a decent scabbard. It came with an uneven grind/sharpness, but I’ve never owned a cheap sword that DIDN’T need some edge work.
I have put cold steel products through various tests. I can tell you this blade will hold up even if fittings become loose, the edge rolls, etc. Take care of this and you will get years out of it as I have!