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.
Creedlord –
Not the real sword (tsuba and pommel) First to say the pictures on this side dont match with what you will really get. As you can read in the description the tsuba and pommel are crafted from black iron, in the pictures you cant see any black. If you want to see the real pictures i would recommend you the cold steel website where you can see the black tsuba and pommel and what you will get with this order.
But to take this aside, the sword is great. It has a solid and thick blade and still cuts well. The worksmanship is without one blemish (thanks for that to koa).
I got it to the reduced price of 410$ and that was totally worth it. 5/5 would buy it again here to this price.
Thor –
More a Nagamaki than a Nodachi The problem with this sword is that it feels like a sledge hammer when you move it around.
I have two great swords that are much better balanced than this sword, and cheaper to.
The blade on this sword is so thick, the tip of the sword was not sharpened right. The back of the blade has an uneven geometry.
I would not recommend for this price, unless you want a big Japanese sword that moves like a sledge hammer.
John –
This sword is incredible; the pictures don’t do it justice. This is by far the stoutest Japanese sword Cold Steel makes.
My blade specs differed from KoA so I wanted to share them:
Width: 35.5-40mm
Thickness: 9.2-5.6mm
Weight: 4 lbs 10 oz
POB: 3” from tsuba
It’s an incredible cutter, better even than the O katana which I also own. It has superior ergonomics too, (no axe handle) having a thinner, narrower tsuka with more taper.
I don’t know what the other guy was saying about it being a sledgehammer. With the POB so close to the tsuba, and the 22” in handle, it moves as quickly as a katana half it’s weight.
Everything is incredibly tight. There are no rattles, and saya is very snug. The wrapping is good, but not perfect. I make it immovable with a few drops of super glue and forget about it. The rayskin panels have large nodes, and the fuchi/kashira are thick with no burrs.
It’s worth every penny to me.