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.
Jacketch –
Munich Cut and Thrust Sword – 501144 I purchased this sword for reenacting of the American Colonial period of approximately 1600-1622. This is likely the type of side arm that would be used by a Jamestown or Henricus colonist of that time. The sword came with a nice scabbard but no belt, frog or baldrick. I later purchased a nice baldrick for a small amount.
Now for the sword: I really like this sword and for the price it’s a good deal. It does however have some shortcomings. The guard, though nicely designed was a bit heavy and rough in spots. I used a Dremel tool and smoothed it up in short order and it looks much better if still a bit heavy. It isn’t that noticeable since I used cold blue to darken it like many originals. The grip is nicely proportioned and well done with wire wrap which makes it easier to grip than many swords. The blade is well shaped, and has just the right amount of thickness. Mine unfortunately had a very slight amount of waviness no doubt caused by uneven grinding of the thickness. It is not easy to notice but it was there until I used several grit stones and some polish to even things out..
Overall I’m very pleased with this sword and have used it many times during reenactments where I’ve received numerous compliments. This has definitely been money well spent.
peter s. –
Excellent Purchase! I read the reviews of this sword before purchase and it completely exceeded my expectations. Absolutely perfect out of the box and sharpened to a razors edge by KOA. It is a hefty piece of steel which lives up to the description. I pared it with a scratch and dent Darksword dagger since I couldn’t find the WS dagger and they look great together. A very nice piece!
MicronV –
Great budget sword! Love the sword, hate the scabbard. Sword has a great feel. Fit and finish is average, what you would expect from windlass. The scabbard was not great the sword does fit in it kindda. Not a deal breaker its all about the sword for me and I was very pleased with this one.
Ben B. –
Very Good I am very happy with this purchase as my first sword, looks great, good weight and balance, I love it.
Aaron J. –
One of the best options for a budget sidesword. I liked this sword so much I bought a second one! I will say that it is very heavy, and to make it a great sword requires a little DIY. The pommel is overly heavy and weighs nearly a pound, so I replaced it with a lighter one. The wire grip comes loose after a while so you may want to replace or rewrap the grip too.
Rick –
Wrist Breaker I was impressed by the looks of this sword, qnd the reviews were good, So I went ahead and pulled the trigger. I was amazed by the heavy weight of this beast. The balance point seems reasonable, but this sword is both sluggish and awkward in hand. My sword weighed in at 3pounds, 8.5 ounces which is about two ounces heavier than listed by KoA, and a full half pound heavier than listed by the manufacturer.
I have handled longswords and warswords that weighed as much, but the weight on those is much better distributed and many longswords weigh in at much less than this clunker. I’m giving it three stars because the sword is solid and attractive, so it’s a decent display piece, but as far as functionality, this leaves a LOT to be desired.
Matt E. –
Good but heavy Sword is very affordable, and the KOA sharpening service did very well. Like many have said, this sword is HEAVY. If you are pretty strong, you should be able to handle it well. But probably the best for a budget side sword if you cannot get a hold of the Kingston one.
Amber O –
This was my first sword, and I still like it reasonably well. It’s heavy, very heavy, which is sort of expected, but what isn’t is the complete lack of a distal taper, which both increases the weight and makes the whole thing a little clumsy. The guard is thicker than it probably should be as well, which raises the weight even further.
The overall build quality is pretty good. I think the extra weight and iffy balance places some strain on the wire wrapping of the grip, because it started slipping around just a bit after a few swings. Luckily, the pommel being screwed on allowed me to disassemble the entire grip and guard assembly without too much trouble, and I was able to repair the issue easily enough.
I ended up putting a cold blueing on the pommel and guard just because I liked the little bit of extra visual contrast that added. I think it’s honestly more of a show piece for me than an actual functional sword because of the weight, but wow does it look pretty hanging on my wall, and I guess I could pull it down and use it in a pinch if my other swords were unavailable. I wore it to a friend’s wedding, and it was great for something like that.
Basically: it’s more ceremonial or decorative than functional, but it’ll work if you’ve got nothing else. Just don’t expect it to come alive in your hand.
Jeff (verified owner) –
I’ve had it for about a week now. KoA sharpened it very well! I haven’t tried cutting with it yet. I had a good idea of what to expect from reviews, and I’d have to say it landed right about where I expected it to.
It has some minor flaws that don’t affect function at all, but there are two major ones that irk me. The handle and the blade aren’t in a straight line, the handle bends to the side perhaps as much as 5 degrees, and the wire wrap on the grip is very loose, it shifts in my hand as I swing it. I can spread the wire probably as much as 3/16 inch and expose the wood underneath.
Surprisingly, the pommel was not loose at all… as for distal taper, there is none. It’s blade heavy and hard to stop.
Lee Davis –
NOT Sharp.
Butter knife edge.