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.
While it is a beautiful sword to look at, unfortunately, there are quite a few issues that would make it difficult to call this sword “functional.”
For those interested in it, I will include the “good” first, and then the “not so good.”
GOOD:
1. The sword is definitely beautiful. Designed as in the picture (with the exception of the handle, whose leather is darker than displayed, and in the pictures it makes it seem almost as if it were a wood handle, when it is actually leather as detailed in “specifications”)
2. The guard looks rustic and weathered as promised, and overall the blade will make for a great addition to my Pirate costume for the Renaissance Festival.
NOT SO GOOD:
1. The most unfortunate issue is that the handle was not fashioned for proper fencing grips for a cutlass. The handle is thick enough that I have to use a heavy grip (which is intended for heavier swords) vs the type of grip intended for a cutlass. And even then, it is still very difficult to maneuver with basic fencing exercises.
2. The leather wrap, while pretty to look at, makes the blade very slippery and not ideal for a sword. When holding a cutlass or a sabre, it should be able to be held with the thumb along the backside of the hilt pointing to the top of the blade, and the pointer finger should be able to wrap the majority of the handle, while the rest of your fingers can loosely hold onto the rest of the handle, designed to be only gripped when one performs a thrust or cut. You want to feel confident when holding the blade. However, with this blade, I have to fully grip it just to get a proper handle on it.
3. Upon testing the blade, there is a distinguishable “twang” sound, which tells me that the handle was not properly secured with the blade. While it still can cut and thrust, eventually that would wear down. (Not that the sword was specifically intended for heavy use, but it’s still good to know that a quality sword should be able to be secure enough.)
Really great cutlass! I love the look and finish of it, it showed up in great shape and just as described. Had some trouble with shipping but their customer service was able to help me with everything! Very happy with my order
It is a beautiful sword and would complete any pirate cosplay or reenactment. My only gripe are things mentioned in the previous reviews. Mainly being the hilt itself. While the rustic design completes the look of the sword, it drastically ruins it’s use as a functional weapon and makes holding the sword very uncomfortable and much heavier than it should be.
Not exactly what I was expecting.
It’s really heavy and the sheath is really lose, the sword comes out really easily.
If I could i would prefer my money back to be honest.