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.
Kevin –
Best deal on a steel Feder I have seen As soon as this came up in the new section I bought one and told everyone in my club about it. Never seen a feder priced this low and I have been looking for quite a while (was using a nylon feder). Now I was uneasy with the price as you often get what you paid for but, took the chance as it is from KoA :)
When the sword arrived and it looked fantastic. Very good quality, grip is a good size so when I have gauntlets on I still have room. Fit and finish are excellent – better then or on par with the other steel feders used in my club. But the real test of course is in the use.
Now the tip is a bit more flexible than I expected (bend point closer to end than other feders I compared to) but, I have not had any issues with whippiness. Weight is perfect and balance as expected. After 3 classes (and I let others try it out) against 3 other manufacturers (and much more expensive) feders the edges are holding up well and the guard has not come loose which others seem to do often.
Overall I am a mid range skilled sparrer and this feder is perfect and holding up well. So glad I did not pay double or more for one.
Sean –
Cheap and good It is a good and cheap federschwert for the price you should buy this if you wajt a cheap feder
Chris –
Good inexpensive starter We picked up a few of these to test out as loaners for our HEMA longsword class. After a few months of abuse they are holding up pretty well, even going against Regenyeis and A&A feders regularly. One has the cord coming undone slightly but I was able to glue it down. I wouldn’t suggest these for HEMA tournaments, but as a students first steel or loaners for new students, these are perfect
Mark –
Best sword for the price I’ve seen I don’t know if this most recent batch was an Mark II, but I found this to be very satisfactory. Weight and balance are perfect; it’s got a decent bend on the thrust, not too light, but not so heavy that you risk hurting someone even in proper gear. Pellwork did not mark the blade at all. Overall I’m thrilled.
Peter –
Great Value Great starter feder to defer some of the costs of getting into hema.
Darren –
Great Feder for the price This is a great first feder if you just getting in to HEMA. Well balanced, flexible, with a comfortable grip. The hilt to cross guard mating is much better than others I’ve tried that can cut up your hands if you’re not wearing gloves, it wont with this sword. Shipping time from KOA was outstanding as well, very impressed and will definitely order from here again!
Doug –
Good but needs quality control My blade took a wicked bend right at the crossguard during some moderate sparring. It seems to be a heat treat issue as it is rather soft where the schilt meets the tang, where it should be more rigid. It’s probably not all of their blades but mine was a bad one, and sadly it happened a few months after the warranty expired.
Christopher B. –
Bent within the first few months This sword holds a set very quickly.
Glenn Best (verified owner) –
Incredibly solid starter feder for the price! This sword has held up very well with only some minors burs and bends. The blade isn’t too wobbly but has enough give to not hurt my sparring partners. This feder has taken quite a bit of abuse including heavy enough sparring to cause some sparks to fly as well as getting run over by a car! (Long story). The corded grip is still 99% intact with only a single frayed end near the cross guard. I’d highly suggest to anyone who wants a decent starting feder for HEMA.
Robby –
So I’ve been fencing with this sword for sometime. Everything from drills to hard sparring, and considering as I bought it as a less expensive starter it has been fantastic. I can’t give it 5 stars, because it took a nearly imperceptible bend (about 3/4 up the blade) from a particularly hard thrust during a sparring bout. All in all, I highly recommend this feder to any beginners, or to anyone who wants a more affordable beater.
Grant Parrinello –
I’ve had 2 of these break in less than 6 months of use. Save your money, spend $70 more and geta Rengenyei.
Essen (verified owner) –
Overall a very good sword, but is it better than others in the same price range?
I’ve had this sword about 8 months now and been using it for drilling with my HEMA group
I have yet to spar with it but it has taken a few full force blows and smashing a few pumpkins without any noticeable damage
The cross guard is still tight and I haven’t had the cord wrap loser at all, the cross guard is quite comfortable for thumb grip too both in gloves and not.
I do have a few reasons why I wouldn’t necessarily recommend it over day a Purple Heart feder though. Firstly it’s a peened construction which is nice and much better than threaded however I think for a feder a nut construction is the way to go so if it ever loosens up from hard use you can fix it or even adjust and modify it much easier. Because keep in mind you’re probably going to use your feder a lot more often for much more damaging tasks than you would a sharp you have for cutting, so to me being able to repair or adjust it is a good idea. Secondly it’s a very long and heavy sword, I believe it’s just a few inches shy in total length from the Albion maximillion which is a great sword, so one could argue that this is more of a war sword or in between a great sword and longsword, and it definitely feels the part with the balance snd overall weight feeling much heavier than other feders I’ve handled, which does have its pros, firstly in training it’s going to condition you to being able to wield a heavier blade which means if you switch to a lighter blade for sparring you’ll be much faster (assuming you can deal with this one’s weight as if it’s normal), or if you use this in sparring you’ll have much more striking power and reach since it’s longer
But in general id say a purpleheart armory feder is likely better for more people, however, it is definitely the right sword for some to use and is a great option as long as you know what you’re signing up for