I heard of a guy who sent an Albion to the Wisconsin workshop for some maintenance and then it was discovered that the blade was not properly heat-treated so they replaced it. While that certainly compliments the company's honesty it makes me somewhat nervous as someone who recently received my first Albion (Next Gen Knight). What are the odds that an improper heat treat would slip past quality control and how do you identity it?

I’ve owned right at 85 different Albions. I currently have 66. I’ve never had that issue with a blade from them. It’s more than likely a anomaly.

Basicly if a blade either - (A) Bends and STAYS bent under *normal* use conditions, or (B) actually breaks under normal use, then you could reasonably assume that the heat treatment was faulty..either not treated at all or too hard, not tempered after the hardening process

If the story you heard was this Kingmaker review at https://youtu.be/p0kSscn7mk8 then bear in mind the problem was discovered during a sharpening job. I say you would have to notice how well the edge seems to hold up with use.

The file test will work differently for different blades(steel type and purpose of the blade). A knife made from high carbon steel,(.75 -1% carbon)can be heat treated very hard eg 62 Rockwell. It doesn't have to bend much or withstand impact like a sword. A file won't bite into the steel, and will just skate off. It will hold an edge for a long time, but will probably break the point off if you try to use it to pry out an arrow stuck in a tree.

Modern sword or axe steel for western replicas usually has less carbon (.6-.75 % carbon). It won't get as hard as higher carbon steel, the aim is usually 48-52 Rockwell hardness. This steel/hardness is tougher and less brittle, than the aforementioned knife. A file can be used to sharpen it.

The file test will work differently for different blades(steel type and purpose of the blade). A knife made from high carbon steel,(.75 -1% carbon)can be heat treated very hard eg 62 Rockwell. It doesn't have to bend much or withstand impact like a sword. A file won't bite into the steel, and will just skate off. It will hold an edge for a long time, but will probably break the point off if you try to use it to pry out an arrow stuck in a tree.

Modern sword or axe steel for western replicas usually has less carbon (.6-.75 % carbon). It won't get as hard as higher carbon steel, the aim is usually 48-52 Rockwell hardness. This steel/hardness is tougher and less brittle, than the aforementioned knife. A file can be used to sharpen it.