The Scimitar

 History

A scimitar  is a backsword with a curved blade, originating in Southwest Asia (Middle East).
The name can be used to refer to almost any West Asian or South Asian sword with a curved blade, and is often thought of as having a ridge near the end. The word "scimitar", known in English since 1548, derived from Middle French "cimeterre" or from Italian "scimitarra", a term of uncertain origin.

Review

It is hard to give a review with no real stats on the general length of the blade, handle, etc, but I feel that these deserve a 7/10 rating. They are often lightweight and can be extremely sharp, allowing for a good combination when zombie hunting.

The Longsword

  

History

The Longsword is a type of European sword used during the late medieval period (approximately 1350 to 1550) with early and late use reaching into the 13th and 17th centuries. Longswords have long cruciform hilts with longer grips to prove room for two hands. Straight double-edged blades are often over 1 m to 1.2 m (40 to 48 inches) in length, and weigh typically between 2½ to 5 pounds, with light specimens just below 1 kg (2.2 lb), and heavy specimens just above 2 kg (4½ lb). The longsword is commonly held in combat with both hands, though some may be used single-handed. Longswords are used for hewing, slicing, and stabbing. The specific offensive purpose of an individual longsword is derived from its physical shape. All parts of the sword are used for offensive purposes, including the pommel and crossguard.

Review

This is easily rates as a 9.5/10 in the melee category. These weapons are created mainly for slicing, and can take out enemies with a single slice of the blade (and the blades can be a meter long!). Any melee weapon that weighs about as much as (or a little more than) a baseball bat, that can take out enemies in a single hit, deserves to be in this list. The only thing preventing this from getting a 10/10, or even breaking that scale, is the fact that over time it will have to be repaired. Provided that you have a sharpening stone, this weapon will remain effective for a long, long time.

The Stiletto Knife / Switchblade

History

A stiletto is a short knife, or dagger, with a long slender blade of various designs primarily used as a stabbing weapon. Its narrow shape, ending in a sharp pointed end, allows it to penetrate deeply. Most stiletti are not suited for cutting, even with sharpened edges. The Italian word "stiletto" comes from the Latin word "stilus" meaning "a stake, or a pointed instrument". The stiletto, also called a misericorde ("mercy"), began to gain fame during the Middle Ages, when it was the secondary weapon of knights. It was used to finish off a fallen or severely wounded heavily armored opponent. The pointed, stout blade could easily pass through most chain mail or find its way through gaps in a knight's plate armor. A severely wounded opponent, who was not expected to survive, would be given a "mercy strike".  

Hand to hand combat in the trenches of World War I created a new need for stilettos. Several versions were made by various countries, often grouped together in one class, nicknamed the trench knife. Likewise, World War II saw a resurgence of the stiletto style in the form of several variants including the U.S. Marine Raider Stiletto which was based upon the Fairbairn-Sykes Fighting Knife used by the British. Fairbairn-Sykes later designed the V-42 combat knife. All of these knives were not true stilettos as they were designed for cutting and stabbing as opposed to just stabbing.

Review

It was tough rating a weapon for this close combat, but I would have to give it a 6/10. This weapon would be extremely deadly compared to a lot of the other knives out there because of it's design for stabbing. If you were to stab a zombie in the head with a stiletto knife (Commonly referred to as a "Switchblade" in America and some other countries) it would definitely penetrate to the brain. These are extremely lightweight, and often eject the blade within a second of pressing the button. The downside for this weapon preventing it from getting a higher rating is the range.You would need to be extremely close to a zombie in order to stab it with this weapon, but if you didn't miss, you would be the victor in the end. However, I would recommend higher-durability weapons such as a machete or other sharp weapons over short-distance knives any day.

The Machete

History

The machete is a large blade inspired by the cleaver's general design. The blade is typically 12.8 to 24 inches long and usually about 0.12 inches thick. In the English-speaking Caribbean such as Jamaica, Grenada and in Trinidad and Tobago, the term "cutlass" is used for these agricultural tools. In many tropical countries a machete is a common agricultural tool. Consequently, it is often the weapon of choice for uprisings. A machete may also be classified as a sword, because it can be used like one. Many of the killings in the Rwandan Genocide were performed with machetes., and were the primary weapon used by the Interahamwe militias there.



Review


I would rate machetes with an 8/10 for close range use. Although the cleaver inspired it's design and relies on a lot of strength to use effectively, it was created to cut through thick, dense jungles and clear brush for agriculture. The blades could be from 12-24 inches and the handles add to that length, allowing you to dispatch zombies easily from a larger distance than most close quarters weapons. The thick steel used to make these weapons also causes it to have higher durability; allowing you to take out more zombies more often without worrying about your blade letting you down. Definitely the weapon to carry on your journeys.

The Cleaver

About

The meat cleaver has an especially tough edge meant to withstand repeated blows against meat and bone. This is accomplished by using a softer steel and thicker blade – a harder steel and thinner blade would fracture more.
The edge does not need to be particularly sharp, because the knife's design, like a hatchet or axe, relies on its weight to cut efficiently. In fact, a "razor-edge" on a cleaver can be counterproductive as it will rapidly degrade with use.

Review

I would rate a cleaver with a 3/10 for close range use. As the info above states, they are used for cutting flesh and thin bones (such as small chicken bones) or separating ribs from each other. The blade quickly degrades if you use it on harder things (Such as human bones with their thickness) and would more likely shatter a zombie's skull rather than actually damage it's brain. Also, due to its large size and the weight compared to most other kitchen knives, it could also weigh you down if you need to run or attack while moving backwards. Lastly, the range on a meat cleaver is very short. The effectiveness of it in cooking relies on it's weight, so chefs will stand extremely close to the meat and slam the cleaver on it to cut it in two. Although this could prove effective on the head of a zombie, you wouldn't want to be two inches away from one to take it out.

The Bowie Knife

  
History

A Bowie Knife is a style of fixed-blade knife first popularized by Colonel James "Jim" Bowie in the early 19th Century. It was first created  by James Black, although its common use refers to any large sheath knife with a clip point. The Jim Bowie knife first became famous due to Bowie's use of a large knife at a duel known as the "Sandbar Fight". The knife pattern is still popular with collectors, in addition to various knife manufacturing companies. There are hundreds of custom knife makers producing Bowies and variations. The blade, as later described by Rezin Bowie, was 9.5 inches long, 0.25 inches thick, and 1.5 inches wide. It was straight-backed having no clip point nor any hand guard with simple riveted wood scale handle.

Review

I would rate this weapon with an 6/10 for close range use, depending on the model that you get. When it comes to dispatching a zombie at close range, the main thing you want is something extremely sharp, and this will definitely do the trick. They are fairly lightweight, extremely sharp, and with a blade approximately 10 inches wide, and a handle about 4, you can take out zombies that are getting fairly close to you with still a chance of getting out of there alive. Overall, this is a decent weapon to carry with you if you run into one (or just a few) zombies.

The Scythe

History

A scythe was created as an agricultural tool for mowing grass or reaping crops. It was largely replaced by horse-drawn and then tractor machinery, but is still used in some areas of Europe and Asia. The Grim Reaper is often depicted carrying or wielding a scythe not because it was originally a weapon, but because it depicts him as a "Reaper of souls" or a "Soul harvester".

About

A scythe consists of a wooden shaft about 67 inches (nearly 6 feet) long called a "Snaith". Modern day snaiths may be made out of metals or strong plastics. The snaith may be straight, or have an "S"-shaped curve to it, but the more sophisticated versions are curved in three dimensions, allowing the scythe user to stand more upright, preventing any back or muscle strain. A long, curved blade about 24 to 35 inches long (around 3 feet) is mounted at the lower end, perpendicular to the snaith. Scythes always have the blade projecting from the left side of the snaith, with the edge towards the mower. In principle a left-handed scythe could be made, but it could not be used together with right-handed scythes in a team of users, as the left-handed person would be swinging in the opposite direction.

Review

I would rate the scythe with a 9/10 for melee weapons. It can swing fairly quickly if you have decent upper-body strength, has a massive range compared to nearly all melee weapons, and can dispatch multiple zombies at once with the huge blade. The only thing keeping this weapon from getting a 10/10 on the scale is that the range could be hindering if there are a lot of zombies, or if you are in close-quarters combat situations. However, this is easily one of the best melee weapons you could get your hands on.

The Halberd

Axehead of a classic halberd

 History 

A halberd is a polearm weapon  that came to prominent use during the 14th and 15th centuries. The halberd consists of an axe-blade topped with a spike on top of a long shaft and always has a hook on the back side of the axe blade for grappling mounted combatants (Rival soldiers on horses, etc.). They are also approximately 5 to 6 feet long in length. From the 16th to 18th centuries, they were commonly used as bodyguard weapons for royalty and military forts.

Review

^{I would rate the halberd with an 8/10. They are slightly more efficient than a glaive due to their multiple target capability. After slashing with the axe, there is a spike located at the tip of the axe head that could easily dispatch a second zombie. However, I do not recommend using a weapon like this in more urban areas due to the amount of strength required to swing one; the only people that have been able to effectively use them for longer periods of time were the knights of the middle ages (And they wore easily over 100 pounds of armor and weaponry as they sprinted into combat) - But overall, a weapon worthy of use in a zombie apocalypse.}

The Glaive

History

A glaive is a European weapon, based off of the idea of polearms. They consist of a single-edged blade on the end of a pole.

Generally, the blade is about 18 inches long, and sits at the top of a pole approximately 6 or 7 feet long. The blade is located inside the pole in a way that makes it more like an axe rather than a sword. When glaives were first being invented, sometimes they were created with a hooked edge, allowing the warrior to easily pull an enemy off their horse, then swing the weapon at them by the time they hit the ground.

Review

I would easily give this weapon a 7/10. Adding the length of the blade and the pole together, you could easily take the head off of a zombie from eight feet away. The reason this weapon doesn't receive a higher rating is because of the strength and stamina required to use it for long periods of time. Due to it's size, transportation with it would be an issue. Also, if zombies were approaching in a large swarm, you may be able to take out one or two from several feet away, but the time it takes to prepare the weapon to swing again is a large downside.

Overall, a fantastic weapon to have in possibly a rural environment, or a suburban environment with not as many people; but with groups of zombies, you probably won't last as long using a weapon like this.

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