[ViciouslyMe]

A well made sword can cut through bone with some ease, the only problem would be keeping it that way.

[matthew321]

My vote goes to the cliche' katana. Now this is not solely for the cool factor the sword provides, the sword is functional.

The Japanese katana is said to be the best balanced type of sword in the world. The katana itself has subtypes and variations as well. The sword is so diverse that each one can be catered to the user.  The length and bend are very diverse here. The sword is about 4-5 feet long, that is pretty good reach for a light melee weapon. You cut with the top nine inches of the sword. So it naturally will allow you to keep distance, but then again the idea of holding a katana would inspire arrogance)

I personally enjoy the katana's ability to be catered to my needs. I can locate the one EXACTLY the shape and size that I need. It is a matter of preference here as well but you will know it when you find it.

The problem with this sword is that it is razor sharp (how can that be a bad thing?) Well it will dull quickly, this sword needs a lot of maintenance. You must take care of it after every cut, it will rust easy and dull quickly as well. The thin, sharp sword does not leave much to sharpen.

The sword is designed to cut through soft targets like flesh and thin amounts of bone.  Well my idea of this sword's practicability towards zombies is decapitation of the heads. This sword is quite endowed for such a task.

For this sword you will need a cleaning kit and a sharpener. If you do not polish and sharpen this sword it will die quickly. That is the biggest downfall of this sword, in my opinion.

One good thing about this sword is the multitude of martial arts available for use with it. (Iaido, bushido, kendo, and ninjitsu as well) There are also more but these are the most basic. This is a melee weapon that is plausible to get training in.

Now for a REAL katana and not the fake rubbish that is on the internet, we will need to go to Japan. A REAL katana will be anywhere from $3000 to $50,000 (and it can go higher) I have spot a decent one for $500 on swordbuyersguide.com (decent means I think it could kill a man and serve for this purpose but it would be one that would not last)

Despite its price and drawbacks I vote for the katana. This is a light overview of it, but I know my bias is exposed here.

[Muerte]

  And a nice dissertation but I will too stand by my choice.  (The pry bar, not the Naginata.  Naginata would have the same problem as the Katana......seeing as the Naginata is just a Katana blade mounted on a five foot wooden shaft.)

  Maintenance on a pry bar = $0
  Price on a pry bar            = $20
  Versatility                       = Unlimited








  It has been much too long since I have had the opportunity to take a sole position in a debate.  I hope it can continue.  Whom ever reads this gets brownie points.

I just realized how many threads about cold weapons we have here  and its a bit concerning, this... respect we all hold for such 

[ravinclaw]

Well a zombie brain wouldnt be exactly like a live human brain. If you hit a human in the head with a prybar, it will definatly knock them out, possibly cause a fracture and kill them. But if they did die from it it would be more than likly due to bleading inside the skull. Im not sure a zombie could be killed by a blunt blow to the head unless it was truely devistating. Have you ever hit anything really hard with a prybar? It numbs the old fingers pretty good.

[Muerte]

Well a zombie brain wouldnt be exactly like a live human brain. If you hit a human in the head with a prybar, it will definatly knock them out, possibly cause a fracture and kill them. But if they did die from it it would be more than likly due to bleading inside the skull. Im not sure a zombie could be killed by a blunt blow to the head unless it was truely devistating. Have you ever hit anything really hard with a prybar? It numbs the old fingers pretty good.

  Of course I have, every Shade Tree Mechanic worth their salt has.  I will admit to going one further however and admit to bashing the occasional assortment of cinder blocks to powder with mine.  You get used to the vibrations after a while and in my opinion it is quicker to weild as opposed to a sledge (Though I love my sledges too, and my mauls, oh the damage one can inflict with a maul).

[ravinclaw]

It would be lighter for sure, and almost imposible to break. But that hand ringing fealing to me is worse than fingernails on a chalk board, makes my skin crawl. I wouldnt recomend a sledge to just anyone either, but it would work pretty good for me. Its also like a master key, if the exit is blocked just make a new one.

A lightsaber! Can cut through anything, and never has a dull edge.

Ok, in all seriousness, I guess if I had to go with a sword it would most likely be a katana. I know, a somewhat obvious choice. But its just what'd I'd rather have. In the case of any blade, I'd go with a Kukri machete.

I love that you said Light Saber.  Perfect!

Such an elegant weapon...it would be a great choice, wouldn't cause as much blood splatter either!

If you want some beautiful blades for the apocalypse I found some great ones here:
http://zombietools.net/tools/


Of course keeping a distance is best, guns and explosives are wonderful, but as someone already said--swords don't run out of ammo and most of them don't weigh you down too much.  Gotta have one in case of a last resort. 

[Muerte]

  Zombiefan that is a doublepost and a no no.  Next time please use the Modify button if you have extra to add within minutes of your last post.

  Also Welcome to Monstrous.

  Lastly I would like to keep this discussion withiin the real of possiblities.  If an Apocalypse were to break out tomarrow I doubt many of us (none of us) would be able to get our hands on a "Lightsaber".

Ahhh.... im lucky, my bro is a blacksmith

[ViciouslyMe]

Not to anger you Muerte, but theoretically speaking I do think one could be constructed using todays technology. But because there is no place for it in modern combat, noone will ever make one. And typing that sentence made me feel like such a nerd. 

I kind of wonder now, if you could only choose something you could find near by, what would be your choice for a weapon? (exluding guns) I have to say I would go with a firemans axe. Even after the blade dulls, you still have weight added to your swing. And it was made to tear through doors, so it would be a master key. Granted, a master key that opens doors permanently, but still. Master key.

[Muerte]

  No anger V, the problem is keeping the plasma (which is the closest substance we currently have to make this possible) in a cohesive shape that extends to a specific point without it being contained in a glass (or equivalent) housing.  Who sounds like a nerd now.  It's the same with lasers, we are just not smart enough to make it happen anytime soon.

  As for the Fireman's Ax it is a good choice.  I myself have chosen it on previous threads but upon reflection the pry bar won out for me as a more versatile tool.  One thing you forgot to mention is the spike found on many versions of the Fireman's Axe.  It dose not require sharpening and it is certain to do teh required amount of damage.

[ViciouslyMe]

Assuming it is plasma, then it would have to be contained in some sort of barrier which would pass through anything but plasma. Sounds like a fun puzzle. I always though it would either be a contained concentration of light that does all the slicing, some highly focused beams coming together at a point. Or that light was somehow used as a barrier for the plasma.

And right, I did forget to mention the pointy spike. Thanks for that.

[Muerte]

  Light has a tendency to travel until it strikes some surface area.  Using that you have a Laser.  And the problem with the containment of Plasma is that said container could be broken rendering your weapon useless.  What "could" be a possibility is synthesizing a form of low level excited Plasma, say a type that is only able to travel a certain distance when an electrical charge is introduced into it.  But if it were that simple we would have said weapons already.  (Also you have to take into account that you need a receptical for the specific amount of plasma used and take into consideration that you will be using (ie loosing) plasma as the weapon is put to use, so you will have to replace what is lost.

  Feasibility as a viable option is still very low indeed.