"if were just sticking to swords then i would have to say that some form of English longsword would probably be most preferable in a zed outbreak. a bastard sword would be a very good choice. the claymore would be pushing it. those things are not easily wielded and were meant to hack through armor and take down cavalry, and i have yet to ever hear of mounted armored zombies (yet).

the Japanese katana i wouldn't recommend. it was designed with slashing and cutting in mind, not cleaving. true it was known to be able to take off limbs with a single cut, but those are stories of masters of the katana, people who had trained with it for 15 years or more. this kind of training only a few hundred people in the world can claim and hold to.

one weapon that i think needs special mention is the Chinese podao. it was originally designed for infantry to be able to take down cavalry by slicing the legs off horses that went by, but it was also used against spear men because of its range and speed. power, speed, easy to use.

daddy like.

http://www.dealerease.net/catalog/product.asp?pid=67924&ret_id=1085919"

Tulwar. Nice slashing/cutting blade, and heavier than a katana (mine is 5/8" thick at the hilt and almost 2" wide). Surface is pitted, but the blade is still sharp and sound after nearly 200 years.

http://i294.photobucket.com/albums/mm100/DutchmanDick/arms%20and%20armor/antiquetulwar002.jpg

 out of  found this valuable. Do you find this valuable?    

First there is lots more to making a sword then just making a thing that looks like a sword out of some steel.
While you have to use a steel that can be hardened more important then the steel is how it is hardened and tempered. Many don't know it but these are 2 different things
After you forge the steel to shape you need to cool it slow so that it will be soft and any stress removed. You do this by heating it to an orange temperture and letting it cool slow in wood ash. When cooled it is called Anealed and will be soft and can be filed, shaped etc.
After blade is shaped it needs to be heated back to an orange temp. and quenched in oil [sometimes water] while hot. Is then Hardened. Will be way to hard to use as a sword , would snap right off.
You need to now Temper it which is done by after cleaning it up so you can see the colors heating it up till it turns a brownish blue. Can put it in an oven at around 350 deg. also.
This is just the basics....A better sword or blade will be hardened or tempered in such a way so that the tang and the back is softer then the cutting edge. This can be done by manipulating it in the fire or by the use of clay on the blade like the japanese did.
I was a professional 'smith for many years and made many hunderds of knives and a few swords using tradtional methods [coal forge anvil]. Not that hard to make a good knife , much harder to make a good sword esp. when it comes to hardening them and forging them out so that they are straight.
...To thouse that say you can make a sword as good as some old time swordsmith who made them day in and day out....well I say do it and report back....T

 out of  found this valuable. Do you find this valuable?