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Location: Types of Weapons
Discussion: Machetes? Get Real.
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 Morfhis |
Machetes? Get Real.
Apr 3 2008, 2:24 AM EDT Anyone here ever try to cut a reasonable facsimile of a human limb OFF besides me? A machete is a poor choice. The blade geometry is wrong, and there isn't enough mass. Machetes are great for clearing brush, that's what they're made for. Except for the cheapest, lightest cheesiest imported BUDK psuedo-sword, almost any sword-like object would be an improvement. Limbs, necks included, have a lot of tissue and bone to cleave. You need a blade designed for the job or you're going to waste too much precious time and energy on each target. You'd be better off with a baseball bat than a machete. Large potential for crushed zombie skull with minimal effort. Doesn't get stuck as easy, either. 9 out of 11 found this valuable. Do you? |
 dizzdeathwing |
RE: Machetes? Get Real.
Apr 3 2008, 4:08 PM EDT let me ask what is the facsimile you used to test a machete? 4 out of 5 found this valuable. Do you? |
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Morfhis |
RE: Machetes? Get Real.
Apr 3 2008, 4:29 PM EDT I wasn't testing a machete, and that's a good point, I should. I've done some cutting tests with reproduction swords with Gus Trim and Tinker Pearce. Their swords are FRIGHTENINGLY effective at severing a Tamashigiri, (sp?) a rolled up mat of rice straw that approximates a human neck. I also need to amend my first post, machetes have enough mass, it's not distributed correctly for the job. I suppose you could make them work, IF you have couple decades of experience with cutting weapons. My point is, there are much better choices available. 2 out of 3 found this valuable. Do you? |
 CyprusBill |
RE: Machetes? Get Real.
Apr 3 2008, 5:07 PM EDT Good points. Tho, since we're dealing with Z's, and you really want to destroy the brain, I really wouldn't recommend a machete anyway. Maybe something with a good spike, like the back of a fireman's axe. Goes in well, give it a little wiggle, and its shape allows it to slide back out without much sticking. Plus, there's an AXE HEAD on the other side, good for all kinds of damage. Sure it's a little heavy, but the more you use it, the stronger you'll get. And a strong body is a good weapon too. Not that I don't love machetes. They rock much, also. 4 out of 4 found this valuable. Do you? |
 ZombieTools |
RE: Machetes? Get Real.
Apr 3 2008, 6:23 PM EDT Agreed. Your garden-variety sugar cane cutter is not going to be very effective. But something like this will come in handy. http://zombietools.net/tools/ I'd stay away from the skull, in general. As you say, too much bone to fuss with. Cut the spinal cord at base of the skull (aim just below the ear lobe) and a Z is as good as useless. 3 out of 3 found this valuable. Do you? |
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Morfhis |
RE: Machetes? Get Real.
Apr 3 2008, 8:18 PM EDT Heh, nice plug. Nice gear too, so plug away. Not everyone has a house full of instruments of Hate & Discontent like mine. 'Course, I'd opt for the Mossberg first. >=D 1 out of 1 found this valuable. Do you? |
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Ledce Ledce |
RE: Machetes? Get Real.
Apr 4 2008, 12:03 AM EDT A machete is quite capable of severing human or animal limbs with little effort. I've done it while butchering a deer. The problem is that if you are talking a cheap, bulk machete from Wal-mart, they are not going to last. I actually had mine bend at almost a 90 degree angle on the cut and left a dent in the blade that took me a hand held sledge hammer and about 2 hours of filing and sharpening to remove. A friend of mine had a machete that was built much more solidly, and while the edge would still have to be resharpened after heavy work, such as cutting down small trees or through bone, it would be much more practical than a sword because you can use a machete for various other purposes, a sword is only designed to kill. 3 out of 3 found this valuable. Do you? |
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Ledce Ledce |
RE: Machetes? Get Real.
Apr 4 2008, 12:10 AM EDT I forgot to add. I'd rather have a Kukri to a machete, but that's not to say a solidly built machete wouldn't work. 3 out of 3 found this valuable. Do you? |
 mew2456 |
RE: Machetes? Get Real.
Apr 4 2008, 5:49 PM EDT are you guys fricken mentak!?!?! machetes are one of the best at the job!. hit a z in the head and it will go through the skull and into the brain, an instant kill. BTW those staw mat things aproximate a human thigh not neck. 3 out of 6 found this valuable. Do you? |
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mew2456 |
RE: Machetes? Get Real.
Apr 4 2008, 5:57 PM EDT "are you guys fricken mentak!?!?! machetes are one of the best at the job!. hit a z in the head and it will go through the skull and into the brain, an instant kill. BTW those staw mat things aproximate a human thigh not neck."i am sorry about my grammar and spelling my keyboard messes up unless i keep redoing it. staw=straw mentak=mental 0 out of 3 found this valuable. Do you? |
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ZombieTools |
RE: Machetes? Get Real.
Apr 4 2008, 7:20 PM EDT Another point to consider in the machete debate -- we've got some pretty good historical evidence in support of the machete as an effective weapon: the Rwandan genocidal wars in the 1990s. It's estimated that as many as 1 million people died , and the majority of those people were hacked down with your average agricultural-grade machete. 2 out of 2 found this valuable. Do you? |
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Morfhis |
RE: Machetes? Get Real.
Apr 4 2008, 8:24 PM EDT "are you guys fricken mentak!?!?! machetes are one of the best at the job!. hit a z in the head and it will go through the skull and into the brain, an instant kill. BTW those staw mat things aproximate a human thigh not neck."Maybe you've dealt with a larger diameter tamashigiri. You can make them any size you want. Hell, you could make one that simulates an Elephant leg if you have enough mats. The ones I was cutting through were built to neck specs. Not mental, I believe in using the right tool for the job. A hammer can drive a screw, but there are better options. 1 out of 1 found this valuable. Do you? |
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Morfhis |
RE: Machetes? Get Real.
Apr 4 2008, 8:36 PM EDT "Another point to consider in the machete debate -- we've got some pretty good historical evidence in support of the machete as an effective weapon: the Rwandan genocidal wars in the 1990s. It's estimated that as many as 1 million people died , and the majority of those people were hacked down with your average agricultural-grade machete. "Yup, machetes are still long hunks of sharp steel, they will do an adequate job of deceasing a human. Here, we're talking about hacking through hordes of the undead. I want something that will separate a head from a body with minimal effort so I can get on to the next target as quickly and efficiently as possible. Find yourself a resilient target, a machete, and a GOOD sword, and discover the difference. Okay, I have to admit, I'm speaking from a very fortunate position. Tinker and Gus are both good friends of mine. I am also closely tied with the guys from ASA swordworks, in fact, studying Iai with Scott. I own and have access to some of the finest practical swords being made today. I've used them on a number of different targets. (2liter bottles are almost more fun with a sword than with a gun) I have been studying various schools of the sword, eastern and western disciplines for over 25 years. Okay, so I'm a snob when it comes to cutting weapons. IF ALL YOU CAN GET IS A MACHETE.., USE IT!! By all means, I'm not saying if you don't have a shiny happy zombie cleaving sword you should run. Really, I'd still rather shoot them from a long ways away. I am a practical man, after all. 1 out of 1 found this valuable. Do you? |
 Dvergamali |
RE: Machetes? Get Real.
Apr 4 2008, 9:45 PM EDT A GOOD machete can do some real damage. Not the $7 Wally-World special mind you but a nice one with some good metal on it. You wouldnt even need the edge you could strike with the backside and split a skull. Something I have always like is the spiked warhammer. Light enough to swing many times. Heavy enough to drive the point right through a skull. Easy TSF (Total Skull Failure) Cold Steel has a nifty little modern version of one http://www.coldsteel.com/warhammer.html 3 out of 3 found this valuable. Do you? |
 Jnaran |
RE: Machetes? Get Real.
May 9 2008, 6:22 PM EDT Ok, I will agree that a sword is a much better weapon it was designed as such, a machete is actually a tool, but it will cut off an arm or head, I’m not talking about the cheap ones you get at wally world, I’m talking about the ones you get in third world nations were they are made for work, I have seen a few people that have lost a limb in machete fights in southern Mexico, Also those machetes tend to last a life time, of course they require some skill to wield but if you’ve never wielded a sword you are definitely better off with a manly machete. 1 out of 1 found this valuable. Do you? |
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Morfhis |
RE: Machetes? Get Real.
May 9 2008, 7:46 PM EDT Well, perhaps I've been misled by cheap dime-store machetes. I have not experienced a machete made where they still use them for daily labor. What I meant in my first post was indeed in reference to the ordinary machetes one finds in tool stores and mass merchandisers here in the US. I have one of Cold Steel's "Two-handed machetes", which is more of a small cleaver blade on a long handle. I'd have to say it'd do an admirable job of disassembling a Zed. I wasn't considering that a true machete, more of a Novelty item which most people don't have kicking around the house. Do you find this valuable? |
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Dvergamali |
RE: Machetes? Get Real.
May 9 2008, 8:59 PM EDT Machetes are nifty but look what I got comming in the mail right now http://www.khukuriblades.com/products/details.php?id=313534fc2012 1 out of 1 found this valuable. Do you? |
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ZombieTools |
RE: Machetes? Get Real.
May 9 2008, 11:23 PM EDT Let us know what you think of the khukuri when it arrives. Do you find this valuable? |
 onekoolkat200 |
RE: Machetes? Get Real.
May 10 2008, 11:26 AM EDT i have my just in case khukuri machete from cold steel which has a lot o weight towards the tip. my primary chopper though is my vietnam tomahawk. sharp little blade and a diamond shaped spike. the spike can penetrate car doors. Do you find this valuable? |
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iamMetaluna iamMetaluna |
RE: Machetes? Get Real.
May 10 2008, 4:37 PM EDT The only experience I've had with machetes is with hiking in overgrown areas and using them for their intended use. More to the point, hacking off a zombies head will remove the threat of them grabbing you, but wouldn't it still leave a snapping head behind that could perhaps get bit (like the head gets covered with leaves and makes an impromptu booby-trap). It seems like the best route would be to use a weapon that destroyed the skull/brain - or at least the lower mandible of the jaw to where it couldn't bite. That would help remove the creation of another zombie by accident. 1 out of 1 found this valuable. Do you? |
