Cold Steel "Zombie Combat" Machetes

When considering things that might be used to dispatch a zombie in an end of the world "Zombie Apocalypse", there are not a lot of zombie killing tools that would compare to a nice heavy machete. And just thinking about the way a machete would look, sound...and feel..when it got buried in the half rotten head of a zombie, while kind of disconcerting in one way, is actually kind of comforting in another, right? And of all the machetes available, Cold Steel makes some of the best, and most affordable machetes on the market .

Specifications:
Blade Length: 14 5/8"
Overall Length: 20 1/4"
Steel: 1055 Carbon Steel w/ Black Baked on Anti Rust Matte Finish
Weight: 24 oz
Blade Thickness: 2 mm
Handle: 5 5/8" Long Polypropylene
Sheath: Cor-Ex™

  The Cold Steel machetes are extremely well made, have been around for quite a while and have stood the test of time and heavy use with great reviews. There are a good number of different models of Cold Steel machetes available from dealers around the nation.

Of course, you do not need a "Zombie Apocalypse to get good use out of a Cold Steel machete. Folks were getting use from machetes long before the idea of zombies ever came up. I grew up on a ranch and then spent six years in the military and have used machetes for about thirty five years and there is not many tools that can do all the jobs they were meant for (and many they were not) as well as a machete.

    

Specifications:
Blade Length: 13"
Overall Length: 18"
Steel: 1055 Carbon Steel w/ Black Baked on Anti Rust Matte Finish
Weight: 16 oz
Blade Thickness: 2 mm
Handle: 5" Long Polypropylene
Sheath: Cor-Ex™

 Cleaning out brush along fence lines, chopping limbs and branches for building shelters, hewing logs for a log shelter type home, using machetes to clear fields and to harvest stands of  grain for food and a host of other uses make a machete one of the most versatile tools in a preppers tool shed.

I use my machetes, I have five of them, for cleaning out brush along fence lines, cleaning out an area for camping, cutting trails through brush for the cattle, chopping cattails, corn, maize, for cutting sight lines for hunting stands.

And yes. I have a Cold Steel Kukri machete for the end of the world. I have been buying and using Cold steel knives for many years. They have a great reputation and I can personally vouch for all of the knives and other Cold Steel products I have purchased,(quite a few), as can all of the staff at BattleRoadUSA who all have and carry Cold Steel products for personal use. But, while we are actually on a page that discusses Zombie take downs, let us look at some other Cold Steel tools for "Zombie Destruction".

Let's look a tool with dual use first. This is the Cold Steel Special Forces Shovel. It is modeled after the Spetznaz shovel issues to Russian Special Forces Teams. Having a tool that will fill many uses is always a benefit to a self reliant user. Having something that can dig a fighting position, or a latrine trench as well as for for throwing at an enemy with one hand while pulling your pistol with the other, all the way to chopping into the head of an undead attacker, is a very good thing. 

<iframe width="480" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/jIlceAZBRdA" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

There are the two clubs based on actual American Indian weapons that can be used in situations that that requires a zombie to be dispatched without any gunfire noise.

INDIAN WAR CLUB

Specifications:
Weight: 27.6 oz
Length:Ball: 90 mm
Overall Length: 24"
Thickness: 25-30 mm (Tapered)

This Cold Steel Indian War Club is a very hardcore piece of equipment. The Indians would use a naturally occurring knot in the branch, or would sometimes tie a knot in a young branch and let it grow and tighten to a large size before cutting it for use as a club. The folks at Cold Steel did not use the traditional wood, Hornbeam, as it is not in usable supply, and have instead opted for  a black color injection molded polypropylene plastic which is virtually unbreakable. This is actually not a bad idea since the plastic can survive a lot more abuse than a wood handle could. They have also added a steel spike to the striking head to make sure the device will puncture a skull. For semi quiet zombie take downs this is a good choice.

GUNSTOCK WAR CLUB

Specifications:
Weight: 22.1 oz
Length: 3" Spike
Overall Length: 29 1/2"
Thickness: 1 1/2"

                                                                 Another Cold Steel  war club based model is the "Gunstock War Club"  This is apparently a model Cold Steel president, Lynn C. Thompson wanted to develope after he watched "Last of the Mohicans". He decided to work on this idea and approached custom blade maker  Rich McDonald after seeing an example made by the knife maker. This is a pretty awesome device for quietly re-deading the undead. It has a steel spike/blade in the angle of the device that is definitely able to create a huge hole in a zombie skull. The rest of the device is also able to crush a zombie head easily with one blow. 

Sure, at the end of the world, you could use a crowbar, a ball peen hammer, a baseball bat or any number of items that could be used to dispatch an undead. But if you are planning on being ready for that specific event, why not use an item specifically crafted for that purpose.  

And last, but definitely not least, is my favorite. This is the Cold Steel Two Handed Kukri machete. This machete is based on an actual Kukri type tool and is a real monster. It can be used as an axe and can easily cleave off an undead,(or not so undead), head or an arm with one one chop. It can be thrown with great force and can be used to fell a tree or clear a field when not being used as an  accoutrement by an end of the world survivor.

TWO HANDED MACHETE

Specifications:
Blade Length: 11 1/4"
Overall Length: 32"
Steel: 1055 Carbon Steel w/ Black Baked on Anti Rust Matte Finish
Weight: 30.9 oz
Blade Thickness: 2 mm
Handle: 20 3/4" Polypropylene

       I think that any of the Cold Steel machetes offered by that company are suitable for use as tools for everyday usage as well as for an end of the world apocalypse. 
You can fin these products at the Cold Steel website
 http://www.coldsteel.com/Category/5_1/Machetes.aspx         
If you are going to buy a Cold Steel product, make sure you are buying the real thing. There are a lot of knock offs out there and I doubt they are willing to stand behind their products like Cold Steel does.

TRENCH HAWK

Specifications:
Overall Length: 19"
Hawk Length: 8 3/4"
Primary Edge: 3 1/2"
Steel: Drop Forged 1055 Carbon
Weight: 24 oz
Handle: Polypropylene
Sheath: Durable Ploypropylene Sheath

                                                                                           For more info about Cold Steel kncok offs go to http://www.coldsteel.com/Cold-Steel-vs-Counterfeiters.aspx and to http://www.coldsteel.com/Do-Not-Buy-From-These-Websites.aspx

                                                               And one last item. The Cold Steel Trench Hawk. This an absolutely terrifying device that any "Dispatcher of The Undead" would be glad to have on them at the end of the world-due to Zombies- Apocalypse.  It has a hatchet type front blade, and a spike point rear formed of 1055 carbon steel and an indestructable composite handle made from a polypropylene material. It has a polypropylene sheath that can attach to your belt for easy, all the time available, carrying.

Thank you Cold Steel for making a fantastic product and offering it at easy to afford prices.

-Scout