Weapon Madness – Round Two – Melee Weapon Contest: Crowbar vs Fireaxe
Ahh … here’s a matchup that makes the insides of me glow with affection. These are two of my favorite melee weapons. I’m looking to forward to reading the discussion on this one.
But let us backtrack for just a moment to see how the last matchup turned out. Believe it or not, but people actually preferred a gun to a set of throwing knives against the undead. Actually surprised me was that the throwing knives made it to the second round. That said, there wasn’t much to discuss. A tired throwing arm versus a sore trigger finger … which would you choose?
Now for the next matchup … crowbar versus fire axe, or better put, Gordon Freman versus Smokey the Bear.
Crowbar
Pros: Sharp and blunt edges, curved loop can act as tripping hook, relatively lightweight
Cons: Metal could produce painful vibrations, not a one hit kill weapon, would take a lot to kill a zombie
Fire Axe
Pros: can crush through skulls with ease, good repulse weapon, good decapitation potential
Cons: can tire the arms, blade can be dulled, handle could break
Just a reminder about the judging. These are Romero type zombies. They are slow and sluggish. Headshots or decapitations will kill them. Bites will lead to probable infection, then death. You should judge a weapon based on its effectiveness against one zombie to an entire horde. A weapon does not need to be lethal to be effective. If it buys you some time to escape, then it should be looked on with favor.
So which do you think will make for a better zombie killing weapon?
Filed under: Zombie Madness Bracket Challenge · Tags: Weapon Madness
I’m going for the crowbar…my arms are not so strong actually!
Toughie. I’d probably want the crowbar, anything heavier leads to too much committing in melee. And remember, melee’s primary concern is not getting bitten.
While both are versatile, the fire axe can do everything the crowbar can do and more. What the axe has over the crowbar is: Leverage for much more lethal, one hit strikes to the skull. A wide chopping blade which dull or not, can cleave quite well. A pick head for punching holes in the skull without worry of getting stuck in the cavity. Wood chopping capabilities, in case you are near a wooded area and need to make a fire. And lastly, due to size and shape, you are forced to carry it in your hands or slung over a shoulder, so is more readily available for use.
fireaxe sounds brutal better range and better all around weapon.
Finally a decent matchup. The fireaxe would deliver more force to the zombies’ skulls, but is heavier and more likey to get stuck. They both have a plethora of alternative uses, but the axe certainly has more. It really comes down to personal taste. I think I’d take the crobar, mostly because it’s more maneuverable, not so hefty, not so likely to get stuck, and not such a pain to carry around, though I certainly could think of a few uses for that axe. I suppose it would depend on the situation. Is the e-tool an option?
Wow, this is a tough one. Crowbar since I have one.
Crowbar… blunt end for zombies so it doesn’t get stuck, also quick easy access to candy stores
A fireaxe has many practical applications , though also. Arguably, maybe more then a crowbar. Plus, It has more defense properties. So, axe I guess. I mean, If I really needed a crowbar, I would just carry a small superbar.
Crowbar, it has more uses than an axe does. Also, if you hit a zombie with an axe it would most likely get stuck and be hard to pull back out.
Crowbar – lighter, easier to swing and jab. Useful for opening things a little quieter.
I’ll go with the axe as it would cause more traumatic injury to the brain when striking the skull.
id have to go with the axe. people argue that the axe can get stuck in the skull but so can the crowbar. and, honestly, with the front of a skull being one of the hardest striking surfaces of the body, who can actually jab the straight end of a crowbar into the skull? even if the axe doesnt penetrate, it’s still an axe and it will still damage the brain and a sharp one can cut off limbs
wait a minute i forgot the eye sockets… you could jab the straight end of a crowbar through an eye pretty easily i’d say, even though i’ve never actually done it. so, will the straight end of a crowbar fit into an eye socket or will it get stuck or stopped by a smaller hole?
Wow this one is a tough one! I like both options…ax because it’s just to freakin’ brutal. Go medieval on some muthas! Then you have the crowbar with it’s multiple uses. I even saw a guy once use it as a grappling hook. So…yeah. I’m undecided still. BOTH!
Years of chopping wood have left me pretty good with an axe, so I’ll pick that.
on the smaller end, there is also the camp axe, which has a prybar end and the axe blade is backed by a hammerhead. Toolwise, that is fine, but back to the crowbar/axe problem, having seen the relative strength of a wooden axehandle vs a fiberglass one, only 284 lbs of pressure can shatter a wooden handle, if say it was used to wedge a door shut. The fiberglass one cold handle 525lbs of pressure, and one could safelyguess that even a horde of the dead trying to push a door barred by a steel crowbar would sooner rip the screws from the wall than snap the bar.
axe, because i keep one on the hood of my jeep 24/7, so its always there…
crowbar. virtually indestructable, more uses than you think, incredibly deadly as a weapon, and fairly comfortable to carry if you strap it to your pack or hang it from a canvas loop.
im still thinking you would use this thing for like 2-3 weeks… yes you can break an axe a whole lot easier than a crowbar, but how long do you intend to use it? by the time you break the axe you could have 7 crowbars and 4 more axes in different variations and styles, plus guns. if you dont find or make more weapons and tools in 2-3 weeks in a survival situation you should just go ahead and kill yourself.
im still going with the axe.
Crowbar, Multi-use wins again!
well you see the crowbar is a one hit one kill weapon if hit in a vital area you CAN take heads of with this i just happend to have a uncal who takes test with explosevs on jelleton people(testing bodies i guess)and he let me hit one with a crowbar trust me hes dead….