[zombiephile]

One thing I've been thinking about lately, in terms of Zombie defense, is whether or not bladed weapons are a good idea, not in a survival sense, but in a hygienic one. I mean, if Zombie blood carries the zombie infection with it, and you don't want to go marching around in a biohazard suit, it would stand to reason that you'd want to keep as much distance between zombie blood and your own body as possible.

That makes me start thinking of bladed weapons like knives, bayonets, swords, etc, that tend to tear the flesh open and produce an incredible amount of blood. I don't know if zombies bleed quite as much as regular humans do, and I can assume there wouldn't be as much blood pressure, even if they did, but there still must be some potential for infection there somewhere.

Any thoughts? Would you be concerned about the possibility of contracting the zombie plague through non-injurious physical contact with zombie blood?

[zombiephile]

Another question, I guess, would be whether or not blunt weapons, used against zombies, would produce the kind of dangerous blood spatter that I'm discussing here. I saw on CSI once that the first strike to the head with a blunt weapon doesn't get blood on the weapon, meaning there's no castoff-spatter...but do you think that would still apply to zombies, whose heads might be a bit more mushy than the kinds of people we're used to clubbing in the head?

[Wookiejuice]

This problem I have never thought of. But you're right, this is something we'd have to consider. What if the blood is contagious? I think both blunt and bladed weapons would produce some bloody shrapnel a'flying. But which would produce more blood? I think you brought up a very valid point, Zombiephile, about the state of decay the zombie would have, in regards to blunt weapons. I'm thinking back to the end of summer on the farm I grew up on... when the over ripe pumpkins and watermelons sat in the garden, begging for me to bash them. And bash them I did! They exploded pretty good.

With bladed weapons, I would think that there would be less, only because of the other point you brought up, about how the blood wouldn't really be circulating in their bodies. So, I can't see a lot of blood pumping through a severed limb or head. But then again, I'm no expert on this stuff. Anybody in the forums here a doctor? What kind of blood spray would we be looking at from a decomposing body?

[zombiephile]

Hmmmm...excellent point, Wookiejuice...

No Blood Pressure = Much Less Blood Spatter

And I'm going out on a limb here and assuming that zombies have extremely low blood pressure. Being as that their hearts don't beat. Just makes sense in my mind, but of course I could easily be wrong.

I'm thinking, it wouldn't be a bad idea to wear some kind of a mask, just your typical breathing mask, to avoid getting aerosolized blood into your nose and throat. I mean, remember that part in 28 Days Later where the old guy got just a drop of zombie blood into his eye then he went apeshit and tried to eat his daughter?

Just thinking out loud here. About Zombies.

[Wookiejuice]

No, wearing a mask wouldn't hurt at all, Zombiephile. LOL... I was just laughing at the last thing you typed, about thinking that dude in 28 Days who went apeshit... and then the part about thinking outloud. About zombies. Made me laugh for sure.

The only thing I don't like about wearing masks, is it constricts my vision. I'm speaking of course of my peripheral vision. I've got pretty good peripheral vision, and would feel a lot more at ease if I could use that, when I'm in a zombie situation. Don't want any undead sneakin' up on me!

[railfun]

paintball masks are made to provide nearly unconstricted vision. Of course you would need a bandanna around the mouth because as anyone who has been paintballing knows liquid still flies into your mouth.

[EastBayZombieLegion]

until i read this i always thought bladed weapons were the way to go
but what if someone accidentally cut themselves with their weapon and it still had zomblie blood on it?
cuz then if thats the case wouldnt a bladed weapon be riskier?

[stale crayons]

considering bladed weaponry, I would be slightly wary of using one. There is a lot of risk in cutting yourself with a zombiejuiced blade. Or even just having an open wound around someone carrying the virus.

In opposition, a blunt object, I'm sure would cause more blood splatter than a blade. Taking into consideration of no blood flow, and perhaps the decomposition of three days, I think, and I'm no doctor or anything, just speculation, I think a zombies head would have the consistency of a pumpkin. Consider if you sacked this with a baseball bat. There would be a massive splatter. Consider if you sliced it with a sword. Not too much.

Another thing to take into consideration, HOW contagious is the virus? Some drugs and poisons can be absorbed by the skin. If you even get the zombie juice on your arm, can you contract the virus? So, in either case, some things that would good to have around would be, as previously mentioned, a paintball eye shield, a bandana, and a raincoat. Yes. Dual uses. Keeps me from melting in the rain, and protects from infection by absorbing the virus through the skin.

[railfun]

I would argue that splatter may be minimal. The human skull is quite a bit harder than a melon. With a blade you always have the chance of not killing the Z and consequently being boned in the ass (figuratively, I hope) because you are so close. A blunt weapon would provide a greater amount of overall force so if you didn't kill it in one hit the strike could knock it down or off balance, giving you time for the second strike. Of course all of this matters little if you keep your head on your shoulders and don't let them get close enough that a gun wouldn't work.