Now that the episode has aired, I must say that I like the idea of the sharpened still spike through the head - although it requires such precision and special circumstances that its use is limited (like through a fence line with a bunch of zeds lined up just waiting to get it).
Swords or heavy machetes seem to be the best way to go for quick and certain kills. You lop off the head pretty quickly, or if you're really in trouble you can go for the arms of multiple zeds so that they can't grab you - then either take them out one-by-one or run away.
A 12-gauge to the head would be pretty certain, but the problem is that the ammo is going to be limited in such a scenario and that its hard to be too mobile while lugging around several dozen or more rounds.
Dear Ancesthnr,
If people we know knew we were talking about the best way to kill zombies, they would think you and I are crazy.
I never missed an episode of MacGyver as I learned something each time - so, I guess I am a bit nuts - especially for a woman. However, being a woman with less strength than men, any advantage I can learn is a good thing.
Back to killing zombies - The sharp steel spike will work great if one jabs it in an eye - it will go straight through the eye socket into the brain. Don't think I have enough strength to penetrate the skull with a spike, but an eye would be easy.
I have a Cold Steel brand defensive bat and that thing is designed to crush a skull or break an arm or leg. No one would walk away after being hit by that. Look up Cold Steel bat on Amazon to see what I mean. The weight of that bat will crush whatever it hits. It sits several steps inside my front door. It feels lethal when you pick it up.
I was going to get a machete and picked out one on Amazon and never did get it. I have limbs from another yard that grow over my fence and I have to clean that out every year. I was thinking the machete would make short work of that but the manual hedge cutter I have is doing that job well. I still need that machete, don't I, for cutting off zombie arms and heads.
I really like the idea of cutting off the arms with a machete because that is their main way to have contact. One without arms is at a great disadvantage. I hope none show up before I get a machete.
If there is no gun available for a head shot or one is saving ammo, a machete and a Cold Steel bat would save your life.
For your information, a Cold Steel bat looks like a black baseball bat - some of them may be brown, I don't remember. It's unbreakable but none of them are made of steel. The one I got is the “Brooklyn Smasher” model. It's a bit longer than the others but that allows me, a female with shorter arms than a man, to stay a little farther away from the zombie and still get a direct hit. Look them up on Amazon and read of their construction.
If taking a trip, stick it in the car - you are just taking a baseball bat, totally legal. You, however, know it is a lethal weapon when used. If you have children, don't let them play with this bat - they could, in playing with the bat, crush a skull of a pet or another child.
Stay safe and keep working on eliminating zombies - see you next Sunday for the next episode of Walking Dead.