# Brits: What's a zombie knife? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 18, 2018, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brits-whats-a-zombie-knife/816315 "2018-06-18T13:19:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2018, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brits-whats-a-zombie-knife/816315/1 "2018-06-18T13:19:38Z")
See [subject](http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5853757/Zombie-blades-BANNED-knife-crime-crackdown.html). They’re about to be banned in Britain, and all I can make out is that they’re big and scary looking. How will they legally be defined? The anti-zombie law, passed in response to a flurry or knife attacks, clearly has parallels with the situation in the US in that, a consensus having been found that “assault rifles” were bad, as well as big and scary looking, everybody realized that besides that (and semi/full auto) they had to labor to define what they ostensibly were. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2018, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brits-whats-a-zombie-knife/816315/2 "2018-06-18T13:43:09Z")
A **zombie knife** (also known as a **zombie killer knife** or **zombie slayer knife** ) is a type of [knife](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knife). It is defined in [English law](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_law) as _a blade with_ [ol] [li]_a cutting edge;_[/li][li]_a serrated edge; and_[/li][li]_images or words (whether on the blade or handle) that suggest that it is to be used for the purpose of violence._[/li][/ol] [Cite.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zombie_knife) ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2018, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brits-whats-a-zombie-knife/816315/3 "2018-06-18T13:51:40Z")
So, all the manufacturers have to do is remove the pictures, and they’re in the clear? ---
**Author:** ![Alpha\_Twit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alpha_twit/32/265_2.png) [@Alpha\_Twit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alpha_Twit)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2018, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brits-whats-a-zombie-knife/816315/4 "2018-06-18T13:55:31Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > [li]_a serrated edge_[/li] That makes no sense to me. A serrated edge on a zombie killing knife is a distinct liability. To kill a zombie with a knife, you need to thrust the blade through the skull and into the brain. When used this way, a serrated edge makes it much more likely that the blade will become stuck in the skull and pulled out of your hand. You’re much better off using a simple, single edged blade with a smooth back. Double edged blades also work well for this purpose with the understanding that the second cutting edge of the blade means that there is less metal and less strength in the blade. Such blades have been known to snap in half when used without the appropriate care and training. An argument has been made that a serrated edge on a knife can be used to decapitate a zombie by sawing at the neck. While this may have value in after action battlefield sanitation, this will not help you in combat. Better tools should be available for such after action duties and a serrated edge will very likely not help you survive long enough to worry about them. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2018, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brits-whats-a-zombie-knife/816315/5 "2018-06-18T14:28:17Z")
In the Agent Pendergast novel _The Obsidian Chamber_ by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Childs, it’s the preferred weapon for assassinations used by Flavia Greyling in that book. After reading about it, I had to look it up. Zombie Killer Knives don’t look significantly more threatening than other knives, although the barbs some of them have would make them wicked to remove. ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2018, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brits-whats-a-zombie-knife/816315/6 "2018-06-18T14:45:38Z")
About as pointless as the long-standing bans in the USA on switchblade knives. What next, a ban on black leather jackets and studded boots? ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2018, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brits-whats-a-zombie-knife/816315/7 "2018-06-18T14:49:39Z")
> [@Lumpy](#): > > About as pointless as the long-standing bans in the USA on switchblade knives. What next, a ban on black leather jackets and studded boots? Knives don’t kill people, blades kill people. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2018, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brits-whats-a-zombie-knife/816315/8 "2018-06-18T14:58:01Z")
Here is a [diver’s knife](https://www.heinnie.com/john-nowill-divers-knife-titanium) that fits the bill. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2018, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brits-whats-a-zombie-knife/816315/9 "2018-06-18T15:03:49Z")
> [@Leo\_Bloom](#): > > See [subject](http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5853757/Zombie-blades-BANNED-knife-crime-crackdown.html). > > They’re about to be banned in Britain… I’m more interested in whether there is a grass roots movement arising in Britain protesting this ban. Are lobbyists and knife-rights groups taking out full-page ads and staging demonstrations to object to this violation of rights? ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2018, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brits-whats-a-zombie-knife/816315/10 "2018-06-18T15:12:24Z")
**Moderator Note** This is GQ, so let’s keep all of the gun control politics out of a knife thread. Feel free to post knife/gun politics in GD or the Pit though, if you so desire. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2018, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brits-whats-a-zombie-knife/816315/11 "2018-06-18T15:16:36Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > So, all the manufacturers have to do is remove the pictures, and they’re in the clear? It sure reads that way.😕 ---
**Author:** ![Quercus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/7ab992/32.png) [@Quercus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quercus)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2018, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brits-whats-a-zombie-knife/816315/12 "2018-06-18T15:18:05Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > Here is a [diver’s knife](https://www.heinnie.com/john-nowill-divers-knife-titanium) that fits the bill. It’s a bit hard to read, but I think the only words are the manufacturer’s name and model number, which in most reasonable people’s opinion, don’t “suggest that it is to be used for the purpose of violence.” So not legally a Zombie Knife. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2018, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brits-whats-a-zombie-knife/816315/13 "2018-06-18T15:37:50Z")
> [@Quercus](#): > > It’s a bit hard to read, but I think the only words are the manufacturer’s name and model number, which in most reasonable people’s opinion, don’t “suggest that it is to be used for the purpose of violence.” So not legally a Zombie Knife. Ah, “that suggest that it is to be used for the purpose of violence.” Diver’s knives are safe. ---
**Author:** ![Teuton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/teuton/32/3864_2.png) [@Teuton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Teuton)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2018, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brits-whats-a-zombie-knife/816315/14 "2018-06-18T16:19:20Z")
The intent is not to ban useful knives, but to remove “display” knives not intended as a tool for anything from the streets. There’s been a lot of [knife crime](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/violent-knife-crime-rise-stabbing-murders-reasons-increase-london-why-a8326171.html) in London over the past couple of years, and lawmakers obviously feel that banning ‘cool’ knives like these may stop people carrying them - or else provide an easy charge against someone caught carrying one. EDIT: Note that you can own a divers knife such as that, and carry it in your divers kit and use it for whatever divers use it for, but you can’t carry it down the pub on a saturday. You won’t even be able to legally buy a ‘zombie’ knife. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2018, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brits-whats-a-zombie-knife/816315/15 "2018-06-18T16:30:36Z")
Once on the History Channel show **Forged in Fire** a contestant created a knife he referred to as a “zombie chopper”. It was styled a lot like a fat tanto, with big, wicked-looking serrations on the spine; the cutting edge was unserrated. I can’t find a picture of it online. In searching, a lot of the “zombie knives” I’ve seen have a gut hook on them. I don’t really see the utility of gutting something that’ll still come at you, but whatevs. ---
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2018, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brits-whats-a-zombie-knife/816315/16 "2018-06-18T16:33:22Z")
Are “zombie killer knives” some kind of fad? Fidget spinners for the hooligan set? ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2018, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brits-whats-a-zombie-knife/816315/17 "2018-06-18T17:10:15Z")
> [@Sailboat](#): > > Are “zombie killer knives” some kind of fad? Fidget spinners for the hooligan set? [Apparently](https://www.swordsknivesanddaggers.com/zombie-survival-blades.html). ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2018, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brits-whats-a-zombie-knife/816315/18 "2018-06-18T18:08:40Z")
I’ve never heard of this before, but a google image search clarifies the problem they are trying to solve. These knives range from stylized hatchet-knives to machetes, and many even have “brass knuckles” for a handle. [They are clearly made for the slashing or stabbing of human beings, and for no other useful purpose.](https://www.google.com/search?hl=en&tbm=isch&source=hp&biw=997&bih=551&ei=IfMnW_TvIKTy5gK8h4KoDQ&q=zombie+knife&oq=zombie+knife&gs_l=img.3..0l5j0i10k1j0l4.3189.6509.0.6706.13.11.0.2.2.0.97.841.10.10.0....0...1ac.1.64.img..1.12.855.0...0.ugvGhFPZhhg) They are further enhanced with various neon and black decorative elements to make them “look cool” and appeal to impulsive violent minded people. This is not a useful instrument. One might put it to use if it were nearby when a thick rope needed cutting, but in terms of “intent for use” they are manufactured as stylized weaponry. I could easily see how a person in a chemically induced frame of mind to make bad decisions might find inspiration in them. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2018, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brits-whats-a-zombie-knife/816315/19 "2018-06-18T18:57:39Z")
Looking at some of the pictures, I wonder if the better solution might be to just allow them and let the wielders Darwinize themselves by trying to use them in a fight and accidentally disemboweling themselves. Some of them manage to look even less practical than bat’leths. ---
**Author:** ![Flyer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/flyer/32/7298_2.png) [@Flyer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flyer)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2018, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brits-whats-a-zombie-knife/816315/20 "2018-06-18T19:39:34Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > In the Agent Pendergast novel _The Obsidian Chamber_ by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Childs, it’s the preferred weapon for assassinations used by Flavia Greyling in that book. After reading about it, I had to look it up. Zombie Killer Knives don’t look significantly more threatening than other knives, although the barbs some of them have would make them wicked to remove. I just got done with that book 2 days ago. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brits-whats-a-zombie-knife/816315.md?page=2)