Weapons, part 5.

Trench knives:  Light and accurate, made to stab through the toughest of wartime and into the skull, the trench knife is a deadly weapon against a zombie.  Some were improvised by soldiers from bayonets, some simply bayonets, but the best were purpose-made tools of war.  You would be very well off if you could have one of these made by a sword smith, with a knuckle duster grip and a thin, durable spike.  But I'm getting off track.  A trench knife is a very useful weapon, but you have to get in close with it to strike.  For this reason, it would be best as a reserve weapon, a backup, like a pistol.  You don't want to resort to it, but if you do, there's no stopping you.  Overall impression: beautiful and powerful.

Normal knives:  Whether you want one or not depends on the knife.  If it's a dagger, made for thrusting, you can use it to stab deep into vitals and kill your enemy quickly.  If you have a slashing knife, though, you'll have a much more difficult time taking down anything.  Small cuts don't bother a zombie, and even long knives just don't have the range or leverage to chop off a head.  You should always carry one, mainly for use in daily tasks, but the knife, generally speaking, is not meant for fighting anymore.  Overall impression: very useful for survival, but not so much for fighting.

Swords:  Very effective once you've trained with them.  A well-placed stab can kill a zombie almost instantly, and a good slash can lop off a limb-- or a head.  I'd suggest getting a one-handed stabbing sword in favor of a slasher, since stabs give the best range, cause more damage to the vitals, and are quicker.  Plus, you can do them quite effectively with one hand, even with only the most basic self-training, leaving your other hand to do important jobs.  If you want to use a two-handed sword, though, it will cause massive injury regardless of your mode of attack.  It won't be good inside most buildings, but you can inflict massive cuts on zombies, slicing through several limbs and necks at once.  Remember, though, that it doesn't need to be a katana to be powerful: European swords cut extremely well, and are built to block if needed.  Overall impression: you won't get much domestic use out of them, but swords are excellent weapons when wielded properly.