Should a walking stick be part of your survival gear ??

[Tartar Horde]

(12 December 2012, 22:20)Highlander Wrote: I am a sword collector,...or I was until a few years ago,.. I still have quite a lot,... but I am not sure I would want to fight with many of them,... very unwealdy if you are untrained,..and a couple I have are as heavy as hell

That's the key right there TRAINING! I train weekly in HEMA (Historical European Martial Arts) and cut regularly with swords, for someone untrained they can be lethal.
I suggest for anyone wanting more information on European style fighting techniques to check out ARMA first. They have lots of instructional videos and explain the historical perspective behind various sword types very well. If you want to go into the subject a bit deeper you could read anything by Ewart Oakeshott, who before his death was considered the World authority on sword typology and development.
If anyone is thinking about buying a sword I would check out Sword Buyers Guide. They have some great reviews of swords they have tested (some to destruction) and also some horror stories of cheap swords that have failed during use, highly recommended site.
and finally if you want to check out some sword made the old fashioned way by a master check out Castle Keep swords (rob Miller) isle of skye.
It would be great to have more discussions on this subject as the use of bladed tools/weapons have always played a part in preppers lives, whether it be your favourite old pen knife or that cherished historical piece.