Machete

The Machete is a close combat weapon introduced in Left 4 Dead 2.

Like all other melee weapons, the Machete uses the slot of the Pistol. It can slice and decapitate common Infected. It's practically neck-and-neck with the Frying Pan for the best hits-over-time (excluding the Chainsaw), but uses less hit-boxes resulting in less hits. It's about the same as a Frying Pan power-wise, as well. As a bladed weapon, the more kills you get with it, the more blood you get splashed on your screen and on your weapon.

It can also do heavy damage to Special Infected if not killing them outright, although this isn't recommended unless they have ensnared or pinned another survivor, since some Special Infected can attack you before you can kill them or are too far way to do anything with a melee weapon, and the other Special Infected have abilities and effects that make them too dangerous to consider killing with a melee attack.

Trivia

 * The Machete could also be a reference to 28 Days Later, going as far as to sometimes be found in the corner of a bloody kitchen in The Parish, referencing a scene involving just that.
 * Despite the fact that the Machete is (in reality) equally as sharp and dangerous as a Katana, it does not have equal killing power and typically cannot kill a Special Infected in one hit.

Exernal Links
Machete gameplay