Machete

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

The Machete, like all other melee weapons, uses the slot of the Pistol. It has a comparatively quick swing speed that can slice and decapitate common Infected quickly, although its swing range seems to be a bit smaller than other melee weapons. 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

 * Even though this is a long, bladed weapon that is more than capable of decapitation, you cannot decapitate a Witch with this weapon; only the Axe and Katana are capable of doing so.
 * Survivors bring their other hand up while holding the machete in the same way the Sniper from Team Fortress 2 does with his Kukri. Another interesting note is that the community of Team Fortress 2 commonly debates whether to call the Sniper's weapon a kukri or a machete.
 * The Machete in-game has the fastest swing speed of the melee weapons. It has a short reach however, causing only a few Infected in close-quarters to be killed and pushing the rest back.

Exernal Links
Machete gameplay