The new Zombie Tools Vakra with its good pal, the AR-15.
New Blades Released
ZT’s winter release of our new blade designs is here, just (barely) in time for the holidays.
Check out our blades page for the lowdown on three new designs: the Apokatana, a light, fast, tactical katana for the bitchkiller on the run; the Vakra, our spin on the classic Nepali Kukri, and the Deuce, the two-handed version of the ZT Phalanx.
We’ll also have a limited release of our new Squid Ax in a week, as well as some news on a design that didn’t quite make the winter release, the ZT Spit, a 4-foot long dealer of death based upon an African spear-sword design.
If you want to give (or get) a ZT weapon for Christmas, order it now. We’ve got one month of blade production before our Christmas shipping cutoff date, and we’re going to be busy. So if you want to make sure that your favorite corpse killer is freshly armed for C-Day, get your order in ASAP.
Keep it tight, killers.
Posted by Zombie Tools on Nov 15 2010 |
26 comments
“Rinse and Repeat,” an image created by the dynamic duo of Proud Ruin.
Zombie Tools October Update
October always seems to find the Zombie Tools boys armpit deep in it. This October is no exception, and, in fact, we may be as deep as we’ve ever been. Here’s what we’ve got going on…..
- First, we’re having an Open Shop party on Saturday the 23rd from 3pm until the cops show up. If you’re in the Missoula area, swing by to see blademaking and cutting demos, swordfighting, and 6 metal bands. Go here for more details.
- Next, we have ZomBCon in Seattle, Halloween weekend, where we will be unveiling 4 new weapon designs, hosting a panel, and likely puking on some Hollywood celebrity or other. If you can’t make it, stay tuned to our Facebook page where we’ll be posting photos of the new designs from the show. The new designs will go on sale on the website the first week of November.
- Also, it’s high time that we announced a collaboration with Proud Ruin, a duo of image makers from South Dakota who do amazing work (Really. Check out their stuff.) We’re teaming up with the PR boys on a photography project that will put a turd in the trousers of any zombie nut. Details to come as they come.
- We’re about to ship three of our new blades to Down Range TV, a show for shooters on the Outdoor Channel. The show is planning a special zombie themed season finale that will feature our blades in the hands of a blademaster. The episode will be filmed in November and air in March. We’ll give you the exact airdate when we get it.
- We’ve released two new products in the past week, the ZT Spike and the “Zak is my Bitch” t-shirt.
More news to come in the next few weeks. If you’re not signed up for our newsletter, sign up. We’re going to actually start using our email list starting next month. And for the latest news, follow us on Facebook. We’ve been doing a lot more posts on Facebook these days, because we’re busy, and FB is fast and easy.
Thanks for your continuing support, zombie killers. Keep it tight!
Posted by Zombie Tools on Oct 21 2010 |
32 comments
The New ZT Spike
It’s a throwing spike, a rope dart, and the world’s most deadly letter opener…..it’s the ZT Spike, on sale now.
Posted by Zombie Tools on Oct 19 2010 |
7 comments
Zombie Tools Heading to Seattle for ZomBcon, Oct 29-31
Hide your women and your booze, Seattle. The Zombie Tools crew is coming your way this Halloween weekend for ZomBCon 2010, the first con dedicated to zombie and apocalyptic preparedness culture. The ZomBCon crew have put together an impressive lineup of guests and events, including:
Max Brooks, author of World War Z and the Zombie Survival Guide
Chuck Palahniuk, author of Fight Club
George Romero, the godfather of zombie movies.
Bruce Campbell, who will preside over the screening of a newly restored EVIL DEAD
Roger Ma, author of the Zombie Combat Manual
and Malcolm McDowell, actor in movies that have nothing to do with zombies.
And then there’s us. We’ll be hosting a panel on blades and apocalyptic preparedness, and, if all goes well, engaging in drunken fisticuffs with all the special guests and more. We’ll have a booth with all our blades (including two new unannounced designs) and merch.
Want to hold our tools? Come down to the Seattle Center and get a grip on our bladed goodness.
For more info on ZomBCon, check out the website at: http://www.zombcon.com/
Posted by Zombie Tools on Sep 16 2010 |
4 comments
In the Pipeline: the Phalanx, the Squid Ax, and Spike
You asked for it, you got it. Here’s an update on what we’ve got in the new weapon pipeline.
First up, the Phalanx. The Phalanx started out as the next evolution of our Urban Bone Machete line. We called it the Mark IV. But as the design evolved, the blade lengthened and the edge profile changed, and we realized that we no longer had anything that you could reasonably call a “machete.” What we had was a short sword.
And a damn fine short sword she is. Everyone who’s touched it remarks on its balance, maintained in spite of its length and heft, and the handle is one of our best yet for comfort and grip. She’ll take a little strength and skill to wield, but in the right hands, she’s a killer. The Phalanx sells for $299 and will go on sale at the end of the week. We’ve only finished two so far, so contact us if you’re interested in having one of the first. First email, first serve.
We’re also working on a two-handed version of the Phalanx. A little longer, with a few extra inches on the handle. We’ll call it the Phalanx Deuce. And we can’t wait to cut with her.
(Click images for larger view.)
Next, we have a few experiments with smaller deadly toys. We have always loved throwing spikes. Back in the day, every Saturday afternoon swordfighting session almost always included throwing some spikes (and eliminated Joey’s security deposit on his apartment). We haven’t done it in a while, and we miss it, so we decided to make our own ZT style. Thus, Spike was born.
True to the ZT M.O., Spike is a beefy chunk of metal, 8-inches long, made from the same 5160 spring steel we use to make blades. And its really easy to throw—easier that the smaller, more rounded spikes we used to throw, and a good toss can bury Spike deep into a door. But better yet, we discovered that you can thread paracord through the hole at the ass-end and Spike suddenly transforms into a wicked rope dart. We’ve been practicing over the past few days and have gotten pretty good at swinging Spike around and sticking it, then pulling the rope and retrieving with something resembling grace. Loads of fun. Once Chris gets his video editing shit together, we’ll shoot some video and show you.
Spike will not be available for a few weeks, as we may be tweaking the design just a hair.
Finally, we have one of the more unique pieces of metal to come out of ZT Labs. We call it the Squid Ax. We’re not exactly sure what the Squid Ax is about, but we like it. We’re going to change the blade profile to add a slightly nastier tip and a slightly longer blade. And we’re changing the handle a bit so it fits more comfortably in our big mitts. She may not kill a bitch, but the Squid Ax would be a nasty addition to any close-quarters encounter.
Beyond that, we have a design for a larger weapon that’s still a sketch in Max’s notebook. But we’re all excited about it, especially Max, and when Max is excited, things happen fast. Stay tuned—we’ll probably have something to talk about in a couple weeks.
Keep it tight.
Posted by Zombie Tools on Aug 24 2010 |
30 comments
The Ultimate Apocalyptic Armor - Peruvian Style
From the Department of We Like Awesome Things:
We’ve talked a lot about the ultimate apocalyptic combat armor. We’ve even thought about creating it. But there’s no need—it exists. You just have to be a member of Peru’s riot police force to get it.
Look at this shit. There’s no way Zak’s going to sneak an infected tooth through on these guys. And with the face shield down, they’re nicely protected from infection by an arcing stream of spouting blood. Not to mention the muy grande protection provided for one’s junk. Zak might just fall over and die of penis envy.
Posted by Zombie Tools on Aug 21 2010 |
5 comments
An Epic Month For Zombie Tools
The ZT crew has been reunited. Chris is back from studying post-apocalyptic living conditions in Nepal, Max is back from living in urban douchebag conditions in Seattle, and Joey has quit the day job to go full time at ZT. Our tightness capacity has increased 10-fold and it feels like the beginning of a new phase for us. Call it Zombie Tools 2.0.
So, what’s coming at you? New weapon designs, of course—we’ve got 3 prototypes in the works. We’re researching new materials, techniques, and production processes. We’ve got a couple new t-shirts coming. We’re overhauling the website. And we’re hatching early plans for an Event here in Montana that’s got us so excited we puke up a little bile every time we think about it. Basically, we’re cranking this bitch up to dick speed and seeing how high she’ll fly.
So keep in touch. We’ll be posting more here, and we also stay pretty active on our Facebook page.
Click through for photos from our month of epicness.
Posted by Zombie Tools on Aug 11 2010 |
22 comments
Latest News
Ok, it’s been a while since my last post. Many things have come to pass. For starters, our rock n’ roll lifestyle got us ejected from our first shop in February, that was fun. It took quite some time to move, but, the new shop is tight.
Chris is still in Nepal. Max has spent most of this year in Seattle seeking fame, fortune, adventure or just something that isn’t Missoula. That leaves me in the shop busting ass to fill orders and get ready for MisCon. To Max’s credit, he still shows up at least once a month to help out for a few days. Even then, what was once a four week maximum wait for a blade has become a minimum. Orders have been consistent enough for me to start full time shop work soon though. Which should lower the wait time considerably.
I have a shit ton more posts planned. There is the better late than never review of Roger Ma’s newish book The Zombie Combat Manual, a mini “Made in Montana” documentary about ZT filmed by some local college folks, and a couple more pics like the one up above. Which is a grand tale of some neighbors of the old shop donating the remains of an elk carcass for us to cut to shit last fall. There was some video, but while we were sober enough to cut an elk carcass to bits, we weren’t quite able to use a focus wheel. It was bad. Trust me.
I believe that is my “Holy shit! This bitch just cut through three big mother fucking elk ribs” look.
Posted by Joey on May 18 2010 |
38 comments
Previous Page
