In "The World's Worst Weapons," Martin Dougherty details the long history of overambitious, underachieving weapons that failed to hit their mark.
We've already described the eight worst guns of all time, now take a look at the five worst hand-held melee weapons ever produced.
Extendable batons
The extendable baton can fit on an officers belt and spyglass out to an impressive length when needed for combat, but the collapsing mechanism in the baton proved both a gift and a curse.
For one, the violent flicking action needed to deploy the baton often hurt the user or an ally. After heavy use, the batons become unpredictable, either not deploying fully or collapsing prematurely.
Country: United States
Year introduced: 1990
Range: Close combat
Length: 15-25 inches
Weight: 1-1.5 pounds
Users: Police, security
Source: "The World's Worst Weapons"
Sabre-briquet
If you've never heard of the sabre-briquet, that's probably because it wasn't very good.
Made during the awkward stage when militaries transitioned from traditional melee weapons to muskets, the sabre-briquet was already obsolete by the time of it's adoption by Napoleon's men.
"Fighting at close quarters, soldiers found they were better off with their bayonets or fighting with clubbed (reversed) muskets," Doughrety writes.
The french officially abandoned the outmoded sabre in 1807, finding it useful for little more than chopping firewood.
Country: France
Year introduced: 1780
Length: Three feet
Weight: Two pounds
Ease of use: High
Users: Napoleonic infantry
Source: "The World's Worst Weapons"
Flintlock sword pistols
Flintlock sword pistols represented a gallant attempt to combine the best parts of swords with newly emerging flintlock pistols.
Already flintlock pistols had issues with misfires, and were difficult to use. The addition of a sword to the pistol made it even more unwieldy, and swinging around the pistol in close combat endangered the delicate cap-and-ball charge.
In the even that you successfully struck an opponent with the sword component of the pistol you'd run the risk of a misfire in a gun that is notoriously slow to reload.
Country: France
Year introduced: 1800s
Range: Close
Length: 3 feet
Weight: 2-3 pounds
Users: Militaries, private
Source: "The World's Worst Weapons"
Throwing stars
To properly use a ninja-star, you'd have to dedicate your life to training with them, only to end up with an underwhelming method of attack.
A "shuriken" or a "ninja star" is incredibly hard to land on point. Even if the the star makes contact on a point, its small size and weight mean it would have little chance at inflicting any more than a flesh wound.
Even for the ninjas who used them in earnest, the ninja star was little more than a distraction, and did little to stop armored samurai.
Year introduced: Unknown
Range: 16 feet
Length: 4 inches
Weight: Negligible
Users: Martial arts fantasists
Source: "The World's Worst Weapons"
Nunchaku (Nun chucks)
Nunchaku were an invention of necessity, when Asian farmers could be punished with death if they were found in possession of real weapons, like swords, staffs, or pikes. The design of two sticks joined by a short chain or chord is simple enough, but in practice you must be extremely skilled to use these weapons convincingly.
Without a lifetime of disciplined practice, the swinging clubs of the nunchaku are just as likely to strike the user as an enemy.
Year introduced: Unknown
Range: Close combat
Length: 19-27 inches
Weight: One pound
Users: Japanese peasants, martial arts fans
Source: "The World's Worst Weapons"
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