About All Melee Weapons

The Knife is a great weapon if used properly. It can defeat the Axe (even with left click crush), Shovel, and Katana pretty easily. The well known strafing tactic is needed for the knife to be efficient. There are different variations of this tactic. It only works if you have low ping though. The only problem with this weapon is that if you get good scores like 35-6 almost all the time then people will kick you in rage.

Power ★★★
Range ★★★
Speed ★★★★★
Versatility ★★★★★

The Axe is a good weapon too, with the left click being a 1-hit headshot kill. People tend to spam left click slash, which could get annoying at times. The right click is a step from the knife's right click, but it's left click is what makes its power so widely famous (or infamous, if you will).

Power ★★★★★
Range ★★★★
Speed ★★★
Versatility ★★★★

The Shovel is okay, even though the left click sucks. The right click is what makes this weapon deadly. The right click at speeds like mine (e.g. 150 FPS, 27 ping in US South) can really push the distance limits. I've known that people fighting against a player using this weapon will die more when jumping. There is a terrible problem with the timing, and people, even though they can hit well with the shovel, will most likely guess at first.

Power ★★★★
Range ★★★★★
Speed ★★
Versatility ★★

Katana is probably the worst of all melee weapons. People may make it seem like an awesome weapon, but really its speed CANNOT compensate for its power. The Knife is 3.67 times as fast with the slash (when clicking, NOT holding left mouse button) and the Axe is 1.67 times as fast with slashing. The Katana Stab is long range, but from what I see an knife's or axe's stab tends to hit first.

Power ★★★★
Range ★★★★
Speed ★
Versatility ★★

These ratings are all based on MY experiences. If you feel like you are better with a certain weapon, then go and use it. No one's going to stop you .