Weapon	Speed	Strength	Damage
Dagger	Fastest	Weakest	Stab
Sword	Fast	Weak	Stab / Slash
Scimitar	Fast	Medium	Slash
Mace	Medium	Weak	Crush / Stab
Long Sword	Medium	Medium	Slash / Stab
Axe	Medium	Weak	Slash / Crush
Pickaxe	Medium	Weak	Stab / Crush
Spears Members only	Medium	Medium	Stab / Crush / Slash
Battle Axe	Slow	High	Slash / Crush
Warhammer	Slow	High	Crush
2-Handed Sword	Slowest	Highest	Slash / Crush

Dagger

The fastest of all the weapons. A player with a dagger can attack just over twice as fast as a player with a 2 handed weapon. A daggers principal attack is stabbing though it can be used as a slashing weapon.
Daggers are also useful because they can be used to poison an opponent (members only). The combination of fast attacks and poison make the dagger an ideal starting weapon in a fight against a ranger or a mage. Even if they run, you can get the odd hit in, hopefully poisoning them before you change to your primary weapon.

Short Sword

A fast stabbing weapon. Though not as fast as the dagger it does carry significantly more damage. Can also be used as a slashing weapon. A short sword is a good all-round weapon and is not too expensive.

Scimitar

The scimitar is a slash only weapon. Not as flexible as the short sword, yet deals slightly more damage. Slashing weapons are good against cloth and leather armour.

Mace

Maces are primarily crushing weapons. Faster than the Warhammer and more flexible, RuneScape maces have little pointy studs to stab with. Crushing is particularly useful against plated opponents. Maces are also the preferred weapon of the priest as they carry a prayer bonus.
The mace also has a "controlled" fighting option which allows you to spread your experience points between the four combat stats.

Long Sword

The warriors friend. The longsword is excellent when stabbing or slashing through opponents, carries a good amount of damage, and is faster than the 2-hander, battle axe or Warhammer. Like the mace, the longsword has a "controlled" fighting option.

Axe

The axe is best used in woodcutting, but makes a competent weapon if nothing else is handy.

Pickaxe

A pickaxe is best used in mining, but can be effective if nothing else is to hand.

Spear (Members only)

The spear is the most flexible of all the weapons in RuneScape, although it sacrifices speed and power because of this.
It is the only weapon that can stab, crush or slash effectively, and can also be used to poison your opponent. The spear also features the "controlled" fighting option.

Battle Axe

Faster than the 2-handed sword, yet not quite as much damage. Another useful wilderness weapon as it does very effective damage in Slashing and Crushing modes, which will get through any player armour.

Warhammer

The Warhammer is basically a big lump of metal on the end of a pole. Not a subtle weapon - it is basically used to smash through your opponents. Slightly faster than the 2-handed sword, and can be used in conjunction with a shield. Perfect for fights against plated warriors.

2 Handed Sword

The mighty 2-handed sword packs an incredible punch, but is the slowest of all the weapons, and cannot be used with a shield. The damage it deals is considerably higher than any other weapon made of the same material. Although it cannot be used to stab, very few pieces of armour can stand up to its mighty power.