best blade?

[i like swords]

what is the best bladed melee weapon?

[worm_master]

Sheesh Kabab, it's a flamin blade!

[Valden21]

In terms of raw damage, that would be the Slasher Knife. But you only get that during one specific part of the main quest, and it's gone once that part's over. So if you're talking about a weapon you can keep, then that would be the Shishkebab, or General Jinwei's Shocksword. The former is something you can make if you have the materials and the schematics, and you get the latter by finishing the Operation Anchorage DLC.

[a random gomamon]

ant sting is a good early game one till you get the shock sword

[Magic Man]

The numbers range depending on whether you have all the relevant perks or not.
DPA: Damage Per Attack
DPS: Damage Per Second

The Slasher Knife deals 50 - 57.5 DPA and can deal 115.4 - 132.7 DPS, but it is only usable during the Tranquility Lane quest.

The Mauler from the Pitt deals 45 - 63.5 DPA, which is the highest in the game. However, it only hits once per second, so it only deals 45 - 63.5 DPS. It also cannot critical hit.

The Shishkebab deals 35 - 59.3 DPA with 2 - 8.1 afterburn DPS for 5 seconds. It can deal 80.8 - 136.7 DPS with the afterburn stacking.

Jingwei's Shocksword deals equal DPA and DPS to the Shishkebab without any perks, but the Shishkebab clears if you have the Pyromaniac perk.

I'll also note that Stabhappy is the only melee weapon that can potentially reach a 100% crit rate without V.A.T.S. if you have the Finesse, Ninja, and Survival Guru (Snide) perks and at least 5 Luck. However, it only deals 10 - 15.5 DPA and 30 - 46.5 DPS and the critical damage is only about 2.5 times higher.

The Vampire's Edge deals 15 - 15.8 DPA and 34.6 - 36.3 DPS. With 10 Luck, Finesse, Survival Guru (Snide), and Ninja, it has a 99% chance of critting without V.A.T.S.

[monarchJ]

I personally love the Shishkebab for bladed melee - couple of ways you can obtain.
(Quite entertaining if given to your companion too).