Barrel

The best melee weapon for farming barrels is the Salvaged Cleaver

On roadside trash piles, the Blue [entity=2394597732] has 50 health, whilst the Tan [entity=2394597732] has only 35 health.
In monuments, however, it seems as though that it is switched. Tan [entity=2394597732]s have 50 health while the Blue [entity=2394597732]s have 35.

The blue and tan barrels give scrap and components. And the red barrels give low grade fuel and crude oil.

The *NEW* best meta tool for farming barrels are paddles. Slightly faster than the cleaver, only takes two hits. They're very cheap to craft, have a long reach, good durability, and can easily knock down road signs without taking much damage.

Crafting a machete is a very efficient tool to destroy barrels fast. - You can craft it as soon as you recycled 1 metal containing component + 100 wood (Requires no workbench to craft) - It swings fast and destroys barrels in 2 hits

Best melee weapons for farming barrels and roads as of 2023:
Mace - 1 hit for all barrels, swings a little slower.
Cleaver - 1 hit for yellow barrels, 2 hits for blue.
Paddle - Best for whacking road signs.
I also highly recommend investing in a vehicle very early game. You can loot low quality parts and bring a vehicle with storage to junkyard car lift and apply a codelock. From there, you can regularly deposit road loot into your vehicle to have it code lock protected while getting around much easier. Massive for just starting a wipe. Cars can also be used to knock down road signs easier saving on some tool durability. If you're lucky and get a camper module vehicle, you can respawn inside on death.