User blog comment:Mckrongs/Monster Hunter 4 for the Nintendo 3DS/@comment-166.137.156.15-20121212164641/@comment-5489419-20121212193538

I actually agree to your points above me, AWC. A lot of people like these hybrid weapons because it is hard to find a weakness in them.

The one thing the Switch Axe can't do is guard, but it has the long reach, the high damage output, the switch-blade gimmick to give it a little flare, and it gets an elemental damage boost (as well as a raw damage boost, a new status effect, as well as a high-powered overcharge) with quicker attacks when you switch to sword mode. The axe mode is mobile with slow attacks and the sword mode is sluggish but quicker attacks.

I'm liking the Charge Axe, don't get me wrong, and I'll probably have a blast using it since I love axe-based weaponry, especially giant axes; but now that it has guarding capabilities I don't know if anyone would ever find a reason NOT to use the weapon, unless you're just really against the SNS/SA game style.