QFT, i also always aim for the head with my strikes, perhaps this is the cause of the disparity between our view of the patch and other cut users?
That could indeed be the case. I also think a lot of people believe that every weapon should be good at EVERYTHING. Right now, all the damage types are in a good place.
Pierce weapons do the most damage to people in heavy armor.
Blunt weapons do a moderate amount of damage but have knockdown.
Cut weapons do the most damage to people wearing light armor. Also, cut weapons have the most utility. Swords are the fastest, often longest weapons in the game and have decent pierce values. Axes are incredibly handy.
You can't expect one weapon to be perfect in every situation.