But think of the animation of 1h thrust.
A Weapon with 101spd 34cut 28pierce in Gen 1 Heirloom.
Do you really think you can block it´s thrust easy ? Or is this just an ironic joke ?
1 hand with over 100 speed is so fast , that you can´t think: " .... oh .... ah .... he´s trying to make a thrust .... haha .... ok .... i think i will downblock ... it´s so easy ... he never can hit me .... haha ".
And not only the thrust makes damage ...
Think of the 34 cut .... if the swing comes right .... maybe an overhead .... it makes ouch :-)
The biggest argument for the Sidesword is : it only requires 8 Str , and is one of the best 1h weapon. And if you only get to 8 str, which i think is really a bit too low by the way , this weapon is really a very very good choice ...
And i think heirloomed Weapons cost the same repair costs , as not heirloomed weapons.
And even if the 1h thrust isn´t too long , it´s range is 95. It is real nice for 1h.
Aaaaand : Niuweidao has exactly 1 cut damage more, than Sidesword ... wow .... but you can never use thrust .... that´s a big advantage .... ;-)
Think of it ;-) Dont´s forget the second advantage : Niuweidao is shorter .... ;-)