Interesting. On the whole, there's a good lesson to be learned here. Still, like most "this weapon is better" conversation, it doesn't really consider environment. Would you just run with a sword against someone who has a spear? Really? If you go to war, why not start with elbow and arrows?
The situation, environment, and everything else should be considered. Where, when and how?
For close quarters, small or crowded places, like if you were attacked inside a house, the ability change fast and not hit objects around you is pretty important. A too long or clumsy weapon will mean getting stucked to or stopped by hitting things around you. In that kind of situation, a narrow blade sword, or the jian, would easily be a better choice than a spear or a dao. So again, situation. Where, when and how?