A quick study in Pistol/Shield vs. Rifles and Gloves from an Engineers Perspective.

[Deathpunch]

1. I would argue against +1 health regen being a deciding factor. Engineers are a class that have access to heals all the time. An extra HP every second isn't noticeable.

Agreed, I edited my summaries somewhat to demphasize the health regen differences.

2. The platinum armor for Engineers performs above and beyond the non-custom or even custom armor because of the dodge bonus.

Indeed it does, but the dodge bonus has no effect on weapon performance from what I can tell. If it does, then it is applied evenly to all tested weapons.

Shield increases armor

Yes, it does. This wasn't in doubt, was it? Or are you suggesting that I shouldn't have included the shield in these comparisons? If so, that was the whole point of the thread, to compare pistol/shield combos against other options available for engineers.