User blog comment:LilyheartsLightning/The MEWiki Arsenal Awards 2012/@comment-60.240.209.220-20130124133108/@comment-4310096-20130124222437

If anything, the Mattock is a comparable equivalent to the Phalanx (and so is the Raptor). They have relatively similar stats and handle in similar ways, though the Phalanx can't be trigger-spammed just as good as the Mattock, because it's fire rate seems to be capped. The equivalent to the Vindicator is the Incisor, though there are some differences and the Viper is a lot like the Carnifex in terms of fire rate and clip size.

The Talon does significant damage to Armor and Shields, this is made even easier when you're using the AP mod or AP ammo, which lets you melt through a Brute's Armor bar quite easily. Also, because of it's shotgun-like nature, the Talon can bypass the Shield gate, something the single-shot Paladin cannot. The Paladin is very good for headshots and easily removes mooks and damages bosses, but the Talon can do this as well and in some cases even better (bosses go down faster with it, for example).