User blog comment:Chayes711/Weapon speed?/@comment-4644719-20120129005207

My understanding is that the only factor involved is weight. If I'm right, then all you need to do to compare weapons is divide damage by weight.

I believe that weight is the only factor because a higher class of bow takes much longer to draw than a lower class. Since weight is the only difference between the two, it only makes sense that that is the only factor.

Before you decide on the ideal weapon, be sure to remember staggers. Staggers occur when enough damage is done in one blow. I'm not sure how much is enough, it may be a percentage of the total health of the target. Regardless, three hits with a light weapon that does exactly the same damage as one hit from a heavy weapon may not be equal, since there is a greater chance of forcing a stagger with the heavy weapon.

Another factor to consider is reach. While I could hit someone three times with a dagger in the time it takes to complete one swing of a sword, I have more reach with that sword. Reach is the only way i could ever tolerate the two handed weapons in general.

I remember when reach was the main difference between all the weapon categories. In Oblivion, the reach difference between a dagger, a short sword, a longsword, and a claymore was brutally obvious. Now the major difference between all the weapons seems to be damage against maneuverability.

Remember, it's not all about the stagger and damage a second. It's about staying alive long enough to kill the other guy too. One handed weapons have two major advantages over the two handers in this field. Firstly, you can move much faster. the lighter a weapon, the less it slows you down. Secondly, there's the shield. While it does slow you considerably, that is entirely negated with the Steed stone or the appropriate perks.

I hope the monologue helps you, I got a bit off topic.