My top 5 weapons

5: Sword and Sheild

Simple, practical, to the point. Get the job done and doesn't ask you for high amounts of accuracy or skill.

4: Light Gunbow

Great for ranged engagement and has a lot of options for positioning and special ammo usage. Quick to fire

3: Switch Axe

It's just cool man, I mean it's badass. Plus puts out a lot of damage in skilled hands.

2: Longsword

Low skill floor for simple hacking and slashing, high skill ceiling in counters, cuts and spirit charging. Versatile.

2: Hammer (my main)

Hammer go bonk. Enough said. Stun is really handy against those wigglier monsters that less mobile teammates may not be able to go to town on

1: Insect Glaive

Can't get hit if the monster can't reach you. Dancing around in mid air and deploying your Kinsect to keep some pressure while healing or cleansing is very handy. Tricky to use right, but a blast to use on larger monsters with larger and more frequent openings for mounts.