Of course you can move out of the way of flares / axe very easily, especially for regulars or those who generally know what they're doing. What about for those who are new to the mod or the game itself? How do they stand a chance? Many people don't seem to realise they can even run when they're seen and just sit there waiting for their health to run down.
My point is simply to contrast the complaints for regulars about annoyances of a shotgun compared to people wanting to have fun but are relentlessly slaughtered. As I have said many times before, I think of those new to the mod rather than my own rank/points.....unlike some.
I think if you want to play the game, you should learn how to play first, yes? We were all new once and it really isn't THAT hard to figure out "Hey, that pyro with a burning head killed me every time. Maybe I should GTFO when he's coming towards me. Other people are running, right?" If someone doesn't run, they shouldn't be complaining about weapon balance anyways.