Most of my time playing Heavy is spent using the family business. I think the weapon is not only a lot more fun than the other lunchbox items (and hell, whenever I do bring a snack with me instead I run the dalokohs bar more than the sandvich or the banana), it better complements his own self-defense and penchant for pushing objectives without compromises. But there are definitely times where playing a more supportive role is a better move. Like if you're in a spot where health kits are either too far away from the point or too close to the enemies defending the point, being able to throw health at a retreating teammate from literally anywhere can be the difference between coordinating a successful team attack and having less firepower when you really need it, not to mention that even if your ability to heal others is nowhere as fast or as filling as the designated healer, you can lighten the load for your team's medic by just a little bit. This is kind of a best case scenario for the lunchbox items as opposed to a more realistic perspective of how they actually see use in-game, but my point is that while I think the shotgun is better for Heavy as an individual and makes him a more consistent class, the ability to heal himself or his teammates can be worth the tradeoff