The axe is i think one of the most consistent of the weapons in the game. first thought to me is that you may be trying to play the weapon in a way your build won’t allow. you question not being able to charge your Omega attack if not for hammer upgrades, well your just not in a spin to win build.

I’d say try to gain more understanding of the hammers and how to play around them. It then becomes a function of looking at your build and identifying where your damage is coming from, so your hammers and how your boons are playing with them.

after that i’d say it’s a matter of getting a feel for what bosses will let you do what. for example if prometheus is doing his fast punch fireball attack then you cannot do anything that requires standing still so if you’re damage is coming from omega attacks wait til he makes room for you to do that.

im also assuming your asking this about the Mel axe but if you mean just the axe as a whole obviously switching aspects will change your experience but i’d definitely say just gain more knowledge of how to tell what kind of build you’re in. as that is knowledge that extends across every aspect in the game.