Another "How long is a piece of string" question...But I happen to be a big fan of both hand cannons so I'll bite. My answer is "That depends". The only place I really feel TLW is stronger than Thorn is mid- to close-range PvP. Its excellent hip-fire makes it an ideal close range weapon but it's bucking-bronco style fire makes its value drop off rapidly at a distance. In PvE, TLW burns through its ammo so fast you will find yourself spending a good amount of time reloading and scrounging for ammo. Thorn is strong in both PvP and PvE. In PvP, it is highly effective mid- to long-range and is capable of 2 precision hit kills. Another big perk is the DoT, which prevents shields from regenerating for its duration and allows you to track targets you've shot behind barriers (look for the DoT ticking damage). Additionally, the DoT carries a strong "psychological" advantage, as people taking DoT damage will often feel the pressure of being constantly "under fire" for the duration of the DoT. In PvE, the gun has a good sized clip, dishes out a respectable amount of damage, and shares all the same PvP advantages (sans the psychological component - our AI isn't that good yet). Oh, and I've never heard anyone talk about this, but each tick of the DoT has a chance to stagger PvE targets. [b]TL;DR Thorn is my preferred choice in the majority of situations, both PvP and PvE, with TLW eking ahead in "O.K. Corral" style PvP. [/b]