well being you can buy a stone and it is better than a diamond sword which is about 3.3 (bar notation) times better something tells me you won't be dying very easilyIt may do less base damage, but the sword can be used for better combo's than the axe. The axe is usually useful if you've got the drop on someone that didn't expect it. Therefore, it doesn't matter if the price is lower. Heck, it can be equal if that's okay with you.