Well, pattern-welding yields a high-quality tool of distruction, which is neither too soft, too hard, or too heavy. Pretty much any culture who had swords came to this method eventually, from as far ranging cultures as Japan, the Middle East, to Scandinavia.

And this is no small thing. A sword that's too soft--and many early swords were--you would literally have to stop fighting and straighten out the thing! (I'm not making that up, either--there's historical references). A sword which was too hard would likely break--and according to Murphy's Law that was ALWAYS when you needed it most. Pattern-welding allowed for the best of both worlds, without sacrificing either.

I'd like to discuss what you want to compare pattern-welding TO precisely.