I've played a Commando for awhile now and I've tried all the trees. I think the Commando can be very survivable in 1v1 with both Healing and Assault. With Gunnery I do crazy amounts of dps but if I kill someone in 1v1, it seems more like a failure on their part. It is very easy to keep the gunnery spec off balance and interrupt it. However, I do feel this is balanced by the amount of damage a Commando can do. I think some of the frustration comes from the fact that when left alone a Gunnery spec Commando can rain death down on their enemies. Making full use of your abilities (not just grav round) does help in 1v1 but unless its a sniper your probably going to hurt. The Gunnery spec Commando is a team player and with the right support can really shine.
I am an Assault spec Commando and currently loving it. I do great dps and burn down multiple targets at a time. I feel like the Assault Commando is still turret-ish but with a few instants and the ability to make plasma grenade instant and free I can knock down groups of people to 75-50% health depending on the situation.
I think the main issue here is that with Gunnery spec your either rocking it when left alone or getting killed in melee. I do find the class pretty survivable though if you heal and move when using instants. Commandos have 4 instants in Gunnery spec (HIB, Sticky, Stock, and Demo). And I have not played other classes so I can't say whether or not the standing thing is unique to the Commando. I also know that every class would shine if left alone with no one hitting them. I just feel Commandos do even better when left alone.
Edit: Btw Commandos have some of the best Aoe in the game. I read through the thread and was surprised no one mentioned this (sorry if someone did) Assault spec Commandos turn that Aoe into something that can kill multiple people. We get a lot of dps and abilities we just are very situational (do our best when left alone and standing still due to channels).
