Moving on from the fact that we have to relearn how to use the item's charge, here is what I've found as far as how to use it-

-Attacking mecha knights as they're about to attack you will safely deal way more damage than before.
-Attacking alpha wolvers as they do their bite thing head on is just hilarious
-Slaping large crowds back quickly
-Attacking enemies from the side up close as they aggro your friends works rather well
-Still good for turrets

And on second thought, and aside from the fact that its DPS is now lowered quite a bit, I rather like the change.