I'll just review all of the nozzlenoses in general.
L-3 (vanilla), along with Aerospray RG, this is one of the best baller spam weapons available. And having baller to consistently take over the splat zone is a boon to have in zones. Not to mention it's main weapon has respectable range and killing potential (unlike the N-Zap), and curling bomb helps it become a bit more mobile.
L-3 D with burst bomb + inkjet has more killing potential than vanilla L-3. As it can combo with it's burst bomb nicely. As it can pull of the combo with 3 shots + a splash damage burst bomb, or 2 shots and a direct burst bomb hit. These combos however are harder to pull off in practice than they appear on paper. As they take some aim to get used to and bomb defense can block the combo. Inkjet is a solid addition to the weapon, but it's nothing revolutionary since the tentatek (an easier shooter to learn) has it anyway.
H-3 (Vanilla) since it's the H-3, it has loads of potential with that 3-shot burst kill. But miss once (especially up close) and there's tons of endlag for you to deal with. Not to mention the kit does absolutely nothing for this weakness. Point sensors and Tentamissles are meaningless in an up close fight. And even at longer ranges, the kit just harasses. On a weapon that can't harass itself with it's end lag. In my opinion, it's definitely the worst nozzlenose in this game.
H-3 D on the other hand is pretty great. This weapon has been out for a couple days and the critics love it. Suction bomb and Ink armor mesh together to bring a weapon with great defensive capabilities. As the suction bombs can be used to zone opponents out (not letting the enemies get close since the suction bomb is cutting them off) and ink
armor is great for taking initiative with that ability to tank an extra hit. Allowing up close fights to be a bit more forgiving.
Now while that sounds good, and kinda broken, I'll have to disagree with a few of you here.
This is mostly due to the fact that Nzap was so good, and H-3D is literally just a superior Nzap85 with longer range, faster ttk, and faster Armor spam capabilities.
The H-3 D is just a N-Zap 85 with longer range and it can use armor faster.
No, and no. And I'll tell you why. The N-Zap is not an inferior H-3 D for three reasons.
First and foremost is mobility. The H-3 is no where near N-Zap levels of strafing speed. The N-Zap could literally run circles around an H-3 player trying to do the same. And since the N-Zap has light swim speed, it's even faster while swimming.
Secondly, they play drastically different. The H-3 can't rush out into the front like an N-Zap. (Mentioned previously) the H-3'S mobility is awful. And while the H-3 D's kit can help against up close fights, the kit is not a panic button. You don't have a burst bomb, or a splashdown to buckle down with. You either hit all 3 of your shots, or you instantly die. An N-Zap can hold ZR and strafe and not have to worry nearly as much about a single miss.
Finally, the H-3 D is still the H-3, meaning that it's often unforgiving to those who miss up close. Making it a hard weapon (even with proper training) to use. Meanwhile, the N-Zap has little to no learning curve. Compared to the H-3, the N-Zap can be mastered in a couple hours, rather than a couple months.
In the end, H-3 D and N-Zap aren't really comparable since they play so different. One is a backline support with some bite, and the other is a flexible frontliner.
And even with the ink armor price increase, the N-Zap gets ink armor in the same amount of time, if not faster. Since the turfing ability is better than the H-3'S.
If you're going to compare H-3 D to something, it's the vanilla .96 gal. They're both ranged weapons with ink armor and good kill potential.