Thoughts about etalus neutral b

Just started playing etalus today, and his neutral b seems like a total meme. It's so slow, with a small hotbox. I get that it's to get his armour but all the other neutral B's that have utility can be used as actual moves. Am I missing something? Is armour so strong that it justifies this move? It's like a falcon punch that doesn't even kill if you hit it.