SAM is extremely easy to learn and do high DPS with. It's almost effortless to a criminal degree!

However, this all depends on how good a player you are in the first place. The worse you are, the better off you are playing a class that offers something to the party. If you're good (like moi) then it doesn't matter.

If you're a very good samurai, then the damage you offer can most definitely offset the potential damage gained from buffs if you were playing mnk. Certainly, this is more true in the case of joining a party littered with greens and greys, as is common in PF.