Main reason he 'feels' weak is because his perfect counter(cat) is played by everyone and their grandmother.
For solo i prefer: winds+dom(or merc if poor)+new onslaught. this gives around 4.2k armor and if you're lucky maybe even escape from a WL(or beat him if not deftard)
You need full pots to feel the true potential of the solo SH, since most of his value lies in utility(and if you die in 2 gcds you can't really utilise that utility

For group: full dps, guard and heals will allow you to utilise your utility and being squishy shouldn't be a problem. Great synergy with a sorc, but really works with anything.
TL;DR
+Great class
+Awesome looks(esp with googles/battlebrewpack)
-cat food