The Heaven Sword and the Dragon Sabre were among the best weapons ever seen in wulin. Regardless of a martial artist's skill, he/she would fear whomever wielded the Dragon Sabre in hand. Likewise, when Mit Jeut See Tai fought Granny Golden Flower without the Heaven Sword, Mit Jeut was unable to defeat Golden Flower. With the Heaven Sword in hand, however, Mit Jeut was able to defeat Golden Flower handily.
Clearly, the weapons provided a boost...through their sheer intimidation factor if nothing else. Just how much of a boost did either of them provide, however? If the two opponents are relatively close in martial arts, as Mit Jeut and Golden Flower were, then I can see the Heaven Sword (or Dragon Sabre) providing an advantage. On the other hand, if, say, Sung Ching Sheu wielded the Dragon Sabre, he'd *still* be unable to defeat a barehanded Cheung Mo Gei.