It has finally arrived, minecraft is now 1.9 and it is awesome! The frostwalker enchantment, igloos, skeleton riders and the potion arrows are by far some of my favorite stuff. Do you'll like the update, whats your favorite stuff, and lets just celebrate!
I just did some more reading, i think 1.9 is very bad for farms. So far i understand the weapon (already slow on farms) only start to work slower because cool down time. And XP farm is really a must to repair your expensive tools.
Although you're right about the weapons delay I can't help note that plenty of (XP) farms I use don't require any weapons. I've slain many Enderman with my deadly deathbush!