Why the F-11 Tiger mattered despite a short career

Was the Grumman F-11 Tiger inferior to contemporary land-based fighters?

It was a useful transitional carrier aircraft; comparison with land-based fighters alone misses that role.

The F-11 Tiger belonged to the transition from propeller aircraft to carrier-capable jets. Carrier operation gave that transition requirements beyond a comparison with land-based fighters. Its value to the US Navy could therefore survive an unfavorable comparison with shore-based contemporaries. The short service career was about five years, and its intended all-weather capability was never achieved.