Using Zurich as home base for a 10 day visit

No, it does not make sense. You will spend all your time commuting and miss out on a lot. Pick 2 places, like Luzern and the Berner Oberland and spend 5 days each. That would make more sense.

I agree with Sam. You don’t say when you’re going but right now the country is crowded and hot. Not only does it take multiple trains to get to some places, those trains are crowded and you may spend some of your time standing as we have. For instance, yesterday we went from Evian on Lake Geneva to Gruyère and Maison Cailler. It took over 3 1/2 hours each way and involved a ferry ride, metro, a bus, and three trains each way.

I have to agree with the replies. Your thought to minimize lodging transfers is a good idea but, not if you are on a train for 2+ hours almost everyday. My trip focus was the mountains and in July I spent only a few hours in Luzern and the rest of the time in the mountains before departing from Zurich. Do you want to visit the old cities or go up several of the mountains via cable cars and trains? This information will help your decision on lodging and travel passes.

My overall advice is to over plan the attractions and pick the few "must see" sites. Knowing you will never be able to come close to seeing everything. When you are in Switzerland you may need or want to change up the itinerary depending on weather or a new personal prioritization. My itinerary is typically changes by 30% but has never been a disappointment.

The only way that plan makes sense, is if you want to spend the majority of your time traveling back and forth to Zurich. I would suggest you prioritize locations. For me, 2 places in 10 days would be optimal, perhaps 3 if absolutely necessary. Remember to count nights in a place, rather than days. That will give you a true perspective on time you actually have in a location to do things. As for the travel pass, once you have locations determined, you will need to do the math, as to your most economical option for your activities. On our recent trip, the half fare card and Berner Oberland Pass made the most sense. Enjoy the beauty of Switzerland, and be prepared to pivot on activities depending on the weather. It's a magnificent country!

This was standard advice for many years, park and visit. And now people are realizing that, unless they are really into trains, they'll be spending an awful lot of time on trains.