Yup, in essence all customizable gear has the same base stats (adjusted for light/medium/heavy armor), the trick is to get better mods to put in there. And the best mods are found through Flashpoints/Operations/Dailies.
Also, Mav, don't worry, the math wasn't for nothing, I got it.
Was already aiming for more Power instead of Aim for my Merc, now I know exactly why.
