[2021] Q2 Iron Pick does MORE block damage than Q4 Pick.

The Q2 does 43 block damage, the Q4 does 41 block damage.

However. Every mod slotted into an item increases certain relevant stats by 15% regardless of the effect of the mod. For pickaxes, the relevant stat is block damage.

The Q2 has 1 mod slot, and the Q4 has two mod slots.

So when modded out, the Q2 will do 49.45, and the Q4 will do 53.3.

Mod slots matter. A lower quality item may have better Initial stats, But the higher quality item has more mod slots and is almost always better or 'equal' to a lower quality item.. And being 'equal' to really isn't equal as it has beneficial effects from the additional mod(s).

A pickaxe for example, that Q4 could have a bunker buster and iron breaker which boost block damage to a particular type of material; So when mining while those are equipped, the Q4's pick will do 73.95 damage versus stone or iron, instead of 53.3.

Originally posted by JimmyIowa: In addition to the mod slots as previously mentioned, the durability is usually an important factor in the early game. Because the glue for repair kits is often a severely gating resource in the early game. You will get twice as much material mined between repairs with the q4. I definitely go for the higher quality instead of an extra point or 2 of of damage.

The is the main reason for upgrades. Increased durability and less frequent use of repair kits.

The rest of the stats are somewhat random. You could get a Q4 that's better than a Q3, or maybe not. Are those three damage points of difference really going to break you in the long run? Not likely. If you weren't nitpicking numbers, you wouldn't even notice.