ha ha , i forgot about mods, that is yet another layer of complexity i didn't even mention in my post.
happy to hear the non intuitive compare UI from a17 is a bit better now.
hope by the time you add legendary weapons you will also make the compare reflect calculated dps from basic stats (not just base dmg but a combination of dmg and firerate), and a separate actual dps with mods/perks/books taken into account. the more you add the more frustrating it will get to figure what weapon is better. learn from d3, if ppl need a 3rd party tool to play your game u are missing at least one crucial QoL feature.
for tools/armor it is less of an issue since there are less stats variety available for them. their stats are pretty independent and straightforward so the current compare is fine for them.