I too have been frustrated with the building in this game. Playing both original and new live, I also built in both. Yes, analyzing and building was a pain in original. But, there was some predictability with it all. Now, if you had lvl 6-7 build ability and went to build say a lvl3 or 4 shield, you got build quality in the 190+%. Take the car repair example, yes, you need someone specialized to fix your ferrari, but when you are rebuilding a lawnmower engine, then you should expect pretty good results.
I think the bigger issue is that not enough people are investing the time to build, build, build as there really isn't a demand for it. Now, if we had BOE items, that would change as you would constently needing new builds instead of sharing devices etc between toons.
Yes yes, I'll hear the flames about that one but I personally would like to see an increased demand for builders.
Just my two cents
Spin