Also, this is probably “duh” for those of you who have more experience in this game, but I’ll post it as a learning experience for newer players like me:
The high damage potential for that MT I posted above is due to, I think, the scatter blaster installed in it. I tend to roll with just the boltcaster (plus a lot of mods), so when I removed the scatter blaster, the damge potential was much, much lower than advertised. With mods etc, the damage potential is roughly equal or slightly lower than the B class rifle multitool I have been using for most of the game, but the scanner radius is greater. I’m not sure if the mining etc is better or not.
S-Class Experimental Multitools have by default the highest possible bonus for scanning. For damage they are slightly less than an Alien, but a bit better than a Rifle.
Of course when you remove any weapon, you will see the damage potential drop. Same would happen if you remove any scanning tech to see the scanning values drop.
When using mods that alter bonuses for the various stats, you depend on whatever values the mod creates. Most mods out there will try to max all, or even better, as that is what most players would want. Some mods may seek for a ‘better’ balance, whatever that means to the mod developer.
In any case, the use of mods will alter things, making it hard to compare with ‘vanilla’, unless you know the details. So when seeking for a tool or anything else, any stats mentioned or shown will be assumed vanilla. If not, a mention of mod use is in place.