Good question, /deepbreath convoluted answer inc. Going to do this as numbered points
1. The benefit of stats from gear does not depreciate to the extreme that using a tool above rank does. For items that say "all classes" this affect is even more pronounced. In some cases using above rank items gives better stats specifically gear taht says "for all classes" or "for all DOH classes".
2. Tools that hit yellow/red decrease in crafting effectiveness while armor/rings etc do not(armor simply loses def when red/yellow). So the "penalty" for wearing gear above rank is pretty irrelevant. The penalty i am refering to is increased pace that gear loses durability.
3. The final reason is inventory. I simply can't store all the rank ranges worth of gear.
