[Dubious]

Supplement to the above:

"LTLW" more properly is "Non-Lethal Weapons".

Just after I wrote the above, Pirates dropped to "Cool" because I'm hunting them for a quest. But I don't care that much at this point.

I overlooked "Comm Jammer", which specifically "reduces" (not "prevents") reputation loss. This is due to my tendency to only use it when boarding wrecks. That may be a mistake on my part. It might be useful, when docking at a station to collect a quest reward or hunting pirates, in reducing faction loss. (I'll have to try that out, but how do you tell?)

As always you are juggling "needs" versus "device slots". "Survival" has to take priority over "reputation". But "Stealth Coating"/"Cloak", combined with a strong initial weapons volley, enables you to become an ambush predator. If you overwhelm their defenses in the first volley, they shouldn't be able to get out word to cause a loss of rep. But if they do survive it, then "Comm Jammer"/"Fake ID" makes sense IF you have enough defense (Shields + Armor) to survive until you can finish them off. In that instance, you can afford to forego a "survival" device in favor of a "reputation" one.

This is where Crafting comes into play. When you can craft better shields and armor than you can purchase, you become more able to leave out "survival" augmenting devices in favor of "reputation" ones. Better "generators" provide more weapon and device slots. Mercenary bases provide "crafting parts" and the occasional "crafting book" to increase your base skill. So it's never just once aspect you have to pay attention to; it's the interplay between multiple aspects of the game.

-Dubious- "The object of the game is to enjoy the journey; not to meet the victory conditions."