Miners have too many tools. Condense them into one modular tool.

[Decarcassor]

Essentially while there are too much options... 80% of them are pointless.
You only need your starter pick and then the bohrum hammer.

There it is. Mining indeed has a whole range of power tools in the mining fabricators, and another range of custom mining tools from the mining nano-thingy. And you can do a fine job using only a power drill in 99% of cases. Any decent custom tool trivialize mining too. Play as a roach to ignore the only early game threat that is radiations and you can mine in your sleep.

The only map that pose some challenge to miners is Oshan due to the dangers of the trench and for some reason rocks appear to be harder in the trench than in asteroids. So while I am for the idea of merging power tools and custom tools into something greater than the sum of their part, currently it wouldn't really change the state of mining overall.

Also if mining tools were to be revamped they MUST take some kind of benefit from seeking advanced/dangerous material. Give miners a reason to want stuff like erebite, carbon nano-fibers, iridium and such. And I don't see that happening as long as you can do 99% of mining work with basic ass tools.

One way to accomplish that would be only have the magnet pull only easy but poor asteroids to start things, while making telesccope asteroïd significantly harder but also more rewarding.