A lot of players may not realize the purpose and benefits of white gear and thus, discard them as trash because they are not "zomg purple gear!!!"
While it is true that most purples are better than whites, white gear is the most practical placeholder gear you can get until you actually get the purple you are looking for.
As I'm sure we're all aware, white gear drops like candy. It isn't rare and with the sheer amount that drops, one piece is bound to drop clean with high durability. These are the two main attributes that you should look for in white gear (rune slots are a very nice bonus of course).
As long as a piece of gear has 101 durability or more and remains that way (ie does not drop to 100 or below due to death, normal wear-and-tear, etc), it gains a hidden 20% bonus to all stats -- including mods!
What's more, modding a clean piece of high dura white gear also has the benefit of being able to rip off the stats you put on when you do find a piece you wish to use long-term like a piece of the Cyclops or Black Codex set.
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If you are looking for a piece of white gear with high dura to use until you find that nice clean purple, make a new thread specifying which piece and desired attributes (ie dura, rune slots, armor type, etc...but be realistic please) so guildmates can keep an eye out for those pieces for you during runs.
