I see crafting in this game as something to gear alts with. It is 95% useless for any main character, but it can be handy to gear out an alt.
The only thing I use from artificing is the relic. The offhands last a little longer than some gear, but unfortunately everything quickly gets replaced by flahpoint/OPs gear.
I have cleared EV once and done the first 2 bosses in KP. Along with a handful of hard mode flashpoints, my relics are all I have left from crafting. I really wish I could help out my guild, but every time I offer to make a color crystal, focus, light saber, enhancement, etc they almost always already have better. Even the fresh 50s.
They need to lower the level req on all crafted gear by 3 and give us a way to obtain higher patterns, at least as high as entry level OPs and flashpoints. Let me help gear my guild for nightmare mode OPs.