I don't understand all this complains: "Oh, I am F2P, but give me this, I want that and this is insufficient for me". Jee, you are freeloader in initially pay to play game. They let you in, be grateful, and if you want more - subscribe. And if you dot like it, there is allot of others games, where playing is free and you have all you want... For a price.
Before the game gone F2P, all of us was going trough that, and no one had any problems, as I recall. Well, as long as you have some brains and time. You just do side quest (for some commendation), kill some mobs (commendation drops from them), do FP (daily quests). And I never had any problems with planets been too hard for me. Of course, after game went F2P, Iv seen some... "unique" people that ran around Dromund Kaas at lvl 9 or 10-14 but without sub-classes and wondering why "life so harsh here".
But continuing the them about armor, I would like to point out that there is a PvP gear for 20 lvl, for 40 and 50. But why there is no PvP gear for 30 lvl??? I am visit War Zones quite often and find it the one of the best aspect of the game, with some issues of course. And my PvP commendation at theirs cap, without a possibility to let me spend them on lvl 30 PvP gear. I think that is something you have to address in the next update, and the sooner the better.