Ships & Modules

Cargo space vs. slot layout is the biggest thing as far as I can tell. The crane has the best default cargo space, but the prorator has the most lows, so can be upgraded to carry the most, if you want to sacrifice all the lows to do so.

In general, the tank on blockade runners is pretty worthless. If you get caught, you're dead, regardless of how many tanking mods you have equipped.

Agility is another concern. You want high agility so you can evade gate camps successfully. Again, the prorator has the most lows to upgrade with, but the Prowler has the best by default.

Personally, I'd say the prorator is the best, mostly because it has the most lowslots, and therefore, the most versatility.

Viator does but if you want extra safety, it's better to fit the lows with 2 inertia stabs and a nanofibre, for very quick align.

As per above, there are only 2 BR (Viator/Prorator) that can fit 10K m3 without resorting to T2 rigs. This is a major factor as 10K m3 will allow you to carry a packed cruiser (making it easier to sneak them into lowsec/null) ... and if you do PI, it corresponds to exactly the amount held by the launchpad. The Viator has a better align time vs cargo ratio over the Prorator, which can be important depending on the amount of cargo you intend to carry.

The only advantageous aspect to the Crane is tankability, which is more or less redundant in most scenarios/case use.
WH dwellers normally prefer the Prowler for its cloak + probe launcher combo.

My take.

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Industrial V: a boring analysis

Eve being largely about moving things from one place, to another place, then doing something to it and then moving it some place else, the array of mass transit ships are probably the single most important type of ship in eve. If you doubt that, consider the practicalities of moving 2.5 million m3 (material volume for manufacturing a single dread) to a deep nullsec region; that probe or bantam is not going to cut it. Even a small moon mining operation moves millions of cubic meters of cargo per month through low and nullsec endpoints, and that's without even including anything directly related to actual space ships.

And so there exists transports and freighters to facilitate all of this, each class for dealing with different magnitudes of volume under different conditions. A racial industrial skill trained to level V is the base prerequisite for most of them, standard haulers aside. Each type of space truck has varying pros and cons within that range, which begs ultimately the question, "If I only train one industrial skill, which should it be?"

We have to review what the races offer within each class.

Industrials - 12 to 35 km3
The basic cargo container with engines.

- training to - type - m3 not rigged, m3 rigged

Amarr -
- I - Bestower - 14500, 22100

Caldari -
- III - Badger II - 12500, 19000

Gallente -
- III - Iteron III - 11600, 17600
- IV - Iteron IV - 13000, 19800
- V - Iteron V - 25200, 38400

Minmatar
- II - Hoarder - 11600, 17600
- IV - Mammoth - 17800, 27100

So the Iteron Mark V is clearly the best industrial, but that is at a steep training cost. The lower level haulers are all inferior. If all you will ever want is a hauler, the level III trained badger II or Bestower are good compromises. The best training time for m3, requiring only a few days of training time (to level IV) is the Mammoth.

Overall, that's pretty ambiguous as it's very subjective. Is the Iteron III big enough? If it is, it's the easiest path to build on should decide more is needed, later.

Deep Space Transports - 8 to 12 km3
Though smaller in capacity than haulers, these ships are probably the biggest reason on a personal level to train an industrial V, being, if you know what you're doing (and in many cases even when you don't) capable of moving through low sec with impunity, and with a high degree of safety in null. What's a good cloaky hauler? Two characteristics - align time, or cargo hold. It's or cargo hold, as the inertial stabilizers/nanofibers occupy the same slots. This is largely then a matter of more low slots being better than less.

- low slots - type - m3 (rigged)

Amarr -
- 4 - Prorator - 10900

Caldari -
- 2 - Crane - 9400

Gallente -
- 3 - Viator - 10200

Minmatar* -
- 2 - Prowler - 8700

* The Prowler is unique in having two high slots. This permits incredibly cool things like carrying lots of moon survey probes. If this is what you need, it's no question the choice.

To cut to the chase the crane is the weakest utility choice (it can fit a decent tank with max cargo setup, but if you ever come to need that tank - you are already dead), the minmatar one isn't, asides from the special note very great either. The Viator scores a close second, with the prorator on top.

Transport
The other type of tech 2 transport, which can not warp cloaked is in practical terms basically redundant, except as an accidental product of other training. It still needs a scout to go anywhere, and if so, use a freighter. Though their m3 hauled for their size is good, (29-35km3) there's no reason to deliberately train one when the Iteron Mark V is both larger, and ~100 million cheaper.

Freighter / Jump Freighter 850km3+ / 320km3+
For really massive materials transport, the only choice and the major vehicle for all serious logistics. The JF is the main link in null and low sec supply, and some loads can only fit at all into a freighter.

- type - m3 for freighter @ Freighter IV
- type - m3 for JF @ Freighter IV

Amarr -
- Providence - 882000
- Ark - 330750

Caldari -
- Charon - 942000
- Rhea - 353250

Gallente -
- Obelisk - 900000
- Anshar - 337500

Minmatar -
- Fenrir - 864000
- Nomad - 324000

A win to caldari; at exceeding 350km3, this translates into practical terms as a 7th packaged battleship. Others max out at 6*. The charon is the only one capable of fitting 3 general freight containers.

* @ freighter V, the anshar can fit 7 packaged BS.

To summarise.

( scoring:
= 1
+ 2
* 3 )

Amarr
+ good basic industrials
* great cloaky hauler
= unremarkable freighter/jf

score = 6

Caldari
+ good basic industrials
- not great cloaky hauler
* best freighter/jf

score = 5

Gallente
+ best industrials, but only if you really expect to be training to V at some point
* great cloaky hauler
+ good freighter/jf

score = 7

Minmatar
+ good basic industrials
= not great cloaky hauler*
- underwhelming freighter/jf*

score = 3; though, may have special interest in the unusual feature where * indicated.

* cloaky hauler 2 high slot / jf has lowest fuel consumption and is quickest to cap up between hops (but then, you may need to make more hops).

The best all-around is clearly the gallente, followed closely depending on the weight of your purposes by amarr. The caldari freighter is a standout bulk transit king but the contributions to other classes, while fairly decent are nothing special. The minmatar ships above the Industrial IV level are fairly mediocre, excepting that the prowler is uniquely interesting (or not) but otherwise, is nearly always last choice.

Adan, thanks for your analysis. I just sold my Impel. When I need another low sec transporter, I'll use the Prorator. But for now, I'm 150 mill richer! thanks!