I have to disagree with this. It os pretty foolish to use macros in this crafting system. It is too dependent on changing conditions. You have to build your entire crafting strategy around the flow of Normal->Good->Excellent->Poor. They are random and macros can't adapt to them. If you are macroing things, you might as well be using Quick Synthesis.
In my experience, in order to get the best results you need to build your strategy around making the most of Good and Excellent opportunities. That means planning around using actions such as Steady Hand and extension skills only when on Normal, and making certain to use a Touch action when a Good or Excellent appear. You also need to be certain to avoid using a Touch action on a Poor.
You can eek out a lot of quality by paying attention to the situation. Knowing where you can spare a little energy during one synthesis and when you have to change your approach on another.
I'm a level 23 crafter and I can get HQ items fairly reasonably on 40 Durability items even though I don't yet have access to the really good abilities. You just need to bury your nose in the system and really learn how your skills interact. I for one advise against Great Strides. It burns too much CP for too unreliable of an effect. It is useful if you can land it on a Good, but that is too unreliable of a situation. Otherwise, you can make two Touch actions for that CP cost, and get more quality. Also, moves such as Manipulation and Waste Not are generally much more powerful than Master's Mend, since you can control the timing of their activation more (and thus plan around Goods). Master's Mend 2 is useless for 40 durability, but Waste Not is ideal for it.
Crafting is all about paying attention to the changing situation and maximizing your efficient use of CP and durability. If you make any shortcuts in your creation process you will get inferior results.
Err.
A macro (which is completely legal, i stress) is not obviously the best way, but with it you're going to get decent enough HQ to get some xp, while quick synth will provide 0.
Since HQing 40-durability items is very, very hard unless you're extremely overgeared (even for properly crossclassed crafters!), no matter the attention you pay to them, you're hardly ever getting over 20%.
Getting 12-16% while semi-AFKing will be good enough.
That said: Waste Not is bad.
Why is Waste Not bad, in nearly all circumstances but post-rumination progress rush?
Because it isn't better than Manipulation (56cp for 2 durability, against manipulation's 88cp for 3 - nets out as 28 cp/dur against 27) and Tricks of the Trade \ Steady Hand re-applying put you in a terrible situation when it's up, risking to waste half of the effect. (Waste Not stacks are wasted if you don't cast a durability-consuming skill)
For Great Strides, i can't see how you can advise against it. Unless you're stacking Inner Quiet, it's the bread and butter of HQing.
A Great Strides cast will net your next touch a *2, meaning you get 2 touches (but not 2 stacks of IQ!) for 32cp+10dur+cost of the touch.
For AT, which is the touch that should be used when casting Great Strides, the benefit is apparent: you're getting 2 ATs worth of quality for 32cp+10dur+48cp, instead of 20dur+96cp.
But even for Basic Touch:
2x Basic: 20 dur, 36cp.
Great Strides+Basic: 10dur, 50cp.
Since 10dur is worth 26cp, the Great Strides approach is better.
It's also an added benefit that you can get a 'good' for a GS'd touch much more frequently that you can for general touches, since effectively you're 'waiting' 3 turns for it:
a GS cycle usually goes:
GS-> SH -> [Innovation, if you're GSM50 / Progress Hits] -> AT.
If you get a good at any of the 3 points (After GS, after SH, after the progress hit, your 2x touch will be a Good. Getting Good on two separate touches would be much, much harder)
If you're getting easy HQs on 40dur stuff at L23, you're probably talking about L15 mats or so. Same-level stuff won't come that easily, even if you're full HQ geared and have all L15 crossclasses (which i did honestly)
