Durability

Nothing lasts
Gear degrades when used. So everytime a sword is swung, it might degrade a little, every time you take damage a piece of armour might degrade a little.

Gear has a stat value called durability that tells the state of the piece.

Repairing
Only holding structures, ships, warhulks, public mines and public grooves may be repaired using Repair Tools with Repair Shards.