(edited by Kai.9264)
SW Chest farm question
People farm crests to buy keys and then do chest runs. Typically they open those bags on level 50ish characters to get the lower tiered materials which sell for more.
One thing to note is that a lot of people exaggerate that farm as they often exclude the time it takes to get the crests for the keys.
Open the champion bags on a Level 53 toon, salvage the gear, and sell (or use) the materials. Tier 4 mats are far more expensive than the T5 mats that drop from L80 gear salvage — the difference is more than enough to make up for any exotics & rare items you might forgo.
The mystic forge is designed as a gear sink; it’s almost always a net loss to indiscriminately throw anything at it. (Four items for a 20% chance to get the next tier of item rarity, which doesn’t guarantee a high-value drop.)