Possible minor buffs to non meta tools:
Chute Vent - reduce deactivation time from 3 to 2 seconds, the difference between 'hitting' the height limit and hitting the ground probably justifies giving vent finer control than hydrogen (the current differences direction aside being chute having 86% of the force effect and 86% of the damage effect and no fire ignition effect)
Impact Bumpers - Mass, drag or some other effect to add improved impact stability and possibly extra ramming impact on target ships.
Drogue Chute - maybe keep the impact effect, alternately give it drag rather than less thrust so it can be used to stop linear movement rapidly (you can get +200% linear drag from claw but compared to 300% and 1000% for the angluar effects of kerosene and moonshine its not much).
Tar - maybe move/stretch the cloud closer to the deploying ship
My usual loadout is slightly different - Kerosene, Drouge Chute, misc - but is almost as stagnant, the misc tool changes mostly based on whim rather than effect with the exception of pyra which gets claw and desert scrap which gets impact bumpers. I can't even remember how long it is since the last time Kerosene didn't occupy slot 1 of all 3 loadouts.
On a somewhat related not what about allowing parallel tool use? It would need new and unfamilar keybindings and allow pilots to self destruct the ship with even greater efficiency but combinations are a great way to increase variety. The stamina + tool and Drouge + bumpers combinations are fun allready after all.
pre Edit
Assuming the effect of chute+bumpers that i saw was real I would say -50% impact would be too high, it was very strong (situationaly) taking up 2 tool slots and giving -120% thrust, it could be absurd with only say -40% thrust.