Honing with Torque Plates - How Important?

It's important enough that I bought a plate for LA and B wedge mopars at $375ea so my shop could do it. Not using a torque plate gets you as good as the factory or stock engine technology from the 70s can. If they don't have a torque plate, are they still using a boring bar, a manual stroke honing cabinet and stones rather than plateau honing? there's "good enough" and there's "up to date". You will lose power and life not using the plate. That's proven fact.