The recommended throws are just beginning points. They all need a little "adjustment" to your preferences, model weight, center of gravity, etc., etc. But it's seldom wrong to use the designer's recommended settings as a starting point.

The "official" throw/deflection meters can be a big help for sure (especially when setting up dual elevators on seperate servos) but even then not really necessary. I still lay a #2 pencil on the stab/elevator to set the zero point. Pretty low tech.