To say that no one uses limiters at the recording stage is very, well...not true. Sometimes you've gotta wonder if people here are actually recording anything and not just staring at their racks...
Well, if you're not confident or sure of what you're doing, maybe you shouldn't do it.
Many folks compress/limit before and after the recorder because compression/limiting tends to sound better/less offensive when done in stages. 2 boxes adding up to 8dB of gain reduction is
usually a better idea than having one box do the whole job at once. There are a few
exceptions to this rule.
Boxes that don't care how hard they're working.
I like tracking vocals and bass with 2 channel compressors. One channel right into the other. Couple dB here, couple-three dB there.
My own music has very dynamic guitar playing. I go from two handed tapping to all out warfare in the middle of a 13/8 measure. I've gotten very good at setting up compressors to even this out for me while I'm playing. So I do it, because it helps me play better.
"Whatever works".