The HQ/ NQ issue is in our head. Get a set of NQ gear together, craft recipes at the level of the tool. Do the same with HQ gear. The differences are minimal.

Now try and craft recipes above the level of your tool with both sets, even if you are at a level above the recipe. Just like you get no benefit from the desynth of HQ, you get no appreciable benefit from HQ. If anything, you might be wasting stats on HQ because you exceed the hidden bonuses. You just can't convince people that NQ is enough when HQ is available.