Should I take the perk to create Plate Armor?

Plate armor has the same armor rating as Orcish armor (40 base armor) which has the same level requirement. Plate is also heavier than Orcish. Stick with the Heavy Armor path in Smithing.

I made the mistake of getting the elven armor perk without realizing that type of armor really isn't going to be suiting my 2handed warrior build. It's just one perk but really you should stick to the heavy side until dragon.

The Plate perk also allows one to build scale armor. I took the plate perk so I could create better armor for my followers who use light armor. It's a personal decision.