Rubber rubs me wrong

I hate rubber.

That's not entirely true, but I do think rubber is in far too many places. My primary issue comes with anything that I spend time gripping: kitchen implements and luggage come to mind. Oxo has unilaterally destroyed every kitchen implement they make by rubber-wrapping any part that might be touched. Seriously, why does an ice cream scoop need a rubberized handle??

What's so bad about rubber, anyways?
Rubber is soft. Therefore, it should be comfortable to grip (says marketing), not unlike a plush teddy or idealized cloud. But, most implements don't need this level of cushiness; the flexibility of the rubber actually causes it to move slightly no matter how hard you grip it, more likely leading to irritated skin and calluses. Hard surfaces are uncomfortable only when they cut into your hand. Your hand has plenty of padding in it already. As long as a hard grip doesn't have sharp-ish edges/corners, you don't need the rubber.

Physics aside:
The metal-rubber-hand progression has a contact between two soft surfaces. Mashing two soft surfaces together is inherently unstable and leads to uncontrollable shifting between the two. There is no scenario where this uncontrollable shifting is a good thing: it gives the gripper (the hand) less control.

In addition to it not providing the touted comfort advantage over a well-formed piece of stainless steel, rubber (unlike steel) is:
1. soft (remember?) and therefore pits easily
2. soft (remember?) and therefore wears down
3. grippy (remember?) and therefore picks up tons of dirt, which comes with associated oil, etc
   3a. that you then can't wash off as easily
   3b. which then accumulates to make your rubber grip gross and sticky
4. heavy, when compared to a replacement steel structure
   4a. causing you to have to grip harder, leading to fatigue

Rubber may even have weird chemicals in it too (stainless steel is way on the safe side for those concerned about long-term toxic materials), but I'm not gonna bother looking that up.

I also have one suitcase that has a rubber handle. It's my fault for buying it anyways, but any of the following would be more comfortable and longer lasting:
   1. nylon fabric
   2. molded hard plastic
   3. leather
   4. bike chain
The issue is that, again, the additional friction doesn't help me support the weight of the suitcase, makes it harder to slide my hand in and out from the handle and squishes once picked up, guaranteeing that some skin on my hand is now compressed/stretched in an annoying way.

Please leave rubber where it belongs: as a cushion between two hard objects, usually out of sight.