If pebble grip "tears up" their hands, they are in the wrong sport.
Maybe you haven't fished enough days straight to have your hands soften from constant contact with the water. After a few days even 12# cuts into the creases of my fingers when tying knots.
I think I put enough time in to know if I prefer cork or pebble grip.
Fishing 40 hours or so a week during the Spring and Fall seasons has got me pretty well dialed in to what I prefer.