Built up a custom titanium gravel bike from scratch and debated between the Ultegra Group and GRX. I didn't care of the raised ridges on the GRX shifterbrake hoods because they'd likely make my hands go numb on long rides. The Ultegra shifters and brakes are phenomenal and not only do I love them on my gravel bike, but my wife has them on her's too. Zero issues thus far. The hoods are very comfy and I don't have any issues with my hands slipping on the hoods or levers even when I'm descending on 8-10% grades on gravel roadstrails or riding dirt single track. The lever throw is nominal. I have SRAM Red on my road bike and can't wait to replace with Shimano. Brakes are super powerful and effortless. Could not be happier.
