I'd highly recommend these for commuting, pootling along and long distance touring duties. I've got a pair of the GR2's on my touring bike and they are really comfortable once you've spent a bit of time getting the angle set up so it matches your natural wrist position.
With normal grips I always ended up with a concentration of pressure on a small part of my palm (right on the ulnar nerve) which causes pain and numbness in my little and ring fingers. After a tour, full nerve sensation took months to return due to the nerve damage.
I put on a set of Ergon grips a couple of years ago and have since ridden with them alot, including riding from the UK to Switzerland twice, putting in 100 mile plus days and up to 16 hours in the saddle at a time.
These grips have been fantastic, and I haven't had any trouble with numb fingers since. They are also really comfortable for day to day use and are really good with or without gloves.
They are a bit pricey but they are quality and will last for ages and ages.
I wouldn't recommend them for anything too technical though as they do restrict your hand movement a bit.