Kalloy trekking bars are a $20 part too..
the figure 8 bend is such that there are a lot of hand-positions
including places where, if bar ends, the clamp for the bar end interferes.

a 10: and 2: position , kind of like a steering wheel , is often where I grip .

'no1mad', newer designs, like Ergon/s GC3 integrates grip and bar end ,
to completely replace the ones you got before..