Wrapped in metal? My Price Pfister is. It's going to depend on models. I've seen some Kohler and Grohe that are metal. Also with steel wrapped hose and not plastic. But again it depends on model.

There was a Delta pull-out in our house when we bought it. It functioned fine but I disliked the awkwardness of using it. Something about the way you had to hold it to use it in certain situations bothered me. The handle was just clumsy feeling sometimes. If I wanted to turn the head or clean the sink and turn my hand, the handle got in the way of the hose, etc. When we renovated we replaced it with a Kohler Vinnata pull-down. I much prefer the pull-down. It's just a natural, more ergonomically correct way of using a faucet in my opinion. I like that you grip the whole head of the faucet with your whole hand and that's it...no handle to fiddle with also. And no, if the faucet is made correctly, they don't dangle. We've had ours for six years now. It retracts perfectly, doesn't tangle and always goes back in just fine. What Frankoma states above about a pullout, stands for a pull-down also. I can fill my coffeepot or my stockpot on the counter with my pull-down just fine. It doesn't just pull DOWN, you pull it down and out too. :)

I am searching for a faucet that allows the nozzle to pivot around the sink and stay where it is dirrected without being held. I think these ball joints may be the answer. I was looking for a cosmetic angle of the nozzle, but a ball joint at the top of the hose would be great. I was at lowes last night, the closer it gets to faucet time the more likely it will come from there, and their cheapest chrome faucet ($98) happened to be a Peerless that had this feature. It was lacking in a pause button and probably in quality, but the floor model stayed where I directed it. I am still hoping to find a few more so i can have a choice. I guess I should plan on going back to the plumbing stores and rechecking the brands mentioned above, thank you for the list. Does anyone else have a faucet that can do this and who makes it?

There probably is no reason other than aesthetics, but if this suits your purposes for a dual laundry/bath, go for it! There are plenty of "prettier" options for pulldown faucets these days, so it doesn't have to look completely utilitarian. Kohler and Brizo make nice options, depending on the look and finish you're going for.