I am letting my wife answer these questions as I bought this knife as a gift for her. I saw a picture of it in a magazine ad and knew my wife would love it.
From my wife: I was originally concerned about the 8" length since I normally use 6" chefs knives. Once I felt it in my hand I was thrilled. It is very light for its size and has a very comfortable feel in my hand. My husband hit the jackpot.
I bought this knife as a Christmas gift for my boyfriend who is a MAJOR foodie and absolutely LOVES to cook! He was so stoked to receive this as a gift (it was by far his fav gift), he couldn't wait to use it, and he has been showing pics of it to all his foodie friends, and they're all super jealous! It is truly beautifully made and very sharp... looking forward to buying more of the birchwood collection!