You notice a big difference between 7" and 8" chefs?
For me, just because I have small hands. The 7" is definitely a better fit, and feels more balanced for my grip. The 8" is a tad too long, but still usable. I just have to be more careful not to slice myself sometimes, especially with the sharpness of the Shun.
I’m a small person, but I do seem to have strangely small t-rex hands. I will buy XS gloves if they have them (and they clearly aren’t kids gloves).
You’re definitely in a large company of cooks who believe body/hand size limits desirable blade length. I confess I’ve never understood this.
Wahine once snapped the tip off an 8" German chef. It ended up, after regrinding, a 6" chef. I watch with fascination whenever someone chooses to use it. If asked, many say their hands are small, not knowing the handle was scaled for the original 8".
My experience has been that even little people can easily habituate to using longer blades–the key being making it a habit for a time.
More watermelons!
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That is good. Sound like both @Meekah and your ceramic knives have not been broken. I have seen so many chipped ceramic knives.
I find that weight and balance are just as important as blade length. So is the height of the user. A ten inch carbon Sabatier is much easier for me to wield than an eight inch Henckels or Wusthof, mainly because of its lightness. I agree 100% with Kaleo on using a knife for a good while. Getting comfortable with a larger knife can contribute to greater efficiency, but many lauded pros, notably Pepin, often used petty knives.
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Maybe weight and balance count for something out at the ends of the curves. But do you think many home cooks even consider those in buying? IMO, they only come into play when a newly-grabbed blade feels different than one the cook is accustomed to.
As for height, do you mean the cook’s height relative to the cutting surface?
I think it’s a shame there aren’t many longer F-style chefs with a very thin 2" section behind the tips. That geometry practically begs for a 9 or 10" blade.
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Yeah. I certainly know weight is a consideration.
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Yes, i meant height of cook relative to cutting surface. I think most buyers think more about things like appearance and brand recognition. I think the thin French profile is the chef’s knife profile I enjoy most, and the only options seem to be regular Sabatier and Nogent Sabatier. There are a number of gyutos that are close, but as I have previously noted, I dislike their sharp choils snagging on things.
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If anything, there was a general trend shifting to shorter knives. 8" used to be the standard and then …(wasn’t it in the 19080’s or 1990’s) there was a shift to the 6" and 7" chef’s knives and santoku knives.
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More’s the pity. Thank the trend to “utility” knives.
The owner of the first kitchen store we had in town was enamoured with ceramic knives, and used one as a demo knife in her store. When she showed it to me, I was surprised at how chipped the edge was! She then proceeded to have me cut an apple with it, exclaiming, “Isn’t it amazing?!”
I wasn’t surprised to learn that she didn’t sell many of them.
I am kind of like you. I like 8" length or more. However, it isn’t so bad. I mean Jacques Pépin loves to use utility-ish knife, and he is able to navigate his kitchen well with shorter knives. Now, there are people who simply do not like long knives because they look scary.
Amazing as in what? Amazing that it can still cut after it has been chipped?
My biggest issues with ceramic knives are they are easy to chip, and worse, difficult to sharpen. I do think some people find ceramic peelers to be quite useful. (Peelers do not hit cutting board and tend to cut soft foods)
What I referred to as jpn knives, are not traditionel single bevel types. My definition is more broad and inklude knives made in Japan by Japanese makers.
Most knives made in Japan today are closer to western knives then older singe Bevel types.
LOL, no, she actually thought it was doing an amazing job of cutting!
I’m not even sure that the entirely chipped edge even registered with her. 
Not chipped. Bespoke serrations.
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Well, I started - and stopped- with just one, and it was just a utility knife. I immediately disliked it.
For those who knows Inosuke
Dare ga Inosuke??
