Originally Posted by
tdracer
Not sure I understand the 'a bit of a dog' comment. IF your operator selected the max available rating for the model, the -800 has a slightly better thrust/weight ratio than the -700 (the max thrust is limited on the -700 due to the ability of the tail to counteract the thrust induced pitch-up - it's also limited on the -800 for the same reason, but not as much due to the longer fuselage). However a lower thrust rating means lower costs to the operator, so some operators will select a lower thrust rating than what's available.
That's not the fault of the aircraft or the engine - blame the bean counters at your operator.
On the paper. Flying the -800 with a full Y189 load of typical fat tourists and and all their luggage on 26K engines was much less fun than driving the -700 with somewhat average loads and 24K engines.
Individual experiences may vary, of course.