Ironically, I just went from a 1x9 to a 1x8 because I found an almost free 8 speed setup and the parts/maintenance are/is much less expensive. I use mine for cross-commuting and do not miss the extra teeth at all.
EDIT: If I didn't like my Microshift stuff so much, I'd ask ya about the Tiagra group. Seems like there has been a lot of buzz recently about these Microshift guys...