I really liked the Nexus 8 I had. At the top end, I had it just like high on an AW, and at the bottom end I had low enough gears to get up the steepest hill. If I wasn't so anti-new, I would still be using it. The shifter was really nice, except for 5th gear. Very smooth, and mechanically as clean as the AW. The SA 8 speed has a terrible shifter, but the hub itself was nice, but kind of useless with only high gears and nothing on the low end.

Still, I prefer a 17T/24T set up on an AW. I just have to walk up a hill once in a while.