Best bars/setup for Stihl 261cm?

[Cobby08]

I'm a fan of 18" .325 with 26RS chain. They say you can get more speed with the 3/8P but I'm not sold on it yet. It may be faster but not enough to compensate for the extra focus for a we-tard like myself to try to file that small stuff. The narrow kerf is even worse. If you just plan on running a 16" I actually like the full 3/8" on it as then I have less files laying around.

 

[Wood Doctor]

I have to agree with Cobby on this. When cutting firewood I examine the tree's branch size and usually drop down to a 16" bar because it's just that much lighter and handier for a zillion cuts. Then again, if there are some good sized branches, I either go to the 18" bar for my 026 or pick up my Husky 353 that I have equipped with only an 18" bar.

Both the Stihl and the Husky use .325 pitch chain, but the Husky has the narrower gauge. These two saws are within a pound of each other in weight, so sometimes I flip a coin: