Wow! What a thread, lol. As most know I have two 261's with 18" .325 set ups, and a 361 with a 8 pin 18" set up. Here is my humble opinion, remember we will sell 350/400 cord of oak firewood this year. For OUR use the 261 is the 50cc saw that fits our specific need the best, there are other awesome 50cc saws made by Husky and Dolmar and they may fit others needs better and I fully respect that, different uses, dealers that sercive better etc.
With a 20" bar and 7 pin set up in wood up to 18" I really don't feel that much of a difference over a dead stock well broke in 261. With the 18" set up on the 361 and the 8 pin the advantage clearly goes to the 361.
I have never run a Euro 361 so I can't make a comparision. My 361 used to be the most used saw in our firewood business, we cut mainly tops and cull logs, oak and hickory running 6" to 30". The two most used saws are the 261's, it clearly used to be the 361, in four full seasons it has cut many a tractor trailer load of wood. It just depends on what size and species you are cutting. For us 18" and down we just like the 261's. 18" to 24 we like the 361, over 24" you see the 044, 441 or 460 come out.
I will say I have cut side by side with a 290,310,280 and the 261 out performed them, we are selling more and more to our professional firewood cutters, they have been a great performer and none have come back in. Again I fully respect and agree Husky and Dolmar make great 50cc saws and take nothing away from them, it's just different strokes for different folks, I do suspect Stihl has underated the 261's hp, with the CM version coming out it should make it a little monster. I've become more of a 50cc/70cc user. As father time is catching up along with health I expect I will be a MS 241CM man, asked out distrobutor if I could purchase the first one they get,