Old post but not obsolete... I never did come to a decision on 360 vs 361 kit saw kept changing my mind, putting off making an order and then kind of forgot all about the idea. I kept reading about the various kits but then, by chance, came across a knackered oem 038 Super locally for cheap which I bought and restored / converted to an 038 magnum.
This scratched the CAD itch and satisfied some of my curiosity about restoring oem vs building Chinese kits but ironically the 038 / ms380 was the least interesting to me as far as the kits go. Having worked on this model and run it a little I can, now, see more appeal in it.
I also should also say that I've still yet to come across any first hand accounts of failing cranks on either 360 or 361 kit saws... and likely one or the other will still be my next saw build (barring any more spares or repairs saws appearing locally). This is unlikely to be for quite a while though as other projects will likely be taking up a lot of my free time if they materialise.
To be fair, it's quite easy to pull the jug and replace. But I'm like a kid with the kit. Excited, then have to stop and wait for a missing part, then start again and have to stop and wait. But there isn't any travesty about putting a chinese p&c on it.
For what it's worth, I got mine off Ebay from HLsupply. I ordered a new cylinder and still got a 044/440 kit from huztl. It wasn't unexpected at any rate.
Saw did go together really well, and started up without any mysterious no start issues. Carb got it to idle well. If you have the extra $ and time it's a decent puzzle. I've rebuilt multiple 026s and it seems like a bigger version of it.
I did notice the intake boot is stiffer than all other oem ones, ebay has cheap used oem ones. But go ahead and order a stihl oil like kit for this saw. Line from pump to bar. The brass insert isn't on an ipl, so the chinese don't make it. Plus try explaining to them they are mussins a part that doesn't show on the ipl. Talk about circle talk. I just bought the line.