I'm running a 18" ES bar on my MM 361 with an 8 pin rim and it does a fantastic job in hardwood. I'm the type that will always run the shortest bar for the task at hand. You can never have too many sawsm if your going to run a 16" set up on your 361, keep your 290 and convert it to a 3/8 16" set up as well, and keep it as a spare, cheap insurance. I did a tree removal today, prolly in the 28-30" range, dead standing oak and didn't use anything other than a little 261 with an 18" bar, contrary to popular belief it doesn't always take 70-90 cc saws and 28" bars to work up a decent size piece of wood. A sharp.sharp chain makes more of a difference than most realize.