I was in on a deal for GB Pro Top bars (on the *other site*) a while back. I finally got to slap on the 24/25 inch on my 361 and go out and test it (after travelling out of state and getting nailed by the largest storm in the US PNW in about 10 years). A lot of people say that a 24 is too long a bar for a 361. After today? I say bullshit to that. That saw runs great with the GB Pro Top 24 inch bar and new Stihl full comp (not skip) RM chain on it. I use RM becasue I cut a lot of dead snags and slash pile stuff up for firewood, and the RM runs good in dirty conditions. I dropped an 18 inch oak tree (California Black Oak, about 40 ft tall) and bucked it up and noodled it into split firewood in about an hour. This is hard oak mind you, not doug fir or softer grand fir. No problems. It did bog a bit when I pushed on it, but the 460 also did that (I can lever pretty hard on just about any saw and bog it down).
After today I think that it is a toss-up between the 20 inch and the 24 being the best bars for the 361. Also the MS 361 has no problems driving a 24 inch bar, and I can see why so many Stihl dealers around here sell them with that length bar on them. I do not know what it is about people insisting on using shorter bars... or maybe its becasue I have West Coast Long Bar Disease? I run a 20 inch on the 290 most of the time. I suspect that the 24 inch is going to stay on the 361 most of the time. It is a >>tad<< bar heavy, but the center of gravity is not that far ahead of the top handle. I hardly noticed it cutting today. No, today I was grinning becasue I liked the new bar so much. Smooth, makes bigger cuts, I can deck larger trees from one side, ahhhhh... a new dimention to the 361! I am thinking maybe I can put off buying that Dolmar 7900 for now. For a while at least. This 361's gonna drop some big trees around here.
Also, my verdict is that the GB Pro Top bars are very very nice bars. I think that they are a tad better than Stihl ES bars (I have some of them too). Small differences in them that stand out are the oil holes and the look of the bar, as well as the feel on the saw. Subtle, but superior in my view to the ES. Made in Australia... oooo la la! I am gonna be buying more GB bars from now on. As Borat would say, "Veeeerrrrry nice!"
