riverbank
Senior Member
I think you'll be pleased with the 261 for a homeowner type saw. Stihl don't really make a bad product. Husky don't either if you be sure to get the XP models. (I think it's XP) Whatever there pro models are.
We use saws every day, month after month, year after year. Brutally. On the ground. Up in the trees. We have Stihls. We have Huskys. We don't have any other kind. Both are good saws. Neither one outlasts the other, as far as I can see. We have both that have been going strong for years. You can't go wrong with either, as long as you get the commercial instead of the fake Home Depot version of either.
What he said.^ I have one of each and both of them get the job done. Throw in a skip chain and you should be good to go.
The 261 is a excellent saw. High power in a small package. Its one of the smallest pro saws. I always use the skip tooth chains, even on the 16 inch bars. Less teeth equals less teeth to sharpen! Be sure and buy the stihl chains, yellow box. No other chain will cut as good. Green box chains have safety drags and don't cut as good. Oregon and husky chains and others just don't compare to the stihl chains.