Stihl MS500i

[MustangMike]

661, 241, 261, 461 all have good loyal followers.

 

[GCJenks204]

Sounds like a pipe dream lol.
I would love to get my hands on something new from stihl because I have two doa saws now.
Not impressed with anything stock at the moment.
I need two saws before the winter but what to buy. Starting to think used is best.

Yeah used ported saw on here are WAY better deals than new.

Even better are new ported saws. Or best for a guy in MI that cuts in the winter would be a new Arctic Ported Saw...

 

[Leafy]

I look forward to the FI saws. They're going to be so much easier to tune. Just plug in the laptop and fatten up the mid range instead of having to drill and tap to block the link between the high and low circuit then drill a new feed for the L to turn a china carb into a 2 jet zama just to be able to get the 2 jets. And if no one manages to crack the stock ecu a stand alone for a saw is going to have a way way lower BOM cost ( only 1 injector, 1 ignition output, 1 crank input, 1 or 2 analog sensors) than a full car standalone so they ought to be under $200.

 

[nohoff]

I made a decent test today.
4 saws: MS 462, MS 500i, Husq 572 and 390 XP
6 hours of cokkie cutting and some assembling and deassembling of those saws.
I stripped all of them apart but i were not allowed to shot some photos.

Only thing i could tell about that MS 500i, the badge said it was build 07/2017.
The MS 500i shares the airfilter with the MS 661 and has no Air Injection system.

 

[T.Roller]

I made a decent test today.
4 saws: MS 462, MS 500i, Husq 572 and 590 XP
6 hours of cokkie cutting and some assembling and deassembling of those saws.
I stripped all of them apart but i were not allowed to shot some photos.

Only thing i could tell about that MS 500i, the badge said it was build 07/2017.

590? Please tell us more

 

[nohoff]

ahh sorry it was a 390 XPG
Unfair cause the MS500i was non heated.

 

[Dub11]

I made a decent test today.
4 saws: MS 462, MS 500i, Husq 572 and 390 XP
6 hours of cokkie cutting and some assembling and deassembling of those saws.
I stripped all of them apart but i were not allowed to shot some photos.

Only thing i could tell about that MS 500i, the badge said it was build 07/2017.
The MS 500i shares the airfilter with the MS 661 and has no Air Injection system.

And...............

 

[nohoff]

yeah its a saw
I think the MS 50oi is easier to work on and the 390XP was a giant against this little MS 500i.
The 500i has pretty much the same size as the MS 462 maybe a little bit smaller.
The 572 XP wasnt broken in cause it was the weakest saw this day even with the new X-Cut chain.
The MS 462 is unnecessary in my opinion. Just take a MS 500i cause you wont tell those 200 gram difference but it has a huge gain in cutting speed.
About 15 - 20 % faster in 45 cm diameter oak.

We didn't pull the cylinder on the ms 500i cause we didnt have a base gasket at hand

 

[GCJenks204]

ahh sorry it was a 390 XPG
Unfair cause the MS500i was non heated.

yeah its a saw
I think the MS 50oi is easier to work on and the 390XP was a giant against this little MS 500i.
The 500i has pretty much the same size as the MS 462 maybe a little bit smaller.
The 572 XP wasnt broken in cause it was the weakest saw this day even with the new X-Cut chain.
The MS 462 is unnecessary in my opinion. Just take a MS 500i cause you wont tell those 200 gram difference but it has a huge gain in cutting speed.
About 15 - 20 % faster in 45 cm diameter oak.

We didn't pull the cylinder on the ms 500i cause we didnt have a base gasket at hand

Does the MS500i have a heated handle version?

Lots of concerns/ complaints about filtration on the 661. Is this less of an issue on the 500 because of the lack of carb? I still wonder about fines and dust sucked into the combustion chamber... do they just burn up? I would think so but...

 

[nohoff]

They plan to release a heated handle version of the MS 500i in 2019.
You can see the hole for the heat on/off switch.
The fuel tank on the MS 500i is incredible small but it had nearly the same running time on one tank as the MS 462.
The 390 XP had the same cutting speed as the MS 500i.

I dont have long time experience with the filtration system but it was fresh oak and sharp chains so we did'nt see any fines on these filters.

 

[ferris]

Great informations @nohoff
Did you cut bigger wood then 45cm?
That is a little bit small for that saws

 

[nohoff]

They had all 50cm bars on them.
I think the 390 will outperform the MS 500 in bigger wood.
I think the 390 has more torque.
Most of the time the 500i hold 10k rpm in the cut and i had to lean a lot on that beast.
Same on the 390.

 

[rocco490]

thanks for the inside info comparing the saws. would be great if husky would throw a bigger piston and cylinder on the 572 and give us a 590 already...…..

 

[nohoff]

Today event was a bit limited cause its not that easy to get a ms 500i at the moment

 

[Willard]

Thanks for the report nohoff.
The 500i is a 80cc saw with the best power to weight ratio.
How was the 500i throttle response compared to the 462?
I heard idle to WOT limbing under a second.

 

[nohoff]

Throttle response is amazing.
I was shocked that they did something snappier than the 462.
Id like to know how snappy it is with the 28 inch bar.

 

[Willard]

I was always impressed with my 550XP and 562XP RevBoost.
My latest MS261C ll which in in the same series design as the 462 doesn't have that instant Husky rev boost explosive snap. But it does scream up to WOT quick though in a smooth kind of way.

 

[CR888]

Can't beat that instant light switch speed throttle response on a 550xp, its a great feature for sure. I'm glad my suspicions were right about the 500 having no dang particle seperator air injection crud. Best thing about this new saw for me is the fact Stihl has finally put a 5 cube pro saw on the shelf. After running 681 Solo's or 7900 Dolys a 70cc saw feels a bit wimpy. Fi will be a refreshing from traditional carbs, butterfly's, impulse lines, primer bulbs, mesh screens, fuel circuits, carb kits, gaskets and all them wonderful inherent lovely's associated with century old carb tech.

 

[Willard]

Yes the future looks refreshing for saw development.
But I'm still going to enjoy tinkering with my 064, 066 and Jonsereds 70E.

 

[RI Chevy]

A 462 video that I found. Note the missing spikes.