Stihl MS 500i
- Thread starter craneguy1
- Start date
VenasNursery
Been here much more than a while
- Location
- Michigan
What running issues are you having?
Barc Buster
Branched out member
- Location
- The land shaped like a hand
I've run one stock and one ported. One of the widest power bands I've ever seen in a chainsaw. In stock form it's just meh to me. Ported is another story altogether!
Just meh? Really? I have yet to run an ms661, but considering i bought it to replace a 361, it nuts. I want more info on it now, i pulled it apart today. Where does the power come from to supply the ecm? Full chisel full comp chain, 20"...damn. meh? It takes a lot to impress me anymore, but i am impressed.
Barc Buster
Branched out member
- Location
- The land shaped like a hand
It takes a lot to impress me as well. I've run saws that most normal users don't have access too. Ive run 661s and 066s that put out nearly double the stock power a 500i does.
361 vs. 500i isn't really a fair comparison. 20ish cc different is a big deal. Now if you wanted to talk 462 vs 361 that would be at least a more reasonable story, because the 462's weight/physical size is very close to what a 361 is.
I know a lot of saw builders and have had access to the 500i for over a year now. For the price the 500i stock didn't really impress me beyond the novelty of the FI. Cool tech for sure. As I said a ported one was a different story. There is a generator/stator inside the flywheel to provide power to the ecm.
Have you ever run a Dolmar 7910? Now there's a 79cc saw that gets it done and for a lot less dough.
Do a search for the 500i over on opeforum. Days and days of info on the model over there.
Barc Buster
Branched out member
- Location
- The land shaped like a hand
P.s. Ultimately it doesn't matter what I think of it. The only opinion that should matter to you is yours. Congrats! I'm glad your happy with it. They are nice saws and, I didn't mean to come off like I was running your new saw down.
No worries...i have big shoulders. I figured it was a setup like that under the flywheel. Price point is significantly higher than us yanks were told it would be 2 years ago. Dolmar doesn't exist in my neck of the woods; though i know they have a cult like following...i would say a 462 to 500i would be a closer comparison.
