CHAINSAW REVIEW
Simon Bowes reviews the
new MS 500i from Stihl, theworld’s first chainsaw to feature
electronically controlled fuelinjection. Could this be love?
64 AUGUST 20 19 FORESTRYJOURNAL.CO.UKI
T’S the ‘i’ that’s important here. No other chainsaw
on sale in the UK has it, the suffix denoting a huge
shift in chainsaw technology. Stihl, in their fashion,
haven’t made a huge song and dance about it,
but once you pick up the 500i you know the smug
buggers have done it again.
I remember trying various saws that had the then-
innovative ‘scavenging engines’. Less emissions, more
torque and better fuel economy, we were told. I found
them uninspiring until Stihl gave me an MS 441 to test. It
had good power with lots of torque – which is what we
had been promised – but it had something else, something
intangible. It took an old-time cutter who worked for me
to put this enigma into words. It felt familiar to him, but
better in every way. It was smooth, it was well balanced
and it fit. It was the last point I lingered on, realising
he was right. The 441 didn’t make any promises of
ergonomic improvements, but changes had to be made to
accommodate the new technology and, either by luck or
design, it worked beautifully.
That same cutter is still with me. He says he has one
year left then that’s him done. He began felling for me
about 25 years ago and he’s been a machine during that
time. One constant in our time working together has been
his reaction to new chainsaws. I’ve always valued his
opinion when it comes to performance and handling. He
is merciless – expecting them to be as indestructible as
he has been over the years – and if they can’t keep up,
they don’t survive. Over the years, I have become used
to hearing the same verdict: “It’s a chainsaw. It’s OK, but
nothing special.”
I’ve waited years to hear something different and finally,
with the 500i, which will probably be the last saw we test
as a double act, I got it.
He said: “That is some saw, it really is exceptional. It
has loads of power, it isn’t heavy and it’s good to use. If I
wasn’t packing up, I think I would actually go out and buy
one for myself.”
Well, I can retire happy, knowing that finally, after God
knows how many chainsaws we’ve tested, he’s finally
found one he would spend his own money on.The question is: what is so special about Stihl’s
latest professional chainsaw? I do believe, in an article
written some time ago about modern chainsaws that use
scavenging technology in the engine and sensor-based
electronics in the engine-management systems, I said that
fuel injection would be required to remove the variables
inherent in a fuel system based around a carburettor.
More specifically, what I said was that electronic fine-
tuning that gave the same feel as an old manually tuned
piston port engine would never be possible without fuel
injection. It means the same thing – you get a new saw
that feels like an old saw that’s been tuned by an expert.
Here is that saw, the Stihl MS 500i.
It’s truly a new beginning. The saw is remarkably
simple to use, with no on/off switch, no choke, no fiddly
start procedure and no fluffy running, no wandering
tickover and lots and lots of instant, smooth power.
Firstly, Stihl have shown a wee sleight of hand. The
500i will naturally be pitched against the MS462 and
Husqvarna’s 572 XP, but they both give up a little in
capacity. The 500 is as near as spit to 80 cc and that is a
big saw for everyday chainsaw work, but whether it’s a
weight benefit from the lack of a carburettor or a weight-
saving plan well executed, it doesn’t feel like a bigger saw
than the other two. It is better looking than the Husqvarna,
if not as pretty as the 462, though that doesn’t matter to
chainsaw operators. I’d like to think its quirky style has
been created through necessity to accommodate the air
cleaner attached to the throttle body. It must have been a
change for the designers to finally have something else to
work on that wasn’t a carburettor inlet.This could be the
500i’s natural
habitat. Big, rough
outsiders that
require power
and speed from
a saw that’s well
balanced.