Stihl 500i first impression

[doc henderson]

Well, I got one.  I like it so far.  thought I would see what others are finding in reality after the hype.  I did get a regular 30-inch bar.  I was interested in the light version, but heard there is increased cost, my dealer would have to order one, and they tend to flex more reading here.  I confirmed with my dealer that the 046 mag I have has the same mounting, so I can also use my old 25- and 36-inch bar and chains.

Keith my dealer told me to pump the primer bulb 10 time to start it, even if it had only sat 5 minutes.  It has required 4 to 6 pulls to get started.  It starts warm ok first pull, and I am still working out how long a cool off requires re-priming. 

I have thrown the chain a few times, but cutting logs into firewood on the rack, can jam the bar as the wood settles a bit as I cut.  I think it is due also to being a longer bar.  It requires good tension and pre-lifting the tip of the bar while tensioning. 

I often do not wear hearing protection with my saws, and this one seems louder.  I should probably change that.  I was also surprised by how low the fuel got with a session that would only use a half tank on other saws.  I ran it out once and with the primer bulb, I was able to get it started without difficulty.  So, it seems to use more fuel and is louder that prev. saws.  It has plenty of power.

It raps like a dirt bike, and I like that. It was easy to tickle the throttle at the end of cuts.  I am happy so far.  my nearest saw is a 30-year-old 046 mag.  If I could only have one saw this would be a good choice.  I will add the shorter bar for a test run later, but I was doing slabs on my bucking rack, and this gave me the reach I needed to go through a full rack.

[doc henderson]

pics of firewood logs, and my buddy Dallas running the log splitter, I used the 500i for most all of the cutting.


pics of maple for the smoker, ash for the woodstove next winter, and some mulberry of smoker and or wood stove.

[YellowHammer]

Nice operation.

Odd, I have never thrown a chain on mine, and I don't really keep mine highly adjusted.  I love my 28" Stihl Lite bar, the 500i is the only one I use now.  It will run in a "break in or throttled soft" mode for a few tanks of gas, and then will wake up and scream.

    

[doc henderson]

I do not blame the saw.  the long heavy bar requires some lift to get it adjusted where it needs to be in the cut.  If you look at my set up, as you exit the cut at the bottom, it is easy to get jammed up.  The longer the bar, the easier it is to throw.  Operator dependent.  

[doc henderson]

What is you cold start procedure Robert?  and restart?  do you hit the bulb 10 x?

It will sometimes start and run 3 seconds and die before I can get on the throttle.  once it goes, it goes.  I like the power and throttle response.

[Wlmedley]

Nothing like a new chainsaw to get a fellow enthusiastic about cutting.

[scsmith42]

Doc - nice writeup about the 500i.  If I were to buy a mid sized saw today, that would be my first choice.  But I'll have  to wait until my 461 dies to be able to justify another saw.

A friend of mine has one and he let me use it, and to say the least I was impressed by the power.  

It will be interesting to see if you have the same experience as Robert did with the saw increasing in power as it gets used more.

Thx for sharing.

Scott

[Dave Shepard]

Unless I am very mistaken, that is a purge, not a primer. It simply recirculates back to the tank to ensure there is no air in the system. You can push the bulb as much as you want. As mentioned, there is a break-in period, then it should start pretty much first pull all the time.

[barbender]

Doc, why no hearing protection? I probably do a better job with that than any other kind of PPE, just for the fact that I have learned that I an extremely noise sensitive. I'll even wear ear plugs to use a vacuum cleaner😊

I don't think you'd need to use the purge bulb on a warm saw. It should just fire up.

That sae will gain power after 10-15 tanks of fuel. They really do have some amazing throttle response, and yes they are thirsty, too.

[doc henderson]

none of my other saws seem to bother, but this one seemed more aggressive noise wise.  Yes, I do have mild hearing loss and that is a good idea.  often it is just a cut or two but got a bad habit of not wearing it.  for sure when it is a big saw and ai will saw for hours.

I will try to do better!

[JD Guy]

Awesome saw purchase. Congratulations! I was on the fence between the 500i and 400 a couple years ago. Ended up with the 400 with 25" lite bar as that's most likely all I will ever need, but sure would like to run a 500 someday 

[customsawyer]

The 500 is a nice saw. I use mine a good bit, with the 28" lite bar. I pump the bulb 5-6 times and it will normally start on the 3rd pull cold. Once warm, I don't pump the bulb and it will start on first pull. It's best if you don't let it run out of fuel, as it messes with the computers thinking. I've even ran mine with the 48" bar once when I had to. It did just as well as the MS660.