A friend brought his new 500i and we scrounged some wood so we could use it, it was brand new. He put a Stihl 25in bar on it. It cut great, it was really powerful. I also had my ported ms362, which I think is a real strong saw and the 500i was stronger. As to be expected! They are close in weight! I await delivery today of a 24in Oregon bar/chain for my 362. Looking forward to that for big hardwoods. (I get confused on the 25 inch issue... I think it is that Stihl calls it 25 inch but it's what everybody else calls 24 inch. I forget why it's this way.) He is going to have this 500i ported in a few months. Why? I guess just because, lol. It's strong as is but will certainly be stronger! I do like ported saws.
Ive had my 500i since February and it amazes me when i cut. I cant imagine having it ported. Th 24/25" bar is confusing. The 25" is three inches shorter than my 28" bar. Id prefer it be called a 24 as bars over 20" go in 4" increments. Funny though as i have a 22" Carlton bar. Came as a package deal on my 361. Never thought id use it but now love it as its not as unwieldy as a 25 or 28 and can handle most larger logs. Never have run a ported saw and probably good i dont as its anew rabbit hole i dont wanna go down
This is the only way someone acquires 11/15 saws and all of them are stock. "Ain't never liked them ported saws." - Said NOBODY, ever! You don't have to port the whole fleet. In fact, I'd just do the two, maybe three that you use the most. From your roster, I think the 261 is an absolute must, and the 460 turns into a whole nother animal once it loses a few grams of aluminum. I've not played with a 500i but you guys keep saying how they wake up nicely too. It would be a cryin' shame if it wasn't on video.
I was just thinking, since buZZsaw BRAD has mostly Stihls... I've never ran another ported saw except Kevin's. Have heard good things about Michael Shetley (Rattler Work Saws) too.
