thank for the explanation this clears the water a lot... everyone seems to be scared of this ''new tech'' probably just something to get used too ...The MS500i is fuel injected. It's Stihls only FI saw. It's only been available in the US for a year or so. The TS series concrete saws have used the same FI setup for a while. By all accounts it is pretty reliable.
The CM series Stihls have computer controlled carbs. Which is not the same as FI, it's more primitive. The computer controls the carb jets. Those have been around for longer and use tech originated by Husqvarna and used in some of their saws. There are regular carb versions of many of the CM saws. It's actually pretty cool- the computer only needs to measure the engine rpms in order to figure out how to set the carb. There's no sensors to go bad.
Like the FI saws the CM saws are also reliable. There's a reset procedure that you can use to make the computer start from defaults and relearn your saw. I have not needed to do it for my CM saws. They just run like perfectly tuned regular carb saws without me needing to get out the screwdriver and tach. I'd be fine with more CM saws.
The one issue with my CM saws is that you need to idle the saw for 5 seconds or so before shutting it down. If you're cutting and just cut the ignition (like when you're backing away from a tree after making the felling cut) the computer will wind up setting the mixture too rich when you go to restart and it will act like you left the choke on too long. Opening the throttle leans out the mix and allows it to start.
thank for the explanation this clears the water a lot... everyone seems to be scared of this ''new tech'' probably just something to get used too ...
Older thread and older post but I'll echo this.I run a Husky 550xp and a 572xp. Love them both. 572 is amazing.
If I could only have one saw, it would be a 562xp
I've tried to like them. I've bought several Stihl products over the years. They were either lacking in performance or problematic. Got rid of all of them.Unpopular opinion here, but I wouldn't take a Stihl product if you gave it to me for free. We've got a Stihl Farm Boss saw and a weed trimmer and a hedge trimmer/limb saw, all bought new a few years ago. The limb/hedge trimmer combo works fairly well most of the time, the chain saw and weed trimmer are complete trash. They are extremely difficult to start. The motors are very cold natured and run like crap. The saw in particular seems to require constant adjustment of the bar and chain and the design is a tooled design so eventually the set screws wear out and require replacement. Every time I have to use those Stihl tools I end up cussing. I hate them. Never again.
I've resorted to using the decades-old Dolmar saw whenever I have big jobs and my 24v electric Kobalt saw for medium or small jobs, and I guess I'm buying a new weed trimmer next spring. Stihl makes over-priced and over-hyped products. Sort of like GM trucks....objectively the worst on the market but still sell in quantity simply due to the name.