Stihl MS500i Centennial Edition: A Collector Chainsaw Worth the Hype?

Introduction

Some products are made to be used, and some are made to be noticed. The Stihl MS500i Centennial Edition sits firmly in the second category. It is a limited-run commemorative chainsaw built around the same mechanical package as the standard MS500i, but wrapped in black and aluminum styling that Stihl has not offered through normal retail channels. It raises an honest question for buyers: is a $2,400 to $2,700 saw that many owners will never run worth owning at all?

First Impressions From the Unboxing

There is something almost uncomfortable about opening the box. Everything about this saw signals that it was meant to be preserved, and that tension defines the entire ownership experience. Once out of the packaging, the saw is more striking than photos suggest. The body is finished in black, with what appears to be brushed aluminum on the covers, and the overall presentation is, quite simply, jaw-dropping compared with the standard model.

The quality is not limited to looks. The plastics, the assembly, and the overall feel of the saw are noticeably better put together than the stock MS500i. Anyone who has handled a standard 500i will immediately register the difference in hand.

The Special Bar and Styling

The included bar is a Light X bar with the same terrain-inspired graphics running across it, and it may be the single hardest item to justify using. Some of the parts on this edition reportedly cannot be purchased separately, and Stihl has said outright that certain pieces, such as the black plastics, are not being sold on their own. Whether the bar itself will ever be available outside this edition is unclear.

Between the graphics on the saw body, the black cover in place of the usual orange, and the detailed bar, the package is cohesive in a way that standard special-edition tools rarely are. It looks less like a paint job and more like a design study.

What Is Actually Different

Mechanically, nothing has changed. This is the same MS500i under the paint: same dogs, same design, same powertrain. Everything from the standard saw carries over, and the differences are limited to the black finish, the aluminum-looking covers, and the commemorative markings.

That fact cuts both ways. If you need a working saw, the standard MS500i delivers the same performance for considerably less money. If you want the look, this is currently the only way to get it, because a limited number of these saws have actually been built.

Buying Advice: Collector Piece or Working Tool?

This is where the decision gets difficult. Reports suggest unopened examples have appeared on the secondhand market in the $5,000 to $7,000 range, which speaks to how scarce these are. But scarcity does not change the core dilemma: a $2,500 saw on a shelf is a hard thing to reconcile, and one bad day of cutting could erase the collector value permanently.

Our honest take: this saw makes the most sense for a collector or a dedicated Stihl enthusiast who wants a display-grade piece and accepts that it may never cut wood. Working arborists and firewood cutters should buy the standard MS500i and enjoy using it without worry. The Centennial Edition is a showpiece, and treating it like one is the only way the price makes sense.

Conclusion

The MS500i Centennial Edition is a genuinely beautiful machine, and the craftsmanship in its finish is real. But it is also a mechanical twin of a saw you can buy for far less, wrapped in styling you can only get this one way. Buy it if you want a collector item that may appreciate or simply look remarkable on the shelf. Skip it if you need a saw that earns its keep in the wood, because the standard 500i does that job just as well.