Our Stihl 500i Stars In: Husqvarna 395 XP VS Stihl 500i 

Good thing I know a guy who can make the EL logos

Well, we wanted to do a comparison and kept getting busy with other projects. Usually when we buy something I tend to run it as soon as we get home. In this case we bought a "chunk" of Stihl equipment. The 194T which I ran the first day, two trimmers which we ran within a couple days, the 800X backpack blower, the 261, 362 & 500i. So it took me a little while to work through everything. But yeah, I can't believe it took me that long to run the thing either.....What Stihl saws do you run? Please subscribe if you haven't.

I burn about 10 cord a year thru my Sequoyah wood gasifier OWB. I was running echo saws for a long time, but started transitioning to stihl about 5 years ago. First a 250, then a 311, then a 360pro, now a 500i. I still have a CS8000 echo, but the thing is a boat anchor. It only got used when felling a big tree. I used it this past fall to drop a dead burr oak that was double trunked. Each trunk was over 3’ across. The 500i is likely gonna permanently retire that one.

Very nice, we don't have an outdoor boiler, we have a wood cookstove in the kitchen that heats the entire house. If it gets really cold I also have an old woodstove in the basement that helps for the most frigid of nights. We burn about 4-5 cord a year in the kitchen, 5+ in the maple evaporator and sell 20-50 depending on what I have available to sell. Our primary work is the landscaping business, the wood cutting is just winter busy work.

Thank you for the comment, Yes there is a 15cc difference. When I bought the 500i the salesman told me there would be "no difference" between the 500i and my 395, so that's part of the reason for comparison. Considering it weighs 4.5 pounds less and cuts almost as well I think it's pretty impressive. There is a major price difference between the two, I can still get a 395 for $1250 after tax, the Stihl is over 1800 after taxes now. The 500i actually falls right in between the Husky 372 & 385 as far as CC's are concerned. Overall for a major weight savings, I think most guys would like it. Carrying an extra 4 1/2 pounds all day when you don't need to is tiring. That's why I tend to stick with the smaller saws for most of our firewood, no need to sling the big saws all day when we're not cutting anything massive. Again thanks for the comment and please subscribe you you have not. We did also do a comparison video between our 550xp and our 261, I just didn't time the cuts as one had full chisel and one had semi chisel at the time.

@ElmendorfAcres you aren't wrong, the price is hyperinflated for the 500i and the dealers are hyping them up with some pretty ridiculous claims like they will run with saws that are much larger... I have a 500 and a 572 and honestly that is about the most reasonable comparison as far as weight sadly the huskys have gotten husky since the 5 series came out compared to stihl, the factory literature says the 572xp is 14.5 lbs vs the 500i at 13.9 lbs and my 500i is a full 2 seconds faster in a video timed cut than my 572xp in a 15" piece of seasoned wild cherry my 500 has a 32" tsumara light bar and the 572xp has a 20" solid bar and is still heavier than the 500 that's the virtue of the 500 it is very comparable to a 585xp in power and lighter than a 572xp sorry if i sound total stihl fan boy... the 585 imho is the best saw husky currently offers and the 390xp is the best saw they ever made imo, the 592xp is a berzerker of a saw but I've read too many things about them living in the repair shop for electrical problems and the 585 is over 17lbs for no appreciable difference in power so for now it's stihl for the win! I just wish they would check their prices they've went up almost $400 since they were introduced, that's crazy, that's a whole extra power saw, a small one but still...i'll check out your 261 vs 550xp review but I can tell you without watching it that the 550 is in a class all to itself and I'm not a husky fan as a general rule. Sub'd ya BTW keep em coming. Don't disappoint me 🤣

We love the 550, it's a great saw for limbing or cutting brush. Husky used to make a 346XP which was a great little brush or smaller tree saw. The 550 is definitely one of their better ones. I have the husky 550, 562 & 372, I happen to think their 372 was one of the best ones they produced for the size & money. I'm a much bigger fan of the "3" series husky saws than the "5" series. We actually had the option to buy the 592xp and stuck with the 395 because of the potential issues. All that being said, I have a Stihl 362 that we haven't fired up yet. I was planning to do a comparison video on that one as well. It seems to be about the same as my Husky 562XP so that will be the planned comparison.

Your dealer is pouring you the koolaide. The 395 isn't going to be a light, nimble, fast saw like the 500i. It's a big heavy saw meant for big heavy work that the 500i will not handle with any efficiency or longevity.

Love the 395 for the big stuff for sure. The 500i is nice weight wise and works well with the bar buried. However it’s only a 25” bar. I don’t have a bigger one than that to test.