When the STIHL MS 500i was first released in 2019, Stihl also produced 500 special first-edition chainsaws.
They’re called the STIHL MS500i LAUNCH EDITION and each was marked with its own number from 1 to 500.
Select dealers around the world were given two per store.
Seeing as there are over 55,000 Stihl Dealers worldwide and only 500 Launch Edition chainsaws made, not many dealers received them.
Few of these rare Stihl saws were sold to the public, with many being kept by the dealers themselves, sold quickly to friends, or scooped up by collectors.
They rarely appear for sale on eBay or Facebook Marketplace and are hard to find overall.
While the 500i LE is not as rare as the one-off Stihl Jetsaw or Carbon Concept Saw, they’re right up there!
The only difference between the Launch Edition 500i and the standard 500i is the tag. But, we’ve got to admit… it’s a pretty cool tag.
We’ve seen images of these limited edition saws in the US, Canada, and Australia, so they weren’t only sent to dealers in the US as is sometimes claimed.
In October 2019, Edwards Mowers in NSW, Australia shared the following video: “Shane giving the new Stihl MS500i Launch Edition model a run.”
They also shared:
These 2 Limited Edition Launch Models are already SOLD.
The MS 500i Stihl Fuel injected Chainsaw will be available later this year so get your orders in!!
#stihl #MS500i #stihlau #stihlaustralia #edwardsmowersoakflats #betterprice #betterservice
One guy in the comments asked, “Can you get any more Launch Editions?”
In another thread responding to a 500i Launch Edition picture, someone else said, “Launch edition even. I’d throw that in the living room on the shelf and go buy a second one, lmao.”
The 500i is already considered one of the best Stihl saws ever, so a Launch Edition version is even better, right?
And because it’s a rare, collectible saw, you can expect to see scams like this one…
It’s not clear from the screenshot that this is a scam listing, but dig a little deeper, and it’s pretty obvious.
Check out our tips for buying used chainsaws and avoiding chainsaw scams.
Do you know anything else about the 500i Launch Edition Chainsaw? Do you have one?
After sharing about the Launch Edition on our FB page, guys shared more pics.
Callum shared this pic of his #159/500 Launch Edition.
And Dylan shared his #300/500.
And other comments from followers:
- Ryun said, “Definitely a collector’s item since it turned out to be the world’s greatest chainsaw so far!”
- Kevin said, “What a cool edition for an early release. I will say it’s the best saw made along with my 261.”
- Chris said, “My brother has one of these first editions!!”
- Art said, “We got 5 of them when they got here in the States.”
- Darren said, “Just a sticker.”
- Bronson said, “I’ve got #286.”
Joseph said:
Wow, sounds like such a huge win if you own a “limited edition” saw, until you learn it’s just a sticker that says so and great marketing on Stihl’s part 🤣
And Liam said:
Each country actually had its own 500 launch addition saws. So here in Australia we had 500 stickers to put on saws for Australian dealers.
But this hasn’t been confirmed.
And then there were a lot of other comments asking, “How much?”
Limited Edition models in new condition sell for over $2500 now, but you’ve got to find one first. They’re certainly one of the rarest chainsaws.
I heard about the launch edition early on fortunately and managed to purchase 2 for collecting #157 and #160. Both saws are in the box brand new never been used condition.
I also own a standard one for a work horse amongst my other saws and it is by far my favourite standard saw to have ever used.
Best saw ever. 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻