The Reason Why Some Stihl Chainsaws Are Black Instead Of Orange

If you've used any tool produced by Stihl in the last 50 years, you're almost certainly using one that has two primary colors on it: orange and gray. The orange-dominant color scheme of the German tool company has been its trademark since the 1970s, after it pivoted from dark red-forward branding. Seeing something that isn't orange and gray with the Stihl logo on it looks weird, but in 2026, SlashGear's top rated brand for chainsaws is releasing a particular tool that's predominantly black — a very unusual decision by Stihl.

Rather than this being a total shift in the look of Stihl tools, this black chainsaw is design solely to be a special limited time product to celebrate the founding of the company 100 years ago. This black chainsaw is called the Stihl MS 500i Centennial Edition. It features a black powerhead with minimal orange trimming to still give some semblance of the true Stihl colors. With it, you get one of Stihl's 25-inch Light X guide bars, which is also black. On the bar, there's a design made up of gray lines that boldly puts the number 100 on your chainsaw. Wrapped around the guide bar is a Stihl Rapid Hexa saw chain. Even the chain is mostly black too.

As of writing, the Stihl MS 500i Centennial Edition chainsaw is not available to be purchased, but by going to the company's website, you can sign up for e-mail alerts on updates for those interested in the product. What's important to know about this special edition chainsaw though is that the difference between it and other Stihl chainsaws is mostly cosmetic.

The Stihl MS 500i Centennial Edition chainsaw is clearly a product aimed at hardcore lovers of the brand who want to celebrate the company. If you're someone just in the market for a new chainsaw, there's very little reason to opt for the Centennial Edition when the regular MS 500i is right there, unless the aesthetics of this specialty item is just too good for you to pass up.

Mechanically, the two chainsaws are identical. Both can reach their max speeds of 60 mph (or 100 km/h) in just one-quarter of a second. Both feature electronic fuel injection with sensor-controlled fuel metering, which helps the chainsaw achieve its peak performance consistently. The one difference is that Stihl offers the Rapid Super chain instead of the Rapid Hexa with the standard MS500i. If you want the Hexa, you'll need to purchase it separately.

To purchase the Stihl MS500i chainsaw with a 25-inch lightweight guide bar, you're looking at $1,829.99 price tag. Currently, the American Stihl website has no price listed for the Centennial Edition, but if the Australian website is any indication, it's going to be significantly more. There, the retail price is $3,499 AUD, which is approximately $2,400 USD. The actual US listed price may be less than that, but it could also be more.

The other issue is that there's no optionality. If you don't need a guide bar that's 25 inches or don't mind one that's heavier, Stihl offers nine different versions of the standard MS500i to best fit your needs, none of which exceed $1,900. The Stihl MS 500i Centennial Edition chainsaw is ultimately a collector's item.