I tune my carving saws a little rich, because of the no load rpms. I also like lower rpm saws for carving bars. They have no sprocket tips and they seem to last longer on slower saws. But..... if they are running sprocket bars and using the ported saws for blocking out carvings it might be good.
I also used my bigger saws saws for slabbing out bench bottoms and table tops. That would be kinda hard on a hot woods port.
anyway, I love my hot rod saws for dropping trees and cutting firewood, but they're not the best setup for carving. Just my opinion.