When it comes to Outdoor Power Equipment (OPE), you wouldn’t expect a power tool company to be a leading OPE manufacturer. In fact, Makita is one of the leading cordless OPE companies in the marketplace. Makita was one of the first, if not the first power tool manufacturer to introduce OPE products to their line up. While they offer a gas solution, their cordless OPE technology has been leading the way forcing other companies to play catch up. So let’s check out our Makita cordless string trimmer review.
Makita Cordless String Trimmer Review – Features
When you look around at most string trimmers, they are pretty much the same. They have a variable trigger and that’s pretty much it. Well the Makita XRU09Z is a little different.
First, Makita started with a brushless motor and designed it to run off two 18V Makita batteries. Not only does this provide more run time, torque and speed, but it doesn’t force you to buy into a new battery platform.
There is an easy access button to select between two different speeds, high and low. On high, the head will have a 6,500 rpm while on low it will produce 5,000 rpm. If you equip this with two 5Ah batteries, you will get about 60 minutes of run time on low. You will also notice a push button to engage the reverse feature. The reverse feature is beneficial to help remove weeds and other items that may get stuck on the head.
The trimmer uses a bump and feed style which means just bump the head on the ground and the line will advance.
The direct drive motor is mounted directly on the trimmer head for improved balance and great efficiency. Also, a user can enjoy a 13-3/4″ cutting swath.
The string trimmer has a built-in feature which is a constant speed control which minimizes the reduction in rotation under load. So it will attempt to keep the same speed.
Makita Cordless String Trimmer Review – Performance
When it comes to OPE, I have to admit, I am an EGO fan mainly because they also have a mower and snow blower which means I have one battery platform. However, when it comes to string trimmers, I think this is the best cordless string trimmer on the market.
The trimmer is powerful, easy to control and has a great balance so I don’t feel like I am fighting the tool.
It really doesn’t matter if I am trimming shorter grass or thick tall grass, this unit powers through everything I have thrown at it.
Makita Cordless String Trimmer Review – Value
For me, I think this is a great value. While it’s a little more expensive than some of the other string trimmers on the market, it falls in line with string trimmers of this caliber. Considering it is one of the most powerful trimmers in its class and all the power tools you can get into with the Makita battery platform, the Makita string trimmer is a great value. The trimmer offers some great features for the price.
As of this article, it looks like The Home Depot has a better price on the bare tool compared to Amazon.
Makita Cordless String Trimmer Review – Final Thoughts
Overall this is a great string trimmer and one of my favorite trimmers. I love the two speed along with the reverse feature. The trimmer is well balanced with the two battery system. There is plenty of power and more than enough run time to perform some serious work. I am 6′ tall and I don’t feel like I have to bend over to perform string trimmer tasks. So for me, this is a must have especially for those who already own or are looking into the Makita platform.
