Makita XRU15PT 36V (18V X2) LXT® Brushless String Trimmer Kit (5.0Ah)

After a long debate with myself regarding all of the popular choices, I adopted the Makita cordless battery system some years ago. There are lots of options out there, but I'm happy I made that decision Now that I'm "married" to the Makita technology, I always ask if I did the right thing. And I keep concluding "yes". Wonderful performance, good battery life, and a rich selection of tool options. I probably use this trimmer for 30-45 minutes every week during the growing season. Absolutely zero issues. I will comment that the string which came on my unit originally seemed to have been more durable that the "Brand X" replacement that I bought when the initial load ran out. That's good news and bad news. The good: what I received with the tool was excellent. The bad: I'm having a hard time finding equally good string at my local hardware store. But that's not relevant to Makita or this model. I have both brushed and brushless Makita tools. Go for the brushless, like this model. They cost a bit more, but they run much better. Generally speaking, more power and longer battery life in my experience.

I'm a "seasoned" citizen and putting things together isn't as easy as it used to be. Assembling this trimmer would probably be a cinch for younger hands. But I got 'er done! The instructions re: the cutting head lack any explanatory text so the illustrations are your only guide. They could be better. Much better. Took me 15 minutes to figure out how to get the head onto the power shaft, and the head was preloaded with string. Practice will make perfect trying to reload. Helps to get the trimmer up on a waist high surface to make it easier. The guard was a quick screw-in affair. Batteries charged in the included charger in about 30 minutes. No drama there. One thing to note. Attaching the handle - make sure the side of the handle grip with the little thread hole faces toward the cutting head and away from the motor section. Getting the handle on is kinda awkward given the two-piece bushings. Unit is relatively lightweight and the strap actually fits me well right out of the box. Unit even includes safety glasses (mandatory with any trimmer). This electric trimmer replaces a Stihl gas trimmer that has given me endless headaches over the past few years. Talk about hard to start, mixing oil/gas. Difficult to load string. Whew! And that gasser is put together so that just about nobody can take it apart to service the spark plug or anything else. That's a poor product design (probably on purpose) and won't touch Stihl products again. This Makita looks to be a winner and once I actually use it, I'll see if my star rating changes.

Full transparency, I have a bunch of other Makita tools, so this made sense. Tired of mixing gas/oil? Tired of the vibration & the noise? Same. Strange enough, I like that you can select from three speed settings. Seems easier to schwack what you're working on that way. Overall, this is worth the money. Two 5ah batteries, a dual charger, and a quiet/smooth string trimmer that lasts plenty long for my 1-acre. Nicely done Makita. Nicely done.

Arrived with two excellent quality Makita 5 amp batteries that were 25% or less charged and already mounted to the power block/rear-end. The fast charger with dual ports is able to rapid charge to 100% in 45 minutes but for longevity I chose to slow charge the new batteries using the slow 18sd type Makita charger. (IMHO: If you rapid charge new sleeping cells, they’ll get super hot and possibly lower the useful life of the middle cells.) The Makita box the tool arrived in is about 6 feet long and the square diameter of a good volleyball. There is no outer carton, and I think my package was sent drop-ship from Reno, NV to Los Angeles CA. It arrived in good shape via Parcel Select. Once opened you find a mass of thick corrugated cardboard fillers that hold everything together safely. Then you dig through the green Makita 16x12” drawstring bag to find about ten items you’ll need to assemble with super tiny printed pictures and Japanese English or other worldly languages. After assembly I realized that the pix showing a guy holding the machine on a shoulder strap ( included, but you may wanna get a full Makita harness if you’re serious or arthritic…) was actually instructions on the many custom places you WILL NEED TO ADJUST so your Whacker can be carried in relative comfort and good effectiveness. More on that, read on …. Using the machine is super easy. THIS MODEL has.a press-down micro CYCLE button that goes from Speed Good to Mighty Fast to OhMyLordy and back to Good. An auxiliary button allows a gentle REVERSE mode in case you got jammed up, which is virtually never. A LONG PRESS on the Cycle button shuts power completely. Note this: Once powered on, the trimmer stays up for a couple minutes before going bye; thus you merely press the safety grip and spin-up levers to work then pause to rest or drink Coors or verify string condition. On the 18v and basic 40v versions of theWhackers that have split shafts to fit other accessories, the power button must be cycled again after a pause. That’s inconvenient. Using: the Makita trimmer is very powerful and uses not much power in Speed-1 and even Speed-2. Speed-3 is maybe 20% faster than Speed-2 and will suck 40% yet more power, while Speed-2 feels like more than double Speed-1 and uses about 30% more juice, depending on how recalcitrant you find your angry, stubborn weed terrorists. Gripes: Two Allen keys are included to facilitate assembly and adjustments. This is awkward and clumsy as the keys cannot be turned a full circle without bumping into various obstructions. There are two storage locations molded into the power head and the handle-grip BUT only the small wrench can fit into either holder! THERE IS NO HOLDER THAT FITS THE LARGER WRENCH and you’ll need BOTH wrenches should you need ( and you WILL ) to make comfort/functional adjustments on the fly at the yard site. WHAT THE HECK, MAKITA PEOPLE ?!? Another more serious gripe: The deflection shield is some sort of cruel JOKE or PUNISHMENT as a reward for spending. $400 or so on this product; it is too small to do anything but cut string to length and to remind you where the clippings originate, now that your legs and feet are totally coated with mulch …. Therefore be sure to buy the “optional but needed” Brush Deflector kit, setting you back another $30-40. WHAT UP WITH THAT, MAKITA PEOPLE ?!? BTW, the big deflector is meant for other models and its thread is different. So you order from Mr Bezos and Makita the model 191B54-1 Deflector and then you hightail it to some hardware store and buy a pair of Allen cap screws size M5-0.8 x 25mm; now as you go to install this, your smaller Allen key will fit, so you’ll have less need of the troublesome larger Allen key. Last Big Beef: The string bump head is made by Sugihara something and it is small and has a tiny bump button and is weird to refill. You should also order from Mr Bezos, the STENS 385-288 “Type400 Fast Feed 5” Trimmer Head” and suddenly your 15PT trimmer performs just like or better than the $500+ Makita 17PT Commercial Trimmer. Part screws right in, no need to swap hardware, but keep the spinner plate and use the included rubbery washer/spacer. Since the STENS head is wider, the weight distribution is superior and your whacked will feel better balanced. In addition the bigger deflector allows longer string length so now your effective hacking circle will increase from about 15” to 21”! Were it not for these details, I’d give this product 4.8 stars. If you have a huge yard to hack, just order the 17PT and save yourself the trouble of making mods to your whacker. Plus I believe the 17 includes a better shoulder harness, not just a skinny strap ….

Works Great! Box was beat to hell so I was a little worried. No problems. Easy to assemble and get running. Takes about an hour to charge the batteries. My 1/4 acre yard barely made a dent in the battery charge. I found the medium setting to be adequate for my yard. Line fed flawlessly. Overall, very happy with purchase plus I get two more batteries to share with all my other Makita equipment.

Pricey, but Makita batteries last and last and last...String head let-out mechanism is a weak spot in this otherwise excellent trimmer. Battery life pretty good, I have no experience with this being used to gas trimmers. I do know running it at the middle setting saves a lot of juice.

This is a great and powerful edger. If trimming near rocks it will launch them. Use eye safety gear and cover lower legs and ankles.

Love my super silent weedwacker. Does everything my gas one could, no hearing protection needed. I'm a hair short for the length at times (5'6"), but that might just be a learning transition from my other one. Not to heavy, and a great deal with the batteries and charger.