Introduction – The Makita XRU07Z is a new model from the Makita family. As cordless trimmers go, this has most of features you’re looking for. As well as the drawbacks that are common to this breed of weed wacker. The main draw here is that you can add two batteries to get 36V of power in this baby, and those same batteries can power your other tools as well.
Why Electric? It is a simple question really. If you are concerned
- No More Gas Engines
- No carburetors being gummed up because there is ethanol in the gas
- No rotting fuel lines because of ethanol
- No oil mixing with motor oil and fuel stabilizer
- No Hard starts
- No noise and vibration
Specs – Right out of the box the Makita is a good machine. A nice straight shaft that can reach in a lot of places is coupled with a nice loop handle. The debris shield is a decent size. The line is 0.08″. The bump head is present, and that can be replaced with any other applicable tool. What it does not include are two batteries. That means it makes more sense to add this cordless trimmer to your Makita tool family.
Assembly – The assembly of the unit is pretty simple. Rather than the typical Phillips head, everything connects with hex head screws.
Operation
Starting – Unlike a gas trimmer, cordless trimmers start at the push of a button. The key here is to have a fully charged battery.
Ergonomics – No one would describe this trimmer as light weight. With both batteries plus its 14.65 lb shipping weight, taking care of your lawn might take some out of you. The equivalent gas trimmer is lighter. The Makita does not shift with a strap.
Weight issues aside, the Makita is as quiet as you would expect a cordless trimmer to be. There is little vibration.
Trimming – Doing the actual work is why you buy the trimmer in the first place. It has enough power for a decent size lawn, but it is definitely not commercial grade, nor will it replace your brush cutter. Some users were able to handle a 1/4 acre with it.
Run Time – Most users with average use were able to get 1 hour from the Makita, with a 60 minute to 90 minute recharge.
After Purchase Care – Our research found that Makita was fairly responsive with any post sale issues. But when a machine fails, it’s hard to be happy.
Conclusion
What we do not like about the Makita is the 1) weight, 2) having to buy two batteries, 3) having to buy a charger. That being said, we do like that the battery system is ideal for connecting with all of the other tools in our shed. So that defrays some of the cost. With respect to weight, it would be fairly easy to get a harness to fit. On the other hand, it should ship with a harness like the better cordless trimmers that we have reviewed. All in all this is not a bad choice, but there are better ones to choose.