Makita kicked off new deals where you can save $100 on their most popular XGT cordless power tool kits, AND get a free battery on top of that.
I found the new promo at Acme Tools, and I’m sure other authorized dealers will participate in this sale as well. At this time, it seems other retailers are showing the $100 savings or free battery, but only Acme looks to have both.
Should you take advantage of this promo? Maybe. If you ask me, these are the best XGT tool deals Makita has ever offered.
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Makita’s XGT cordless power tool system is complicated. It’s a 40V Max cordless system, but with 18V-sized tools and batteries.
The tools are loaded with Makita’s latest tech and features, and the batteries are their most advanced and highest capacity.
Frankly speaking, the line includes a good selection of core tools, but is somewhat limited beyond that. Makita has been expanding the XGT system with new tools and accessories at what I would describe as a steady and satisfactory pace.
The tools and batteries are pricey, and there’s no cross-compatibility with Makita’s 18V system, aside from a single one-way charging adapter.
Makita had an excellent and unprecedented holiday promo, where they bundled 2x free batteries with select combo kits, or 1x free battery with the purchase of 2 bare tools. The latter promo looks to still be ongoing at some retailers.
I bought the XGT track saw last year, and more recently added their new blower (via Amazon Japan due to lower pricing and a greater number of included accessories).
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I wanted more batteries, and there were a couple of user review requests I wanted to be able to fulfill. So, I took advantage of the holiday season deals to pick up a router, reciprocating saw, and a drill and impact driver combo kit.
With that, I bought 4 more tools and got 5 batteries with it – 2 compact batteries with the combo kit, and 3 free high capacity batteries.
Makita’s 4Ah battery (BL4040, 8Ah 18V equivalent) retail at $219 each, which makes the free battery promos very noteworthy.
I thought that the holiday season was unbeatable.
With the latest promo, they’re knocking off $100 off the price of select combo kits, and giving you a free battery that retails at $219.
If I’m being honest, I think this is the better deal. It’s not as good value-wise, but if given the choice between 2 free batteries and 1 free battery plus $100 more in my pocket, I’d prefer for the latter.
The Makita GT200D XGT hammer drill and impact driver combo kit is regularly $449. That’s what I paid last month. Now, it’s $349, plus you get 1 free battery.
I didn’t need another hammer drill and impact driver, and so I purchased these more for review purposes. I really wanted the 2.5Ah and 4Ah batteries though. The compact batteries (you get 2 with the kit) retail for $159 each. The bonus 4Ah battery retails for $219 by itself.
When you look at it in those terms, you get your money’s worth just in the 3 batteries (2 compact 2.5Ah + 1 bonus 4.0Ah).
$349 also puts this 40V Max combo kit below the price of other premium brands’ flagship 18V or 20V Max combo kits.
At this price, Makita XGT has entered the ring.
The Makita XGT rear-handle circular saw kit, GSR01M1, is also included in this promo. Right now, it’s $299, from $399, and you get 1 FREE 4Ah battery.
In other words, you get the saw, charger, and 2x batteries for less than it would cost you to buy just the batteries.
I should add that the bare tool is $264 by itself. So for just $35 more you get you 2x batteries, a charger, and a kit bag.
There are other kits included in this promo – 2 cordless miter saw kit options (10″ and 12″), the 10-1/4″ circular saw kit, and 2 4-tool combo kits (drill, impact, light, circular or reciprocating saw).
I feel that the 2pc tool kit and rear-handle circular saw kits are of the greatest interest and offer the greatest value, but it’s worth looking at the others in case the better match your needs.
You have time to think things over, as the promo looks to have an April 30th, 2023 end date.
Thoughts and Recommendations
Would I recommend that you buy into the XGT system right now? No. Yes. No. I don’t know.
Makita priced the XGT tools too high to interest me. There was one tool I wanted and purchased – the track saw – and then another – the compact blower. For personal use, I wanted more batteries. For professional purposes, I (and readers) still had a lot of questions that Makita USA wouldn’t or couldn’t answer about the tools’ features and performance.
Somehow, I convinced myself to dive into Makita’s 40V cordless system. Would I do so again at these prices? Absolutely.
But I’m not yet willing to buy deeper into the system.
Where’s the cordless jig saw?
The pin nailer kit is a whopping $549.
They have a new compact 6-1/2″ circular saw on the way, but how much will that be?
I’d consider a cordless 7-1/4″ miter saw, but they don’t have one yet, either.
I’m a hodge-podge type of cordless power tool user. I currently own battery-powered tools by Dewalt, Milwaukee, Metabo HPT, Bosch, and now Makita.
Would I buy into XGT’s system as my primary platform? No. They don’t offer the specialty/expansion tools I use most or am looking to buy, and tools to suit my more casual needs are too expensive for me to justify.
And yet, my tool collection went from 1 tool to 6 in a matter of weeks. They haven’t yet kicked my go-to tools out of their earned spots in my tool kit, but they potentially could.
If someone asked me today if they should buy into Makita’s XGT 40V Max cordless power tool system, and I had to give a yes or no answer, it would be NO. The core tools should suit many users’ needs, but beyond that the system is far from complete.
Consider this post, and how I can’t just say “wow these are great deals!” I cannot recommend XGT without including qualifications and heavy reasoning.
Would I buy or recommend certain XGT tools at their current prices and promos? YES!
Milwaukee’s M18 rear-handle circular saw kit is $449 (via Home Depot) with 1x 12Ah battery (216 watt-hours). Makita’s 40V saw kit is $299 with 2x 4Ah batteries (one included and one free, for 2x 144 watt-hours, or 288 Whr total).
Objectively, that’s a very good deal.
An 8Ah-equivalent battery is going to be lighter than a 12Ah battery, and it will charge faster as well. Let’s say you want a backup battery for the Milwaukee – how much will that cost? That Makita’s $299 promo and bonus battery kit pricing starts to look very appealing.
It’s also worth pointing out that the XGT kit is now less expensive than the 18V X2. Makita’s 18V X2 rear-handle circular saw kit (via Home Depot) is currently bundled with 1 set of 2x batteries for $359. Would you rather have a 36V-equivalent tool powered by 2x 5Ah batteries (180 watt-hours total), or a 36V tool powered by 1x 4Ah battery (144 watt-hours) with a bonus battery on-deck and $60 more in your pocket?
$299 plus 1 free battery somehow seems like a much better deal than $399 plus 2 free batteries. The same with the 2-tool drill and impact combo kit with 2 compact and 1 free 4Ah battery for $349.
This promo is going to sell more tools.
If you need or want to buy more XGT batteries in 2.5Ah (5Ah equivalent) or 4Ah (8Ah equivalent) sizes, why not get tools with them?
Even at promo pricing, Home Depot has a 2-pack of XGT 4Ah batteries for $398. Other retailers have them at $219 each. $398 for two batteries, or $299 for two batteries, a charger, tool bag, and Makita’s latest-and-greatest rear-handle circular saw?
Makita has a new impact driver (GDT02), which is less featured and more affordable than their other XGT impact driver (GDT01). That’s a good move for the brand to make, and it still looks like a premium-but-not-flagship type of tool. The new impact is kitted with 2x 2.5Ah batteries for $399. The flagship impact is kitted with 2x 2.5Ah batteries for $429.
Meanwhile, the 2-tool hammer drill and premium impact driver combo kit is $349, and you get a bonus 4Ah battery on top of the 2x 2.5Ah batteries it’s kitted with.
I love when tool promos do this, although it can complicate the decision-making process.
This promo is a highly aggressive marketing strategy. Makita USA really wants you to buy into their XGT cordless power tool system.
I was very convinced by the holiday season promos, but believe that $100 savings will be more compelling. And you do still get 1 free bonus battery with the eligible kits.
Other brands’ holiday season promos have finally timed-out. There are other new promos, and there will be more, but nothing like these. For instance, Milwaukee has a new “buy more save more” promo, where you save $50 off $350, up to $175 off $550+. That’s a good deal, but it’s only on select bare tools.
Milwaukee’s M18 Fuel hammer drill and impact driver ($399 at Home Depot) is a fantastic combo kit, and features the brand’s latest and greatest technologies. But with no active promos on that combo kit, brand agnostic tool users might be well-served by Makita’s XGT combo, which offers more at a lower price right now.
I’m glad I picked up what I did, and I’m awfully tempted to give the rear-handle circular saw a try as well – for ToolGuyd purposes, as I’m not much of a framing saw use.
With this new promo and price drop, even if only temporary (if you could say that given its end-date 3 months away), Makita has made the XGT system less ignorable. On top of that, more tools are on the way as they continue to expand the system.
I was hooked by the track saw and further committed thanks to the compact blower. I’m willing to bet that Makita is seeking to hook pro users with these new XGT promos, and that it’ll work.
Dewalt needs to counter with a PowerStack 5Ah promo of some kind. I’m not quite sure what Milwaukee’s counter will be. Bosch? They’re not yet playing the same game.
Tom
I really, really appreciate the XGT line, and have no doubt it will, in time, match the LXT lineup.
As a tool technician, I dig the higher voltage: fundamentally, it means a cooler running motor for a given load: higher voltage=lower current. Broadly, this means less heat stress on the electrical components, especially the motor windings and the electrical connections.
FWIW, the last 1/2 doz battery powered (18V) mowers I’ve repaired had failed (melted) connectors: that was simply the weakest link in a highly loaded electrical device. The motors had signs of overheating as well (darkened windings), but were still performing well.
I wish we had deals like this in New Zealand. I’m onboard with their compact blower, but that may be as far as I go, as I’m well equipped in another brand. Would recommend the lineup to any builder starting out tho.
Collin
I wonder how the professional tool landscape will look in 5 years with regard to voltage.
Kevin
I think voltages will likely remain the same. At todays common voltages, current battery chemistry can put out a lot of energy. Voltage isn’t the end all be all of power. Some brands favor voltage, others favor current. DeWalt has even taken steps to lower voltage for practical reasons – their 120V Max miter saw (using 2 flexvolt packs) was just replaced with a model running only one at the typical 60V max). It’s not less powerful, it just pulls more current. For the sake of argument, Milwaukee’s miter has virtually identical performance and it’s based off 18V nominal.
In short, voltage isn’t the limiting factor in power tools. As it stands, todays batteries are technically capable of supplying more energy that you can get from a cord. So I believe voltage will be the same for the most part. I think quality of life features are more marketable at this juncture. When in comes to premium tier brands, they’re all plenty powerful. Today, and even more so in the future, I think it’ll come down to features. It’ll be things along the lines of compactness, max depth of cut, clearances, etc.
Jared
Deals like this are how I end up with tools from a bunch of different platforms. Makita’s weird battery approach of creating multiple incompatible lines is still… weird. But if they make it cheap enough, they might sell some to me too.
Rog
I wish they would make the XGT line more approachable for non-professional but avid users like me.
Hopefully this is them listening to complaints of it being too expensive and the barrier of entry too high. Plus, more 40v tools please!
John
I have so many Makita LXT tools, most any XGT tool would just be a duplicate but with a different battery. A better, more powerful self propelled mower on 40V would be the only tool of choice for me.
Ray
I’m in the same boat. So many LXT tools and batteries, and I’m satisfied with them. I’m not a pro, and don’t need the longer runtime of a 40V battery. But I do have the 2x18V mower and find myself swapping batteries more than I’d like. I have the batteries, it’s just time consuming to swap ’em.
I do have a few tools that would benefit from longer runtimes, such as weed wackers and blowers, but I don’t want to carry around the extra weight of a 40V battery.
John E
The 40V 4ah batteries are surprisingly compact. Not a great difference from the 18V 5ah. Maybe 25-30% bigger and heavier. Definitely much less than 2x18V
ian podgorniak
Makita seems kind of stagnant as a company to me… as if they have been watching milwakee gain market share in shock, instead of countering.. I say that as someone who continues to be brand loyal to makita for my cordless tools.
I’ve been wondering for years I I’ll ever see a LXT x2 Router… I’d bite if they released an XGT plunge router with some accessories.. ??
Stuart
Their 2.5Ah battery is the size of an 18V 5Ah battery, and their 4Ah battery is the size of an 18V/20V Max 8Ah battery.
They now have much larger batteries, but so other brands.
I’m not interested in XGT for extreme cordless power, it’s the features and convenience that I’m after.
Franco
“I’m not interested in XGT for extreme cordless power, it’s the features and convenience that I’m after”…this pretty much says it for me.
I have a lot of the LXT18v and like them very much. The XGT, till now, were not offering much more, but did cost much more. About the only XGT tool the peaks my interest at all is the 10 1/4” circular saw ( I just saw they also have a 9 1/2…new?), but don’t have enough of a need that I would by into the system for that 1 saw.
Everything else they offer, I already have or I do not need.
MacLean Flood
Makita has priced themselves out of the prosumer market. HF is walking away with the low end cordless market. I have a large investment in LXT…no sale price will tempt me into a fourth battery platform…I have two Ryobi tools and a Bauer heat gun, Vacuum and liquid transfer pump.
Kevin
I use 85% red, 10% yellow, and the remaining 5% is a collection of one off purchases in cordless. I’m not averse to buying “off platform” as long as I like the tool. A couple different batteries doesn’t bother me, but I will admit it’s stuff I don’t use as much. Whether that’s a result of it being different, or part of why I didn’t mind buying off brand, I’m not so sure; but the deals are good. I might pick the drill and impact kit. I subscribe to the school of thought that you can never have enough drills and impacts so it’s a pretty low risk purchase.
Eliot Truelove
Makita isn’t the most powerful, but it is the most ergonomic and comfortable IMO. I’m 90% teal, 10% Milwaukee for tools, and reverse for the storage (Mostly milwaukee packout and some makita bags, with some Dewalt/Craftsman/Irwin interlocking small and medium toughcases).
I respect Milwaukee, but raw power at the expense of ergonomics has its drawbacks if you run them all day. Milwaukee 18ga with a Makita battery via adaptor works like a dream. Because Makitas battery management happens in the battery and not in the tool, it’s ideal for adaptors to other brands.
Raptor
I am excited to buy that LXT mini blower model coming out soon myself.
Home Depot has the OPE tools with a free battery as well.
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Makita-40-Volt-max-XGT-Brushless-Cordless-Blower-Kit-4-0Ah-GBU01M1/317345869
Jorn
I don’t really understand why high-voltage is needed for these types of tools.
I have a 18v miter saw (12″ blade) and 18v track saw (7-1/2″ blade), they’re really powerful and have plenty of run time.
What are the material gains in a 40v system for the consumer to convince them to spend thousands of dollars to ‘upgrade’?
This feels like the ‘upgrade all your tools to brushless!’ campaign all over again but even more ridiculous because it’s a separate battery platform.
Stuart
That’s a complicated topic that involves hypotheticals and very varied real-word differences, from negligible to significant.
Let’s say you have a 36V tool and an 18V tool. If each tool draws the same amount of power, the 36V tool should run cooler and slightly more efficiently. But is that true?
There’s really not much of a difference for most tools, which is why I believe Makita dialed up the tech and features in XGT tools, to help justify the premium pricing.
For me, I’m not upgrading to XGT. My track saw was more of a side-grade I did for user convenience benefits.
But then there are specific claims being made, such as for the XGT router – https://toolguyd.com/makita-xgt-cordless-router/ – where Makita says it delivers 35% higher work speed compared to the 18V model. “About 35% faster” is not a small difference.
Jorn
I agree that it’s very nuanced.
For Makita I would think it boils down to: “Can we get people to buy this product line?”
I can’t answer that question for anyone but me, but I wouldn’t be replacing my 18v tools for 40v tools because the cost is too great and the benefits are slim.
But, I agree that if a tool can save a contractor 35% of their time they should probably buy it.
Eliot Truelove
I got the PDC01 backpack $400 off ($269) on Amazon and all I’d need to do is get an XGT adaptor to run any XGT tools on my LXT batteries. Clunky implementation, but I’m not too scared about making the plunge into XGT with all the LXT batteries I have. Im contemplating on getting a tool only XGT Miter saw and setting the 4-LXT battery pack minus harness on the ground underneath it for all day power.
ian podgorniak
Oh snap… I comment wanting a router, and the sky’s part and… a router… but is it 1/2 collet… im gonna go investigate, don’t wait up.
Stuart
No – as far as I am aware, Metabo HPT is the only brand to have come out with a cordless 1/2″ router. https://toolguyd.com/metabo-hpt-cordless-router-m3612da/
MM
I agree, this type of tool doesn’t need a higher voltage platform. There are plenty of great drills, impact drivers, and circ saws on 18V platforms (and even 12V), so clearly the extra voltage isn’t needed here. I don’t think it makes much sense for most users to drop their LXT and suddenly upgrade to XGT.
Where the difference can make sense is for certain tools which require more power. Larger circular saws, miter saw, router, grinder, OPE. If someone needs tools like that then the XGT platform makes more sense. The XGT platform might also make more sense for a new user just buying into Makita since it seems to be the newer more forward-looking of the two which likely will have better support in the future.
Plain+grainy
I think there’s room to lower the mower price also. The Makita 40v Max 21” commercial mower is $700+ bare tool. It can cut up to 1 1/5 acre on two 40v 8ah batteries. The 8.0ah batteries sell for $359.00 each. So you have $700 plus for the mower, $700+ for the batteries. Then you still need to buy a charger.
Plain+grainy
You can get the kit for $1150.00 but still high.
Plain+grainy
Acme now has the kit 20% off at $949.00
MKY
Stuart –
At this time, it seems other retailers are showing the $100 savings or free battery, but ***not***only Acme looks to have both. Did you mean “…but only Acme looks…”?
Stuart
Sorry – thanks, *fixed*.
I rewrote that part 5 times as I had browser windows and tabs open on multiple devices, and then missed the errant word during proofreading.
Larry Morgan
How about the 2x18V Chainsaws, do you gain anything there? I just bought one and haven’t used it yet! Have they up graded this XGT model in there lineup yet?
Stuart
I haven’t tried either.
Personally, I strongly prefer single-battery handheld tools than dual-battery tools. So for something like a chainsaw, I would want a single battery tool. For a rolling shop vac or snow blower, dual battery is fine.
Eliot Truelove
I’m seriously contemplating jumping into XGT since I have some backward LXT compatibility with a PDC01 4xLXT Backpack I got $400 off list price for $269 on Amazon (link is still up). It’s very nice having the compatibility option, even if the implementation would be a bit clunky.
Chip
I switched from 18v Dewalt to m18 in 2015,then added m12.
Home depot dragged Makita into the mix.
Tracksaw,mitersaw,chainsaw,blower all were $300 clearance with 4 batteries so I couldn’t resist.
Then I started buying a mower,multiple saws just for the free batteries and chargers…and all for that deal.
Have since added many lxt tools.
However the dumb activate button drives me crazy on the router,jigsaw,and chainsaw.
Also the grinder,jigsaw,and brushless omt have terrible size and ergonomic issues.
Will be selling all the above for m18.
The only tool I need is 10 1/4 track compatible, instead of the Festool tsc75 for cutting thick slabs.
40v has absolutely nothing I want in a new platform.
Every tool I own in x2 is not worth adding another platform for just a little more power,and just a bit lighter.
A cooler/heater already have in Metabo,or tablesaw have it in m18.
Rob
I jumped to Nuron after my experience with “upgrading” to XGT from LXT. I think I kept the inflator. No die grinder. No jigsaw (well, it’s coming, and it’s the crappy one). No compact bandsaw (excellent one on LXT came out…after XGT launch). No multimaster (again, new one on LXT for…two years?). But they have a bicycle and a microwave.
Is that impact/drill combo really a deal if the newer and better impact driver has been available in Japan for a year and a half? Is that impact/drill combo really a deal if I know they’ll have a third and fourth replacement impact driver in Japan in a few months?
Makita promised:
1.) Don’t worry about LXT compatibility. XGT will be it’s own full line.
2.) It will be like last time. Either 2.5ah or the 4ah battery will be all you need.
They didn’t follow through on either.
Meanwhile, they launched TWO more battery platforms while XGT was a well gone dry. You want some tools? Gotta wait while they manufacture a dozen different skus each of LXT, XGT, ConnectX and 64v lawnmowers.
Makita’s build quality and reliability is WAY better than crap like Dewalt and Milwaukee. Unfortunately, they’re run by morons.
ian podgorniak
I don’t think they are morons, but I can see how you would feel that way. ANYONE who has tried to find a tool specific accessory on their labyrinthine website has wondered what kind of mogoloid idiot convention it took to create something so infuriating… the fact they fail to improve it year on year has almost become endearing to me. Like, sure it’s retarded, but its OUR retard.
I don’t think they are morons though.. just an aging company of quality engineers who are not going to race milawkee and put out lower quality tools to keep up. And executives that probably look at all the intellectual property theft and tool cloning from China and see stars.
It seems like they need a lot of young blood energy and a few old timers who don’t feel that competitive, axe to grind, determination when they see other companies passing them to take their pensions and bow out.