Makita has come out with a new 18V cordless mixer, XTU02, designed for mixing drywall mud, plaster, and other such materials. They say that it can also be used to drill large holes, although you lose some of the features of a traditional cordless drill, such as a keyless chuck or adjustble clutch dial.
The Makita XTU02 brushless mixer features a variable speed trigger, a trigger lock-on button, and an adjustable side handle.
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- 0-350/0-1300 RPM
- 1/2″ chuck
- Motor soft start for more control
- Rubber splash guard
- Rubber trigger cover
- Protective battery cover
- Weighs 6.6 lbs with battery
The new Makita mixer comes with a chuck key. There’s a bare tool, XTU02Z, and a kit, XTU02T. The kit comes with (2) 5.0Ah batteries, a charger, and tool bag.
Price: $229 for the bare tool, $409 for the kit
Buy Now(Bare Tool via Acme Tools)
Buy Now(Kit via Acme Tools)
Discussion
Makita seems to have built a lot of neat features into their new 18V cordless mixer. There’s a rubber splash guard, a rubber trigger guard, and an enclosed compartment for the battery. What’s not protected on this heavy duty mixer?
The only potential downside I can think of is the lack of an obvious storage spot for the chuck key.
Aaron
I haven’t used the Milwaukee mixer but I’ve held it and I liked how the second handle is at the same point in the tool as the main handle. You can set it up as a T shape. Seems like the Milwaukee gives better leverage and lets you use a more neutral body position. I’ve let the smoke out of a couple smaller tools, but probably won’t ever do enough real work to need one of these.
Julian Tracy
Why is there not a keyless chuck on this? Not as though they can’t hold a simple paddle mixer securely.
Don’t worry though – after 6 months, when all the Makita users that wanted a cordless mixer have bought one, Makita will come out with the same damn drill with a keyless chuck.
Brushless 7.5” 36v saw on the market for 6 months, and THEN they decide to come out with a model that rides the rails. 36v miter saw? 6 months after all the Mak guys invested into it – a version with AWS is released….
Makita are you listening?!? You are literally screwing your initial launch buyers.
Altan
I agree, these chucks are not good for mixing paddles, I have found some SDS+ shank paddles which you can use with SDS+ drills, they can use the same SDS+ chucks at least for these mixers.
glenn
The Australian version comes with two threaded shaft holders rather than a chuck.
A keyed chuck will hold tighter than a keyless chuck. The trick is to tighten up the chuck by going around and tightening up all the three key holes.
glenn
Meant to add a link.
https://www.makita.com.au/products/power-tools/platform/18v-18vx2-mobile/driver-drills/dut130z-18v-brushless-mixing-drill
Altan
I like the SDS+ chuck more for connecting a paddle to a mixer or a drill. It is easy to remove the paddle and it is very securely held.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Mixer-Paddle-SDS-Plus-Shank/dp/B003S7N6VW
fred
I’m not sure that it matters which hole you place the chuck key into. Unless there is some irregularity in the gear’s teeth, you should be exerting the same turning force regardless of the key’s position. I always thought that the idea of giving you alternative spots to engage the chuck was to allow you to better position your hand/wrist for best leverage.
Anyway – a hex shank or flats on the mixing paddle shank – might not be as good as an SDS connection – but it would seemingly help avoid slipping.
glenn
I was taught that by an old school mechanic about 40 years ago and when you do this you can feel each jaw tighten up. It works for me in that drill bits don’t seem to come loose with extended or repetitive use. ie drill press.
Jeff
How/where can I buy the threaded shaft holder? I looked online and can’t find it. I just bought this mixer and like it a lot but would definitely prefer that over the chuck. If anyone knows where to get it please help
Corey Moore
I’ve never seen a keyless chuck on a mixer, cordless or otherwise, and if you’re referring to the rear handle saw and the track saw, those are different tools, with generally different uses and a smaller blade size with better plunge capabilities and shallower ripping design. I think Makita does pretty well, and more consistently than some other brands, with regard to quality and innovating. And that’s despite my loathing their batteries.
Julian
Not referring to the rear handle saw. Referring to the newer brushless 36v 7.5″ standard style saw they just released maybe year ago and have subsequently just re-released a version that rides the tracksaw rails. I also own the track/plunge saw and understand completely the different uses of each. But versatility in your tool kit is always and good thing and Makita agrees apparently, but chose to do the track-compatible base as an afterthought.
As for keyless chucks – just because you’ve never seen it doesn’t mean it’s a poor usage choice. I’ve been mixing mud/thinset with their heaviest duty LXT cordless drill (with the keyless chuck) and the chuck has never been an issue. But certainly the lower speed ranges of this new mixing drill would be beneficial compared to the standard drill’s variable speed ranges.
This mud mixer will be released within a year with a keyless chuck as a new model.
Corey Moore
My apologies for the presumption on you saw experience. And to be fair, I have no real base of knowledge on the purpose behind the commonality that is keyed chucks on designed mixers. I have used a couple extensions and a very dull, very large spade bit to mix sacrete in a wheel barrel before, with my dcd995 lol and I had no issues with that approximate hour of work, so your point may be entirely valid.
PETE
is it me or does this look smaller than the dewalt & milwaukee mud mixers?
PHILIP JOHN
Battery? Looks like they are doing a different form factor.
Stuart
18V. What you see is a protective cover/compartment.
Doug
Biggest drawback is see is that 350 rpm is too low for mud or concrete. Torque would be insufficient in the high gear, so users won’t be able to use the variable speed trigger to mix any heavy materials at 500-600 rpm like the Milwaukee or DeWalt models.
Adam
I use a 30 year old makita DA6301 with a 300rpm low gear that I have used to mix several hundred 80lb bags of concrete in 5gal pails for fence posts. I also have a 6013BR drill that at 550rpm is perfect for mud and mortar, but is just a bit too fast for mixing concrete.
Altan
Quite good for a 18V Mixer. It would have its own use, good for decorators, plasterers and tilers. I like the rubber splash guide design and the battery cover.
Kizzle
What is a suck material?
Stuart
Thanks, fixed!
I mean… it’s the type of colloidal mixture where when you remove the mixing paddle it makes a squelching sound.
Wayne R.
Seems a shame that there isn’t a corresponding discussion of paddles/screws and their shaft “features”. Seems also that a simple non-twisting, easy-to-remove sort of interface, maybe bayonet, should be native to this kind of thing.