Makita USA, which calls themselves the innovation leader in cordless technology, announced 19 new XGT cordless power tool products.
Makita says they will offer 100 XGT solutions by the end of 2022.
Unfortunately, the list of announcements does not include highly anticipated XGT 40V Max solutions that have been previously announced and launched internationally, such as their XGT brad nailer.
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Makita USA has only provided a list of new products with very limited details. The announcement lacks product images and leaves out features and specs outside of primary selling points. There’s also no pricing or clear availability info.
The seemingly hasty release says that these new XGT products are “announced for May 2022,” but it is unclear whether these will be May 2022 releases, or simply May 2022 announcements.
USA Makita tool dealers and retailers don’t seem to have preorder pages for any of the new products yet.
All of these tools are 40V Max XGT products. We covered Makita USA’s 3 spring 2022 18V cordless power tool announcements separately.
Makita XGT Reciprocating Saw (GRJ02)
- “fast cutting with lower vibration”
- “delivers the power of a corded 15A saw”
- internal counterbalance system
What’s the stoke length? Speed? Weight? What does it look like? How much will it cost? When/where will it be available?
Makita XGT 9-1/4″ (GSH03) and 10-1/2″ (GSH04) Circular Saws with Guide Rail-Compatible Base
- “efficient cutting and increased capacity”
- “convenience of a guide rail compatible base”
- “AWS capable”
- “more portable option over a table saw for precision cuts and breaking down sheet”
So… Makita won’t develop a cordless table saw yet, because 9-1/4″ and 10-1/2″ saws can be used for breaking down plywood and sheet goods?
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Makita XGT 40V Max Pin Nailer, 23-Gauge (GTP01)
- “powerful and portable”
- “up to 15% faster firing than the 18V LXT model”
- “will drive six different lengths of 23-gauge nails”
Read More: Makita Announces XGT 40V Cordless Pin Nailer
Makita XGT 40V Max Compact Router (GTR01Z)
- “full-featured compact router”
- “delivers up to 1.5HP of performance”
- 5 speed settings
Read More: New Makita XGT Cordless Router – 35% Faster than 18V
It’s curious – Makita Japan describes how the new XGT cordless router is 35% faster than their 18V model, while Makita USA’s biggest marketing selling points is that it’s “full-featured” with “up to 1.5HP performance” and featuring 5 speeds.
What’s the top speed of the USA model?
Makita XGT 2.1 Gallon Wet/Dry Dust Extractor/Vacuum (GCV01)
- “ideal for use on both construction job sites and in janitorial-sanitation applications”
- 148 CFM, 92” water lift
- 2-battery bay for a second battery for extended run time
Makita XGT 2.1 Gallon HEPA Filter Dry Dust Extractor (GCV02)
- “also ideal for use in both construction and jan-san”
- 148 CFM, 92” water lift
- “AWS-capable”
2.1 gallons with small plastic wheels and low floor clearance sounds… cute. Is that hose diameter going to suit construction jobsite use?
Does the vacuum not have any top carrying handle? I see what looks to be a side handle, and rear accessory storage. Is there on-board hose storage? Ideally, such a small vacuum would have an on-board hose dock and a top handle for portability, easier carrying, and more compact storage.
Makita XGT 4-Speed Compact Stick Vacuum (GLC02)
- “compact portability of cordless stick vacuums take cleaning power into tight spaces”
- 42 CFM and 84″ static water lift
- four speed settings
- up to 64 minutes of run time w/ XGT 40V Max 2.0Ah battery
Note: Makita USA has not yet announced or launched an XGT 2.0Ah battery in the USA (Makita BL4020). Outside the USA, the 2.0Ah battery is similar to the 2.5Ah (18V 5.0Ah size and watt-hour-equivalent) battery, but just with lower charge capacity. The 2.0Ah battery presumably exists as a lower-cost battery option.
Makita XGT 7″ Polisher (GVP01)
- “cordless polishing solution when mobility is important”
- variable speed trigger
- control dial
Makita XGT High-Speed Dust Blower (GSA01)
- in-line fan design and a shorter length
- improved balance and ergonomics over conventional blower designs
- “has power”
- 447 MPH of air speed
- 39 CFM
- includes 5 nozzles for precision clean-ups
It sounds like this is the same as the Makita XGT air duster that came out elsewhere 6 months ago.
Read More: New Makita XGT Cordless Air Duster Looks Very Multi-Functional
Makita XGT Deep Cut Portable Band Saw (GBP01)
- “up to two-times faster cutting than the 18V LXT model XBP02”
- 5” x 5” cutting capacity
Makita XGT 7-1/4″ Metal Cutting Saw (GSC01)
- electric brake
- chip collector
- “delivers up to two times faster cutting performance than a comparable corded saw (Makita model 4131)”
- up to 160 cuts per charge (XGT 4.0Ah battery)
Makita XGT 10″ Pole Saw, 8’L (GAU01), 10″ Telescoping Pole Saw, 13’L (GAU02)
- “deliver the power of a 35cc gas pole saw”
- “performance features that allow users to reach higher and trim branches with ease”
- “lower weight than gas-powered pole saws”
performance features that allow users to reach higher and trim branches with ease
It is unclear whether there’s anything more to these “performance features,” or if Makita USA is simply explaining that pole saws can be used to trim higher branches.
Makita XGT 24″ (GHU04) and 30″ (GHU04) Single-Sided Hedge Trimmers
- “the power of a 22.7cc gas-equivalent hedge trimmer”
- ” and up to 13% more torque”
* Makita provided the same model numbers for both models, presumably in error.
Makita XGT 17″ String Trimmers (GRU03, GRU04)
- “power equivalent to a 30cc string trimmer”
- “steel drive shaft for lower vibration”
- “GRU03 includes a brush cutter debris shield to convert for use with a trimmer head or brush cutter blade”
Makita XGT Brush Cutter (GRU02)
- “power equivalent to a 30cc string trimmer”
- “steel drive shaft for lower vibration”
- “bike handle design for improved grip and ergonomics”
Discussion
Some of these new Makita XGT cordless power tools seem like they could be interesting, but it’s hard to tell giving the scarcity of information provided in Makita USA’s official announcement.
I couldn’t even say “here’s a look at the latest Makita XGT cordless power tools” on our front page as the post excerpt, because there’s nothing to look at – Makita announced 19 tools with only 3 images.
Maybe Makita USA rushed to announce all of these tools so that they could update their website to say “100 products in 2022.”
Ah, there it is. I’m sorry, “100+ products in 2022.”
And there’s the “one system” claim again. Where’s the Makita XGT jig saw? Brad nailer? Cordless table saw? Cordless air compressor?
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Nathan
the 10 inch circsaw with guide rail base intrigues me.
That says sheet goods but I’m picturing used with cement or ?
and I like seeing the new OPE – won’t buy any personally but I like to see the competition.
Stuart
They specifically describe both of those saws as being carpentry and woodworking category products.
James C
I’d guess posts and beams. 4x, 6x, etc. Cutting a 4x in one pass or a 6x without the middle leftover would probably be a big benefit.
With a track and a blade this big you could easily gang cut a lot of sheets (assuming it has the power).
A cordless circular this big would be an industry first, right?
ChrisK
I was thinking about the TS75 from Festool but this and the current 36v have more power and would be awesome for breaking down slabs.
Jared
100+ “products” – I’m curious what that means. Clearly not 100+ tools.
I imagine they’re counting tools, batteries and chargers at least. Might they brand a few saw blades or driver bits if they fall behind on the release schedule?
Stuart
Their 3 XGT jobsite radios technically aren’t tools. Batteries and chargers might also be included in the count.
Jim Felt
Kinda feels like Nikon in the photography world v. Canon. Once the cordless leader and now the the diminished follower.
Management? Vision? Marketing? Supply chain? Even ownership?
Oh well. It isn’t the early to mid 1990’s anywhere else either.
fred
I always thought that Canon sort of started (pre WWII) as the Japanese Leica – while Nikon was more the Zeiss Contax imitator. At one point – maybe with the introduction of the Nikon F – Nikon seemed to move ahead of the pack as SLRs seemed to be replacing rangefinder cameras.
I kind of took a divergent path -was using my father’s Contax II and instead of moving to a Nikon S or F – bought a Leica M3. Then when I tired of the double stroke (old M3) – I moved to a M4. Now I mostly use a Canon digital.
fred
Thinking more about the camera rivalry that existed when I first became interested in the 1950’s – it’s funny to see how some of these companies adapted or not. I recall getting advice to buy a Topcon – then decades later I did – but it was one of their total stations for our GC business. Another camera-club guy told me Alpa was the way to go. I heard that they went bankrupt – but were sort of reincarnated. Something similar seemed to happen to Yashica and Pentax. Minolta and Konica were also brands that couldn’t hold on despite a merger. There was also still a rivalry between east and west Germany back then. Bargain hunters looking at Exacta and Practika from the east – while Leica and Zeiss were commanding much higher prices for what seemed like more refined instruments from the west. Anyway – I concluded that the camera club guys seemed more interested in cameras than photography – and I stayed with my Leicas.
TonyT
Actually, Minolta is (indirectly) #1 in mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras because Sony bought the Konica-Minolta DSLR camera business, which become the base of their DSLR and then mirrorless cameras.
There was also a Canon/Nikon rivalry in lithography for semiconductors, but both lost out to ASML (Netherlands), who use Zeiss optics. But that’s a different market; a top end semi lithography machine is over $100 million.
rob
Oh I can nerd about this all day!
There was a time that I had cartons of Pentax to EOS adaptors. 🤓
Whatever happened to Yashica anyway? I know they were making some Zeiss West stuff at some point.
The East German experience didn’t stop at lens factories. A lot of professional audio equipment came out of the Eastern factories that were taken over. Neumann’s eastern factory was Microtech Geffel I believe? Typically, the quality gradually worsened with each decade until reunification.
Tim E.
I’m rather disappointed in Makita USA, I guess their sales are strong enough (or this is their tactic to try to increase them), but these lackluster product announcements, lack of engagement, seeming lack of interest/response if there are spec or other questions, and just “you’ll either buy it when it comes out or we don’t care”, it all adds up to a brand I’m not optimistic about doing business with, and not optimistic about their consumer market longevity anymore. Other brands wouldn’t get away with the same attitude, even if the product quality does back it up, and it just comes across to me that Makita USA is riding the Makita name and doesn’t actually care about the brand and its connotations anymore. Yes they’re a “distinct” entity from larger Makita, but their pick and choose of what comes out in the US, and (lack of) announcing it and such to hype up and drive sales seems to be doing more harm.
I would have bought the cooler if it were released here soon after overseas. Same with the x2 pressure washer. Alas, the cooler is just now coming, and no sign of the pressure washer, and they aren’t first to the US market with a bona fide battery pressure washer anymore (Ryobi 40V took the title to my knowledge). The last 6-12 months have definitely cooled my perception of the brand. What happens if or when my other Makita stuff starts to come due for replacement, I don’t know. I like the 18v LXT and particularly the 18V x2 platform, and appreciate XGT as a way to get around the size limitations thus imposed without introducing consumer confusion with new 18V batteries that aren’t x2 compatible or only on “new” x2 tools with more spacing…. But I personally don’t see ever moving to XGT.
It’s a shame really, I have all Makita OPE and I think that is one area they really shine. Ryobi is good for smaller yards (and improving), Milwaukee and DeWalt are a step up, but I’d put Makita at least on par with those if not a tad above. They have and had pro focused offerings before Milwaukee or DeWalt really entered the OPE space. Their stuff has been a pleasure to use on 2 acres. I like that they have various “tiers” of their OPE so a homeowner on a smaller lot could tailor what tool they get to their needs and expectations. But what do they have to show for that? Barely half a bay at Home Depot for outdoor power and a limited subset of only one or two tool options for the major implements.
Maybe they count on folks “knowing what they want” and comparing and buying through other avenues, particularly for pros, rather than marketing and such. Maybe they’ve decided homeowners and regular consumers just aren’t their target for that stuff. Just seems like missed sales and opportunity to me, going with Makita OPE was a stretch due to lack of ready availability at HD or similar, but the quality of the battery string trimmer I got versus the Ego I had at the time sold me on it, and the gas power head availability for tackling larger projects occasionally cemented it. Ryobi and DeWalt are the only others with gas equipment available, Ryobi has some reliability issues, and DeWalt didn’t have their multi head stuff available (and I didn’t have as many batteries). Makita’s now yearslong extra batteries with OPE deal is fantastic, particularly coupled with another sale that also applies to the SKUs, it let me get a lot of my equipment for what I consider great prices, particularly for getting mostly their pro tier offerings.
Hopefully Makita doesn’t cascade into failure and pulling out of the US market, but I also hope more they look at their culture and perception they are creating and think about if that’s how they want to operate.
Jared
I don’t wish ill for Makita either. They’re a quality pro-grade tool brand. I get frustrated because their choices seem bizarre at times. I’m on like 10 different battery platforms and Makita has yet to tempt me.
fred
When we moved to LiIon – Makita seemed to have the best and most diverse set of offerings. So that’s what we bought. That soon changed and the competition overtook them – but Makita still met most of our needs. Then when I was retiring – Milwaukee’s M12 and M18 lineups were becoming more compelling. That was particularly true for our plumbing businesses. So, the switch was on for us.
The enigma that is Makita’s seemingly odd treatment of the US market is also a frustration.
Bonnie
My whole family has been on Makita for years. So it was the default when my brother and I started building up our own tool collections… But we’ve all kind of collectively fallen out of love, and their bizarre decisions about the platform just continue to be baffling.
The 2x 18v stuff was an elegant solution and way to maintain compatibility on one system. But compared to DeWalts new cross-compatibility and Milwaukee’s ludicrous breadth on the M12 and M18 lines… We’re all eyeing something other than the old blue-green.
Rob
The grass isn’t greener if you’re looking at Milwaukee and Dewalt. Milwaukee does offer unique (especially plumbing) tools but Makita still outnumbers them with cordless products (and diversity). Dewalt Flexvolt is essentially it’s own thing, regardless of compatibility. Both brands sell you their worst chargers with their kits but Makita has been following their lead this year.
TonyT
Why not do two battery systems? Like LXT and M18? Then you can use unique tools from each line up (e.g. Milwaukee still doesn’t have a track saw).
There are quirks in almost every established battery lineup today, like top performing tools working best with certain batteries only (e.g. Dewalt Flexvolt Advantage is best with Flexvolt batteries).
Shawn
No need to crap on a press release when all these tools exist, with full specs and product details including video, in Japan and Australia. They just use different names. Tools and Stuff on YouTube has videos for all these tools. They rock.
Can’t say the same about stuey
Jared
What? We can’t be frustrated with Makita neglecting to provide any details for the North American market? Haphazard and lackluster press releases are Stuart’s fault?
I don’t think all these tools “exist” yet either. Some do – presumably. It seems probable many are existing models from other markets, but Makita didn’t say that. What if we get similar tools with slightly different specs?
Doesn’t seem useful to rely on specs from other markets when we can’t tell what we will get here – that’s kinda the whole point. If we got press releases with specs though…
Marcelo
It’s cool to see these complaining a about Makita’s lack of information.
Here at Brazil we probably have a larger product line than US, but I turn out for your website, since ours barely (or inconsistently) contains any spec!
Their best (or least worst) site I found is Germany. Turn on translator or catch some Deustchspracheklasse.
Tim E.
I think the point that was being made is Makita USA is doing nothing to sell these tools by providing official details to be made public about them. Yes, one could look up equivalent tools in other countries, but does that excuse the US entity releasing them from providing such basic information? Does that mean anybody who talks about these tools thus now has to do extra legwork to get those details in order to talk about them? What about a random customer, they aren’t going to look at the tool, go find it on a Japanese website, and pull specs for it from there in order to inform their purchasing decision.
Makita USA is doing the community a disservice with a such a bland and undetailed press release, as if hoping that customers will blindly buy their product regardless of the specifications. I’d argue that has no reflection on the author here, he is merely calling out that Makita is not providing what most consider necessary and relevant information, while most other companies do provide that with similar type releases.
MM
The whole purpose of a press release is to provide details about the tools in a concise manner that doesn’t require further research. A press release without details, specs, and photos utterly fails at its intended purpose.
I’m sure the tools are fine, but the marketing certainly….isn’t.
Stuart
Yes.
I received a different Makita press release today, and it lacked even product names and model numbers, detailing only the categories the new tools would be release in. That’s okay, as it includes links to more details and an “online media kit” but it landed me at the same press release I based this post on.
When I base a story on a new tool announcement or press release, it typically gives me 65% to 90% of the details and information I need. That’s talking about PR and media materials. This has been the case since the beginning, going back 10+ years.
When brands go the social media/hype announcement route, that figure drops to 25% to 50%.
If I can fill in small holes via retail listings or similar, great. If not, most brands (but not Makita USA anymore) will answer my media inquiries quickly and competently, and I can add the answers to a post when available.
Stuart
I’m sorry, you feel that way.
Makita USA has repeatedly admonished me over the years about reporting on overseas tool launches, and very much prefers that I solely rely on them for Makita product information. So, that’s what I did.
Even so, I checked, and none of the tools I looked up were introduced overseas yet, that I could find, such as the pin nailer. There are no videos, specs, images, etc. After a couple of searches, I gave up and assumed these are all new.
While going through the list, I did see that a few were previously announced. So even though the USA-announced router and duster are likely regionalized versions of the international versions, there are no guarantees. The same is true for the others I have not yet cross-identified.
Makita’s model numbers don’t match up.
There are no photos to match up.
Because of this, there’s no connection to overseas models.
Brands sometimes alter tool designs or specs for North America and different regions. I cannot assume USA and international versions of similarly-named tools are one and the same unless there’s reasonable proof, and we don’t have that here.
When a tool is announced here, I might look towards overseas announcements or reviews (since Makita usually launches products much later here) to fill in small holes. No product images or basic specs? Those are giant holes.
If I need to search for an add in a tool-only weight spec, that’s one thing, and I usually add a disclaimer.
Filling in a detail or two, or sourcing an alternate product photo from retail listings is part of my writing process.
But that’s not the case here.
I can absolutely point out how incompletely Makita USA announced these tools. They omitted MAJOR details. I don’t need to be spoon-fed information, but I need much more than this.
If there were USA dealer and retail listings, that would be different, as I could have sourced images and a couple more specs from there.
Maybe you’ll have better luck? Where are the Makita Japan or Australia listings for the new 23 gauge pin nailer?
rob
Stu, I agree with you. Simultaneously, just go to the website and click on the “latest products” link. I do it the first Monday of every month.
https://www.makitatools.com/products/latest-products
Stuart
I check their main site too on occasion, but I tend to see and expect PRs much earlier.
rob
I’ve been impatiently waiting for the metal circ and small dust blower This indeed was the announcement I’ve been waiting for. Surely, Makita is having supply and shipping issues and can’t confirm dates. I’m just happy that they’ve finally pulled their head out of the sand and confirmed what they intend on releasing here. A lot of us had to threaten to start importing…scratch that…threaten to continue importing even more because we just don’t know what their plans are here.
The heat gun is LXT and not XGT, btw.
Why a new tool is only on LXT when they said XGT would be it’s own whole thing is beyond me. At least now I only have to carry LXT around for the caulk gun and compact bandsaw (neither of which are in the works for 2022, afaik). No jigsaw or multimaster either, but I personally go elsewhere (much like the nailers).
I can’t believe they’re still saying 148CFM on the vacs. Manual says 95 cfm. That’s about accurate at the motor with nothing in it. A cursory check with Makita Japan and New Zealand tells me that it’s around 80 CFM (no filter) at best and 60 CFM at worst (HEPA). This seems pretty accurate since their methods to achieve M class and HEPA were a cobbled together mess of afterthoughts with all of their previous in house vacs.
I haven’t called Makita USA with the “hey wtf?” yet I figured that journalists could reach out to them. Oh wait…we already know how that goes with them.
Not sure why you’re hung up on the brad nailer and heat gun, in the meantime. Their nailers suck and that heat gun will suck just as much as any of the other cordless ones on the market. Look at the size of it. Not enough air moving fast enough. The brad nailer will never see the light in the USA, it’s not 2”. US customers will buy the bottom of the barrel 18 gauge over best in class every day of the week based on that magic number 2. This has been proven long ago and it’s not like Makita cordless nailers are good to begin with. Why they bothered with the 23 gauge though? I don’t know.
Stuart
I’m sorry – you’re right about the heat gun. I was wishing it would be an XGT product and confused myself. (https://toolguyd.com/makita-cordless-heat-gun/)
Rob
I’m sorry Makita USA gives you so much crap for reporting on NAINA products.
If it makes you feel any better, their US employees seem to not take a liking to me getting information I need about Makita and Makita USA from Makita Australia and Makita New Zealand.
I mean, according to Makita USA, my rotary hammer is simultaneously 2.7 ft lbs (3.7 joules) and 3.2 joules. Yet, the same exact product is 2.8 joules everywhere else in the world.
You can’t even count on them to copy and paste or use Google as a converter. So you expect even more from them?
Not gonna lie, they’re really good at providing exploded parts diagrams and said parts. Really really good. But that’s where their kindness starts and stops.
I buy Makita USA because it’s Makita with a warranty and despite Makita USA .
Stuart
Agreed about their diagrams. Years ago, their parts diagram was the only way to find out their standalone circular saw included an electric brake and their combo kit version didn’t.
That’s why I value proper and detailed communications so much – sometimes there’s no other or easy way to glean something.
Collin
The Makita 40 volt OPE is going to be the most interesting.
The 40-volt recip saw delivering only the performance of 15 amp corded is disappointing. 40 volt battery systems should be able to easily punch through the 1800 watt ceiling. There’s really nothing impressive about “delivering corded power” in the US market because the US is gimped by its 120 volt residential power system. Other areas, such as Great Britan, can get double the volts from the wall and similar amperage. So their appliances can pull upwards of 3000 watts.
The fact that Makita makes pretty solid 18×2 OPE equipment, and that Makita recently acquired an OPE company, lets me know that Makita’s 40 volt platform will play a significant role in commercial OPE in the future. The fact that Makita’ XGT platform can go up to 200 volts also helps. Something like a stand-on zero turn from Makita running that’s 80 volts or even 200 volts would really be interesting.
Stuart
I’m not impressed with Makita’s XGT 40V Max performance so far. I bought the plunge-cutting track saw, thinking it would perform as well or better than the 18V X2 that Home Depot sent me a while back.
It’s a nicer form factor, due to the single battery, but it struggled to cut through solid oak, and stalled on me a couple of times. I’ll have to make shallow passes in the future, which I greatly dislike doing, as it takes at least twice as long and introduces the possibility of alignment error, but there’s not much else that can be done about it.
For OPE, there’s absolutely potential there. XGT has higher capacity batteries than 18V LXT, and so you can approach the power and runtime of 18V X2 tools in a smaller tool form factor.
Maybe XGT can exceed 18V performance, but I have yet to experience this.
rob
The 5” grinder and NAINA smaller saws are the only thing made to impress and unique to XGT over LXT, atm (the little router will impress at release too). So far, the format’s only real appeal is that you have one battery on the typically x2 LXT stuff and then you can throw that battery onto a drill. The trade off is that you lose the subcompact stuff and the compact LXT batteries in the process
The plunge saw appears to be a downgrade from the x2. But I have Festool and Mafell for that kind of stuff and have no real usage experience .
The basic XGT stuff, I’ve had no complaints. On average, Makita is built better than Dewalt and Milwaukee. I’d argue that it’s equal to Hilti with the caveat of. each brand putting their manufacturing costs towards very separate priorities.
The 10-1/4” track saw appears to be very well made. Festool and almost Mafell territory. Not sure why there is also a 9-1/4” though? The 10-1/4” can fit a larger blade, fyi. I get that Makita USA is sticking to conventions but in some areas it ships with a blade that is 10mm wider and can cut almost 4” on the track with it. The Mafell equivalent is $1500. $1800 with the crosscut rail.
Tim E.
My thinking about it is despite their marketing, XGT isn’t really a performance improvement, it’s a form factor “improvement”. They couldn’t move to 21700 cells or similar in LXT because of the x2 tools not fitting the necessary larger housings supposedly without doing some weirdness like putting cells vertically or something. They could introduce some kind of still-compatible LXT HP with larger batteries, that only work on single-battery tools or LXT HP double battery tools. Or like Milwaukee when they released their 12Ah and did conversion kits for the few things that wouldn’t fit it, but I feel like Makita’s catalog had a lot more tools that would need a lot more modification to fit a larger battery pack. And LXT HP might lead to as much confusion as Ryobi’s HP batteries but with the added anger of some physical incompatibility on certain tools.
To avoid that whole shenanigans and consumer confusion, let’s just make a new battery pack using 21700 cells, we’ll still use our x2 format for it (which I personally like for getting big power increases without increasing individual battery pack size). Oh and since we’re good at 36V motors from all the 18V x2 stuff, I’d bet they saw some efficiency there and coupled it with marketing and confusion-avoiding and said let’s make it a 36V system, so the smallest battery is a double-row 18V equivalent. Done. New battery line, the 2.5Ah are basically equivalent to the 5Ah LXT but with the larger cells, the increased power delivery of the 21700 means we can make single battery XGT versions of our LXT x2 tools with no changes except the battery connector basically, and we have raised the “self-imposed” ceiling on LXT driven by the x2 form factor limitations. And avoided consumer confusion over multiple battery lines both at 18V all at the same time!
The pick apart in there though is the base XGT battery is the same capacity and number of cells as the ubiquitous 5Ah LXT battery. You get the performance boost of 21700 over 18650. Comparing 2x LXT 5Ah batteries to 1x XGT battery though, the LXT pair for now has more power delivery capability. Stepping down to the 2Ah LXT and I’d think you’re on more even footing power wise. So until XGT x2 tools become prevalent, or monstrous 4-row XGT batteries come into play, I view 1x XGT as functionally equivalent if not inferior (other than capacity/runtime wise) to 2x LXT, and that seems to be all they’ve done with XGT so far. So more a prep-for-the-future move than a get better performance now move I think, which is why we aren’t and may not soon see XGT really push ahead of LXT (x2 at least) performance.
Max Gould
I can confirm the absence of a cordless table saw from Makita worldwide – I’m in the UK, but nothing in European or Australasian markets either. Which sucks.
Neither the Milwaukee nor the Dewalt will take an adapted Makita battery afaik, so my Makita-only system can’t ‘adopt’ a non-Makita table saw-baby. The new-last-year Hikoki (aka Metabo/Hitachi) C3610DRJ doesn’t have space for an adapted battery either – which is a shame, because it ticks some other boxes quite nicely (eg can also be used corded, big work surface).
I wonder if the market for a versatile 2x battery slash corded table saw is too small (is it just me?). Strikes me that the form factor with something as chunky as a table saw would allow for it (unlike some handheld tools), and it would bridge the shop/jobsite hybrid use (like the Hikoki does). Take the best of those 3 brand’s models and make a Makita uber-saw and I’d sign up for one straight away.