- Up to 10 minutes of continuous use from a single fully charged 18V Compact Lithium-Ion battery
- Strong suction power for fast and efficient cleaning
- Compact design at only 18-3/4″ long and weighs only 2.7 lbs for reduced operator fatigue
- Ergonomic soft grip handle provides increased comfort and control
- Accepts 18V LXT Lithium-Ion battery for even longer run time
strong suction for a cordless and good 20min battery life with the 3AH batteries.
I dinged Makita a couple stars on this one for the following reasons...
1. For a piece of plastic with a little motor and fan inside, $99 is a bit pricey.
2. The on off switch is a momentary switch that has to remain held to operate. there is no continuous on switch position or lock
3. they reversed the nozzle connections to make it so standard vacuum accessories don't fit without making the 1 1/4 inch adapter that a previous reviewer mentioned...
4 the cloth filter gets dirty real quick causing loss of suction. a pleated paper filter would have probably worked better and easier to blow clean with a compressed air nozzle.... The black and decker cordless vac I have also has a twist feature to clean the dust off the filter without having to remove itLike all the 18v XLT tools, this product is well thought out and of highest quality. The price would be very high if this were the only XLT one were to buy (shelling out $100+ just for a battery and charger), but as an addition to an existing XLT set, the price is well worth it. I found mine at Tylertool for $72 (after coupon) which actually puts it at the low end of any 18v LXT bare tool.
The light weight, high power and excellent balance just feels good. Very quiet! Crevice tool clips to long wand for onboard storage. Instantly changes from a short handheld to a long reach floor sweeper simply by adding the long floor wand. Attachments are well-fitting friction fit, so no fumbling with latches. Once I used it, I instantly appreciated how great it is to be able to vacuum floor areas while standing straight up without having to constantly bend down. The ball joint on the wide floor head is amazing. It keeps the head always in full contact with the floor, NOT tilting up as the wand is flexed (which happens with other rigid floor heads). Very slick. The debris capsule readily twists open to emty the vac, and the 2-stage filter design is simple to clean and looks rugged (heavy cloth filter bag has stitched seams... made to last).
My first "test" was a large area of shredded cardboard on carpet (cats can be high maintenance!). It vacuumed the entire area quickly and I was surprised when I emptied the chamber. There was also a large amount of cat hair (that I never realized was in the carpet) which it obviously extracted with ease. With XLT batteries available, this lightweight and powerful tool provides great freedom. Readily portable, it is NOT tethered to a dedicated charging stationalong with the internal, non-removable batteries of limited life. Instead, it is free to fly to the house... the shop... and to the job site.
Accessories, like nozzles and brushes, are listed in the manual. But since this tool was just released, I doubt that they are available yet. I wanted to have a brush, as did an earlier reviewer, StevieQ. There is a quick fix... Cut a short piece (4" will do) of tubing from a 1-1/4" plastic sink tailpiece or extension tube such as this: 1 1/4" x 6" Pvc Extension Tube. Use it to couple any 1-1/4" vacuum brush to the end of the vacuum or the wand. It friction fits and is the same size as the wand. I wouldn't be surprised if Makita soon includes a brush with the basic vacuum.Ok I have to ask why people are buying this for vacuuming couches and kitchen floors and crap like that... this is designed for portability and for people who already have the LXT system. I'm a contractor and do a lot of maintenance and repair work and painting and this is an essential tool to have in the arsenal. I have been thinking about having a dust buster for a long time but never wanted yet another charger to carry around. Enter the LXT cordless vacuum.... problem solved. This is NOT a shop vac!!! it's not designed to suck up screws and nails!!! it is however designed to be very portable and fit in a tool bag when you need to suck up a little mess in someones house without dragging out the shop vac. I was actually shocked at how well the floor nozzle and extension tube worked.... I wasn't expecting much but was pleasantly surprised.
and come on people... complaining about the momentary switch??? it takes almost no effort to keep your finger on the trigger... its in such a position that you actually have to work harder NOT to press it.
The only reason its a 4 star review and not 5 is just due to the price.. it is a bit expensive, but still worth the price for the convenience you get. It could have used a brush attachment but it should be easy for me to rig one up.
I have become quite a fan of the Makita LXT series of 18-Volt. I use my Makita BUB182Z 18-Volt LXT Lithium-Ion Cordless Blower Bare-tool nearly everyday and I have found that my Makita LCT300W 18-Volt Compact Lithium-Ion Cordless 3-Piece Combo Kit to be a perfect rechargeable drill set. Since I have been so satisfied (and because I have extra batteries and a charger) I thought I would give the Cordless Vacuum a try, and so far it has completely met my expectations.
A few Notes
Will accept either the 3.o aH Makita BL1830 18-Volt LXT Lithium-Ion Battery or the 1.5aHMakita BL1815 18-Volt 1.5 Ah Compact Lithium-Ion Battery battery. The 1.5aH will save you a pound or two in weight but will cut your run time down 50%
-Very good (but not great) suction
Only 1 filter included.... with no sign of how to get replacements. I am sure if the one that comes with it gets damaged you cold improvise.
When using the floor cleaner with the extra length attachment the tool is *almost* long enough so that a 6' man will not have to bend down to clean the floor.
Not any louder than any other cordless vacuum.
Easy to clean
Batteries charge quickly (although they are not included) 15minutes for the 1.5aH and 30 minutes for the 3.0aH.
The whole unit is light less than 5lbs
Final Verdict While I am not completely sold that the filter will hold up I do believe that this is a very useful tool. It is perfect for cleaning our car and any light jobs around the home or garage.
4 1/2 Stars
I bought a sink extension tube at HD so I could rig an attachment for a bristle head that came from another vacuum.
Update: My main complaint about this vacuum is that it is not powerful which makes me wonder how some people can rave about it. Do the units vary? Inside is a fine mesh filter and then a VERY thick paper like filter. If I remove the thick filter draw is much improved. I think I'm going to experiment with using a coffee filter inside the mesh filter.
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