I am invested in Makita power tools and battery packs, so I purchased the Makita XBU02Z blower back in October 2015 with roughly 9 months of ownership. I used it mainly to sweep my garage and other tasks like sidewalks, drying cars and occasionally leaves. I really wanted to stay with Makita for all my OPE, but they do not have a 36V mower readily available in the USA. EGO, on the other hand, has one of the slickest cordless mowers along with a compelling product portfolio with great reviews, so I recently purchased their 2nd gen 530cfm blower, mower and trimmer. There was no way I could justify 2 blowers so I sold the Makita...but prior to the sale, I had about an hour to compare both so for my first quick test, I told my daughter to stand 20 feet away and tell me which blower felt stronger - the Makita subjectively came out on top. I continued to blow different items for comparison, and in general found that the Makita could more efficiently push smaller items. Not saying the EGO couldn’t do it, I just had to increase the speed a lot more. Still in somewhat denial that the highly acclaimed EGO was inferior, I eventually conceded that it could still meet my requirements so I sold the Makita.
Now that I have been using this EGO blower daily for roughly 3 months now, I can honestly say that I miss my Makita. At first, I didn’t know why, but then I felt compelled to identify the differences and reasons why the Makita offers a better user experience for my needs - repeat, for my needs. Do not read further if all you care about is performance - it will bore you. But the following (in order of importance) is why I have come to appreciate the design of the Makita XBU02Z.
Air velocity/focus - EGO has been boasting CFM, and I don’t doubt that it’s important for leaf blowing, but the energy of the Makita seems to be more focused, like a flashlight that throws. On low, the Makita blows small rocks with less effort, and would create havoc on shoes, slippers, and other items near the garage entry. I don’t get that same effect with the EGO unless set to at least medium speed – in fact, any speed less than medium and it feels like I’m carrying a carpet dryer. Could the extra claimed air velocity of the Makita make that much difference? Observations: 1) the business end of the Makita is smaller in diameter than the EGO, 2) the Makita has 3 aggressively angled turbine blades as opposed to the EGO’s 12, and 3) RPM. Actually, when you look at the turbine on both blowers, it’s hard to believe something so small can generate so much force, but whatever it is, the Makita seems to be able to push small rocks more efficiently than the EGO – again, both can do the job, but the speed on the EGO needs to be increased at the cost of noise, which leads me to my next point.
Noise – All the crap that blows in during the day gets blown back out before I close my garage at dusk. Well, this is where my neighbors hate me even more now. Both blowers are relatively loud, but the tone on the EGO, in my opinion, is perceivably louder with an element of high frequency that is more piercing, shrill, and fatiguing (and this is on low speed). This may be attributed to the fact that it has an open intake design which is great for airflow, but exposes the turbine more than the Makita, and hence the noise. The turbine on the Makita is enclosed deeper within the shell, and the inside of the intake appears to be lined with foam, likely in place to help reduce noise. At higher speeds, things only get worse for both blowers, but the high frequency on the EGO is harsher to my ears.
Trigger response – the EGO has both a start and stop delay that is too long. IMO, it’s not even a soft start – it’s a start delay. To make matters worse, the EGO continues blowing after the trigger is released for a debatable amount of time, and can be annoying because there are times where you just need to cut power immediately, like when things unexpectedly get blown or toppled over. I have since learned to release the trigger and point the EGO in a different direction if this situation arises, but sometimes other things get blown. I cannot think of any reasonable explanation why it was designed this way. On the other hand, the Makita trigger behaves much like its power tool cousins – start response is almost instant, and releasing the trigger immediately cuts power to the motor (sorry, no electric brake).
Variable speed - Adjusting speed on the EGO requires two hands, whereas the Makita has a thumbwheel speed dial. I did not realize how much I used the variable speed on the Makita until I found myself constantly reaching for the speed lever on the EGO. In addition, the trigger on the Makita is also variable albeit sensitive; therefore, you have the ability to set the maximum speed with the thumb dial, and the ability to control that maximum speed with one hand. Makita’s motto should be, “Control beyond belief.” Sorry, couldn’t resist.
Speed selection – The EGO has a variable speed lever from low to high; however, there seems to be a considerable jump between high and turbo. The Makita has 6 equally spaced speeds. Using the same scale on the EGO would yield speeds 1 through 4 for the adjustment lever, and speed 6 for turbo. There is no speed 5, which at times I seek. This makes me wonder how many users actually find the high setting on the EGO adequate for leaf blowing. I mostly observe turbo used when reviewers are demonstrating leaf blowing capabilities.
Winning points on the EGO: 1) The open air intake design, tends not to suck my clothes in as much as the Makita, which could be partially due to the horizontal support that runs towards the battery area… or because the CFM ratings are not correct. Makita was constantly sucking my shirt/shorts, but that’s my fault for wearing baggy clothes. 2) The push or thrust back feels less on the EGO, which means less fatigue on your arm and wrist. Maybe this is due to the intake design, but from what I remember, the Makita felt as though it would be more fun on a skateboard. 3) The LED on the EGO battery (even though facing backwards) acts as a useful light when blowing in darkness. *Idea alert for Makita – incorporate LED on front of blower! 4) The turbo button is very convenient for quickly dislodging stubborn items. 5) EGO is a great value that includes battery and charger. The Makita bare blower is currently priced at $259, but value is in the eye of the beholder and this is a product review so I’m not taking away any stars.
I do not use blowers for extended periods so I cannot comment on the weight and balance. I didn’t notice anything considerable, so I suppose that’s a good thing.
Am I saying Makita is better than EGO? Absolutely not. Both will get the job done, but with the Makita, I felt more connected and in control of the tool. Perhaps I would not have noticed the nuances of the EGO if I actually used the blower for what it was intended to do – blow leaves during the day. If you just need a blower or perhaps some other cordless OPE tools, I would recommend EGO; however, if you are already invested in the Makita 18V platform and do not need a mower, you may want to seriously consider the Makita XBU02Z.
So now the Makita XBU02Z blower is back in my Amazon cart, and I’m just waiting for the price to drop near or under $200... c’mon Amazon, I’m waiting!
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This Item  Makita XBU02PT 36V (18V X2) LXT® Brushless Blower Kit, Teal, (5.0Ah) |  |  |  |  |  | |
| Price | — | $309.00 | $23.99 | -18% $46.99 List: $56.99 | $64.99 | $85.90 |
| Delivery | Get it as soon as Saturday, May 11 | Get it as soon as Saturday, May 11 | Get it as soon as Saturday, May 11 | Get it as soon as Saturday, May 11 | Get it as soon as Saturday, May 11 | — |
| Customer Ratings | ||||||
| Light weight | ||||||
| Drying power | ||||||
| Value for money | ||||||
| Battery life | ||||||
| Sold By | Amazon.com | Amazon.com | NOVINO | YAWV Tool | Starine-Store | Lowest price. |
| power source | Battery Powered | Battery Powered | — | Battery Powered | Battery Powered | Battery Powered |
| voltage | 18 volts | 18 volts | 36 volts | 18 volts | 18 volts | 18 volts |
| speed | 15800 rpm | — | — | 180 miles per hour | 130 miles per hour | 18000 rpm |
| batteries included | ✓ | ✓ | — | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| weight | 16.9 pounds | 4.1 pounds | — | — | 4.9 pounds | 570 grams |
Reviews with images
Works Great! Def. Worth it.
Previously I had a commercial backpack blower by this company which worked fine but I finally got tired of lifting the heavy gas powered unit.This is my first battery powered yard device and I’m very pleased with the output, duration and ease of use.Why did I choose Makita? Because these are from Japan and this company is known to be top quality for battery powered tools. When you buy battery powered units, you ARE buying into an ecosystem because batteries are proprietary - so choose well. Note: I tried a generic cheap brand from my local big box store but didn’t like the cheap plastic housing on their unit. I also didn’t like their stiff trigger mechanism - read below and you will see why having a sensitive power trigger is a must have. I also didn’t want to get locked into a mediocre quality for batter power tools. Read more below.You can see my rock terraced yard; I live in the bottom of a canyon with lots of oak trees - LEAVES galore!! Long story short, this unit is easy to grab and blow so now it’s fun to keep the yard looking nice.Battery stuff - I like that it has a button you can push to check stored battery level. True -> I had to learn how to manage these new rechargeable batteries - (1) must have both batteries inserted to operate (2) must remove batteries when not in use, otherwise they will slowly drain just by being in full contact (3) similarly must always remove batteries once fully charged and set aside (off blower) until ready to actually blow leaves (4) ideally you use most all of the battery power before recharging - yes this means sometimes you finish with only using 1/2 to 2/3rds power and won’t have enough juice to do everything the next time - just plan ahead and do a small segment next time, recharge and then finish later. Note: I am considering buying another pair of batteries.Weight - It is a little heavy on my forearm but then I just switch hands or use my other hand to help hold it. I did buy their strap and it is still too short to fit well enough to support the unit and get the end of the blower close enough to the ground. Note: their store sells an extension part that supposedly fits on the end of the blower pipe - it does not fit because the end of the blower pipe you get is circular and smooth. The accessory extension piece has a mounded twist on it. It’s just a **replacement** part for the pipe you get in the boxed unit - not a part designed to extend the standard unit you are buying.Trigger - is fantastically sensitive - really nice when you need to control getting leaves into a pile right where you want them. I use this soft power getting around rocks and tight spaces where I don’t want to blast leaves back onto clean areas. Big plus to have nice responsive power control.Sound - is relatively quiet. With my commercial backpack unit I had to wear over-ear muffs. No need for any ear protection with this unit. My neighbor’s door is only 15 feet from the side of my house and they cannot hear me blowing even at full blast. A real plus because they are having a baby soon.Storage - is very nice because it takes up a very small footprint when stood in end leaning against something. Definite plus because I can keep it in the laundry room. I kept my old Makita backpack unit chained up outside with a nylon cover over it (no garage or shed) and the rats got to it, liking to chew the plastic on it - ugghh.Hope you found my review helpful - cheers!
Top reviews from the United States
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Reviewed in the United States on August 26, 2016
Size: Blower OnlyStyle: Blower OnlyVerified Purchase
Reviewed in the United States on April 18, 2024
Size: Kit with two 5.0Ah batteriesStyle: Kit with two 5.0Ah batteriesVerified Purchase
Reviewed in the United States on December 28, 2019
Size: Blower OnlyStyle: Blower OnlyVerified Purchase
Reviewed in the United States on September 12, 2023
Update (Nov 1, 2023): The leaves are starting to fall. This year, the leaves are sticky from tree infection so it's really difficult to blow them off from the lawn. At the max speed, the battery died in ~20 min. See the picture of leaf piles - that took two charges, so this is not for maintaining the large yard. It's good thing that I have a small yard, though I am getting better at using it more efficiently. I still use this blower to clear saw dust from the garage - this is awesome for that.
Size: Kit with two 5.0Ah batteriesStyle: Kit with two 5.0Ah batteriesVerified Purchase
This is a powerful blower for my small patio - assembled in USA
Reviewed in the United States on September 12, 2023
I use this Makita blower for my small patio and garage, especially useful after using a table saw that makes a mess of my garage. While the listing says country of origin is Japan, but at least one that I received is assembled in USA. Two included batteries were installed when I opened the box, and were discharged completely. I look forward to fall for the real test. Don't let the toy-like teal color fool you, this is a real blower.Reviewed in the United States on September 12, 2023
Update (Nov 1, 2023): The leaves are starting to fall. This year, the leaves are sticky from tree infection so it's really difficult to blow them off from the lawn. At the max speed, the battery died in ~20 min. See the picture of leaf piles - that took two charges, so this is not for maintaining the large yard. It's good thing that I have a small yard, though I am getting better at using it more efficiently. I still use this blower to clear saw dust from the garage - this is awesome for that.
Images in this review
Reviewed in the United States on January 22, 2024
Size: Blower OnlyStyle: Blower OnlyVerified Purchase
Top reviews from other countries
Amazon Customer
Good air volume.
Reviewed in Canada on July 13, 2019Size: Blower OnlyStyle: Blower OnlyVerified Purchase
Tan C.
The Makita Blower is Good
Reviewed in Singapore on December 7, 2023Size: Kit with two 5.0Ah batteriesStyle: Kit with two 5.0Ah batteriesVerified Purchase
Bobbi M
Don’t use inside house. Lol
Reviewed in Canada on September 9, 2019Size: Blower OnlyStyle: Blower OnlyVerified Purchase
r f walton
Great blower - Solid MAKITA built - Check your power
Reviewed in Singapore on January 15, 2023Size: Kit with two 5.0Ah batteriesStyle: Kit with two 5.0Ah batteriesVerified Purchase
This was a gift for a friend. They are enjoying it.
Light weight, Double batteries,
Reviewed in Canada on February 11, 2024Size: Kit with two 5.0Ah batteriesStyle: Kit with two 5.0Ah batteriesVerified Purchase
