If you are a handy person who likes to create things, you either own a Makita tool or you know about the brand. Makita is one of the largest manufacturers of top quality and high-performance power tools. We are about to find out if the Makita LXT Cordless Vacuum embodies the brand’s commitment to quality.
The brand has over 100 years of experience. Its commitment to innovation is one of the reasons it is still one of the top players in the power tools industry today.
From woodwork to metalwork, construction, measurement, gardening, etc. it has a wide array of products you will find useful.
Whether you are a professional fabricator or a DIYer Makita is ready to support you with the right tools to promote your passion. The brand believes that the global community should provide for itself, hence its dedication to supporting it with tools.
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Should I Get the Makita LXT Cordless Vacuum?
If you need something compact for touch-ups, the Makita LXT cordless vacuum is a great option. It doesn’t take up much space which also makes it easier to store. You can grab it for quick spot cleans and regular light vacuuming. This vacuum is also easy to use which is an attractive plus to most people. There are no complicated controls, just the power button which is rightly located within the handle for convenience.
It also has good suction power to help you clean on different floor types. This will work great for you if you have a combination of floor types in your home.
If you do not like to wait for a prolonged period for batteries to charge, this vacuum might excite you. This is because the battery is optimized to fast charge.
Stay with us as we go into more details on what the Makita LXT has to offer. When you are done reading this, you will be able to decide whether it is the vacuum for you or not.
Features Of The Makita LXT Cordless Vacuum
Strong Suction
This vacuum is small compared to some other cordless vacuum. Do not let the size deceive you though, it packs some power in it. The suction is impressive as it takes in debris and dust pretty well.
You only have to make few passes over a spot to be convinced it is clean. The brush head is designed to be usable on both hard floors and carpets.
With this cordless vacuum, you won’t have to worry about dust and allergens hiding within the fibers of your carpet. Once you make a pass, you can rest assured they have been sucked!
2 Stages Of Filtration
Talking about dust and allergens, when you have sucked them into the dust cup, you can be confident that they won’t make it back out. This is because of the filtration process this vacuum adopts.
The cloth filtration, for one, makes it easier to clean and empty the dust cup. With this design, you can rest assured you won’t be inhaling allergens along with air.
Excellent Power Management
If you have been reading reviews of cordless vacuums, you will notice that people complain about the battery a lot. Interestingly, some other users do not have any problem with the battery, in fact, they even praise it.
This discrepancy is mainly caused by battery mismanagement. The battery quality is reduced by either overcharging or over-discharging.
In the case of the Makita LXT Cordless, you will not experience such issues. The reason is simple, this vacuum has excellent power management.
Most users will use the vacuum until the battery goes off, this often has detrimental effects on the battery.
This one, however, has protection against that. The vacuum automatically stops when the battery gets too low.
That way, the battery will not be fully depleted. The advantage of this is the preservation of the battery lifespan.
It will hold a charge for longer and essentially remain useful for the lifetime of the vacuum. It also has an overheat protection which shuts off the vacuum when the heat exceeds a certain temperature.
That’s not all, there are times where the current fluctuates or there is a power surge. This vacuum has a design that lets the motor in the vacuum and the battery communicate.
That way, they prevent an overload by shutting off the appliance when that happens. With this triple level protection, you can rest assured your cordless vacuum is going to last long.
Optimized Charging
It’s such a drag having to wait for hours before you can continue vacuuming. It’s worse when the vacuum’s battery is not removable.
Then you have to plug in the entire vacuum to recharge. If it was removable, you will just have to pull out the battery and replace it with a charged spare and continue vacuuming.
In the case of the LXT Cordless, you get an advantage in two ways. Firstly, the battery is removable, so, you can get a spare to double your vacuuming time.
Secondly, the vacuum uses a Rapid Optimum Charger which significantly reduces the charging time. Makita says that the battery on this cordless vacuum takes just 22 minutes to fully charge.
If you compare this to the 3 hours or thereabout from other cordless vacuums, this is truly a go-to for quick vacuuming.
Good Dust Cup Capacity
This cordless vacuum has 0.65 liters of dust cup capacity. That is sufficient to spare regular trips to the trash can. If you have used a vacuum with a small dust cup, you will understand how good a design this is.
Is the Makita LXT Cordless Vacuum User-friendly?
Unless you still need to master the art of moving your arm back and forth, there is no learning curve here. To empty the dust cup is as easy as detaching it from the vacuum and turning its content into the trash. Converting it into a handheld does not even require the use of a button. All you have to do is pull out the extension wand attached to the mouth of the dust cup and you have your Makita LXT handheld.
We pointed out when we were suggesting the needs that this cordless vacuum can meet that there are no complicated controls.
We still stand by that as the only control you even get to use is the power trigger.
When it comes to lightweight cordless vacuum, this is it. It weighs in at just 2.7 lbs with the battery! This makes wielding it an effortless activity.
The brush head too is small enough to be used on stairs either in the handheld mode or with the extension wand. It also has small wheels underneath to ease the movement.
Pros Of The Makita LXT Cordless Vacuum
i. The suction power is great for both carpets and hard floors.
ii. It has super fast charging.
iii. The battery is removable.
iv. It is lightweight and maneuverable.
v. It is easy to use with no complicated controls.
vi. The vacuum is equipped with an efficient power management system.
vii. It has a soft grip for convenient handling.
Cons Of The Makita LXT Cordless Vacuum
i. The runtime is short but you can extend it if you manage it well.
ii. The power button requires you to hold it down which can become uncomfortable after a while.
iii. The dust cup is a bit flimsy and requires extra care.
The following are reviews of some other cordless vacuums that will help you make the best choice:
- Tineco A11 Cordless Vacuum – In-depth Review
- Bissell Lift-Off Cordless Vacuum – An Honest Review
- Black and Decker Pro Cordless vacuum – In-depth Review
- Deik 2-in-1 Cordless Vacuum – An In-depth Review
- Roomie Tec Cordless Vacuum – In-depth Review
- Kenmore Elite Cordless Vacuum – In-depth Review
Alternatives To The Makita LXT Cordless Vacuum
More Affordable Option – MooSoo Cordless Vacuum Cleaner
This is a combination of lightweight, versatility, and power wrapped up in an affordable package. You will get up to 45 minutes of operation time from this vacuum.
It uses a lithium-ion battery that supplies continuous power to the vacuum so that you get optimum performance from it throughout.
This cordless vacuum weighs a total of 3.3 lbs. It has a swivel steering that lets it lean smoothly so you can clean around and under furniture with ease.
It also has wheels that make the movement more of a glide than a push. This makes your vacuuming experience quite pleasurable rather than something you force yourself to do.
The brush head has headlights that illuminate the vacuum’s path. With it, you can vacuum effectively and with ease in a poorly lit room.
It also has a HEPA filter that traps 99.97% of the dust and allergens that you vacuum. That way, sensitive users and occupants can have a splendid time breathing with ease.
High-End Option – Tineco A10 Master Cordless Vacuum
This Tineco A10 cordless vacuum that we are featuring has a higher-end variant. This one comes with an extra battery which means that you will get up to 50 minutes of runtime.
It is lightweight like our featured vacuum. You will also get a carpet motorized tool and hard floor motorized tool. A mini power brush comes with the package too so you can clean like you want on any surface you want.
User-Friendly Option – Shark Rocket Handheld Vacuum
This is more or less just the head of a Shark Rocket Cordless Vacuum. It is portable and weighs in at a total of just 4 lbs. It is easy to wield around and you won’t feel tethered as the cord is 5 feet long. With that, you can move from place to place without needing to switch sockets.
You can do all sorts of cleaning with this handheld vacuum as it comes with useful attachments. It has a mini motorized tool that lets you pick up pet hairs easily. It also has an extension hose and a crevice tool.
Opposite Spectrum – Hoover Power Scrub Deluxe Carpet Washer
Your carpets and rugs need a wash once in a while. Instead of paying large sums to professional cleaners, you can have this professional in your home. It washes and dries your carpet in one back and forth movement.
With the Heat Force, you won’t have to wait the whole day for your carpet to dry. Even though it might look big, it does not weigh much and is still easy to use.
It even comes with attachments you can use to clean stairs and upholstery. If you want to know more about carpet washers, kindly read our carpet washer guide.
Comparison Table
Image | Title | Buy |
---|---|---|
Makita XLC02R1B 18V LXT Lithium-Ion Compact Cordless Vacuum Kit (2.0Ah) | Buy Now | |
MOOSOO Cordless Vacuum 4 in 1 Powerful Suction 10Kpa Stick Handheld Vacuum Cleaner for Home Hard Floor Carpet Car Pet - XL-618A, Lightweight | Buy Now | |
Tineco A10 Master Cordless Stick Vacuum Cleaner, Powerful Suction, Multi-Surface Cleaning, Great for Pet Hair, Metallic Grey | Buy Now | |
Shark Rocket Ultra-Light with TruePet Mini Motorized Brush and 15-foot Power Cord Hand Vacuum (HV292), Maroon | Buy Now | |
Hoover Power Scrub Deluxe Carpet Cleaner Machine, Upright Shampooer, FH50150, Red | Buy Now |
General Feeling Among Users
Majority of the users of this vacuum love it! And they do for quite a number of reasons. One of them is the suction power.
A certain user even compared this vacuum to the Dyson V6. It cleaned pet hairs easily according to another user.
The battery was another thing that users found intriguing. It was not like the runtime was spectacular but the design.
Another thing is that you can also use the battery of other Makita products that match this one. So if you happen to already have a power tool that uses the LXT battery and is more powerful, then you are in luck.
Users also like the fact that it is lightweight and easy to use, don’t we all like that about cordless vacuums? Another high point for users is the cloth filter and how easy it is to deal with. To clean it, you could just run it under running water and let it dry.
As always, there are complaints too….
Some users claim that it does not suction well even on hard floors. That is quite hard to take seriously when you consider how many other users say it suctions well.
Another complaint was about the dust cup where the extension wand attaches to. It seems to start cracking after a while.
Our Verdict
We are sure that you can fairly predict our verdict on this one. We have made it clear what we like about the Makita LXT Cordless Vacuum and the things we have a problem with.
It is quite apparent even from what the users say that the highs of this vacuum are much more than the lows. For that reason, we love the Makita LXT Cordless Vacuum.
We don’t just love it, we will recommend it if you only need it for the small jobs. Now that you have sufficient information, if you think that this vacuum will meet your demands, just go for it!
Makita LXT Cordless Vacuum — FAQs
Are all Makita LXT batteries the same?
The LXT 18V Lithium-ion battery on the Makita LXT cordless vacuum is compatible with other Makita LXT devices. All LXT batteries can work on any other LXT tool as long as they have the Star Protection Computer Controls. This is good news because if you have an LXT device, you can the batteries interchangeably and not have to buy an extra.
What is the meaning of the STAR on Makita batteries?
It is the STAR Protection Computer Controls. It is a technology that lets the batter and the tool using it, Makita LXT cordless vacuum, to communicate. This protects the battery from over-discharging, overheating, and overloading. So, whenever you see this symbol on a Makita tool, you can rest assured it is protected.
How can you identify a fake Makita battery?
There are fake Makita batteries out there and they can hurt your device if you use them. The following are what to look out for to spot a fake Makita battery:
- The fake battery is lighter than the original.
- The fake battery always indicate a full charge on the LED.
- The fake one has fewer metal connectors in the battery.
Don’t get swayed by the appearance as the fakes look just like the original. Always use those 3 pointers to separate them and you’ll be fine.
Is the Makita LXT cordless vacuum loud?
If you compare the noise output with other cordless vacuums of its kind, the Makita LXT cordless is not loud. However, “loud” is quite relative as what is quiet for me might be loud for you. However, since pets don’t dash into hiding when it’s working, as they do with other vacuums, that should offer some confidence as to its quiet performance.
Can you use a stronger Makita battery on the Makita LXT cordless vacuum?
The battery that comes with the Makita LXT cordless vacuum is 1.5 Amps. All Makita tools of the LXT line use the same type of battery even though they come in different power ranges. So, you can use a 5 Amps battery on the Makita cordless vacuum and get more runtime. If you already have Makita LXT tools, you might even choose to go for the Makita LXT cordless vacuum without a battery to save money and use the battery from your tools.
Can I leave the Makita LXT cordless vacuum on charge?
The LXT battery in the Makita cordless vacuum is designed with advanced technology. Once the battery is fully charged, it stops taking in current to avoid overcharging. That way, you can leave it on charge as the charging base will keep the battery protected and will always be full whenever you need it.