Makita Weed Eater XRU09 Cordless Review

A string trimmer is a great tool for putting those all-important “final touches” on your lawn. Once you are finished with the mowing, you could use a string trimmer to clean up everything from the edges of your lawn to the tough weeds and grass that a mower can’t handle!

The Makita XRU09 is a popular string trimmer. We are going to take a comprehensive look at this product. We are going to give you an overview of its main features, its pros, and cons, consumer reviews, and provide a final verdict.

About Makita

Makita is a Japanese manufacturer that specializes in power tools. They were founded in 1915, which gives them over 100 years of experience! They sell their products all over the world – including across several different continents.

One of Makita’s main specialties is cordless tools. They make many products in this product category, and it is one of their main focuses. They also make the batteries that power these tools. They created the 18V cordless tool category, and are the world’s largest supplier of 18V cordless tools.

Overall, Makita is certainly a brand you can trust. If you like to buy from a reputable supplier, then look no further than a company with over 100 years of experience, and one that specializes in cordless tools such as the one that is the focus of our review.

Makita XRU09 String Trimmer
Direct drive brushless motor
High speed and low speed options
Runtime of up to 1hr on two x 18v batteries

Overview of the Makita XRU09 Weed Wacker

The Makita XRU09 is a cordless trimmer that is proving quite popular. In order to see whether it warrants its popularity, it is worth considering the numerous marketable features boasted by this product:

Power and Flexibility

Firstly, and most importantly to some, this machine is built to deliver consistent and reliable power for completing tougher jobs. It works with an Outer Rotor BL Brushless Motor direct-drive system. This system is intended to increase torque and power, but also allow for more speed and longer run time.

The power of the machine is also adjustable. There are 2 speed options – Low: 5000 RPM and High: 6500 RPM. This allows you to adjust the speed depending on the intensity of the job you are doing, and to conserve power when the job only requires a lower amount of torque.

Battery-Powered

One of the main appeals of cordless string trimmers is that they are battery-powered. This cuts down on noise significantly and makes the trimmer easier to start without having to rely on a pull-cord. Additionally, because the battery can be recharged, you will save money not having to buy gas.

It is available with or without batteries, so if you already have the Makita batteries, you can just purchase the bare tool. There are several options available, a kit can be purchased that comes with 2 batteries and a charger, or there is an option including 4 batteries and a charger (which charges 2 batteries at the same time). These batteries have an impressive charge time of 45-minutes, allowing you to quickly refuel them after you are finished working.

The run-time on this string trimmer is also quite impressive, with roughly 60-minutes under the “low” power setting using the 5.0ah batteries. So if your jobs are less heavy-duty, this might be a great choice for a string trimmer that can last the entire job. The battery life does become shorter on the “high” setting.

Design Features

There are numerous other design features worth noting on the XRU09. These features are designed to make the machine easier to use and also more functional.

This machine has the “bump and feed” trimmer head system. What this means is that you can simply tap the grass with the machine to feed more line. With serious jobs, you can find that the trimmer line might break apart quickly, which makes it a chore to have to feed more line. The bump and feed system makes it so that you don’t have to bend over to do this, which is quite a relief.

The trimmer itself is designed to be comfortable to hold and use. It has a straight shaft to reach into difficult areas. It also has a sturdy handle on the front to allow more maneuverability and a more comfortable grip.

This trimmer also has a guard attached to protect you from flying debris and grass.

As for the trimmer line, the XRU09 is built to work with industry-standard spindles for easy reloading.

It is clear that this trimmer was built for function over form. It puts emphasis on power and reliability, and its main priority is ensuring that you can get the job done right. From its brushless motor to powerful batteries, you might find exactly what you are looking for in this string trimmer.

Features of The Makita String Trimmer

Here is a quick rundown of the features of the XRU09:

  • Brushless Motor direct-drive system for additional speed, power, and longer life.
  • Works with two 18V lithium-ion batteries
    • Charge Time: Roughly 45 minutes
    • Run Time: Up-to 60 minutes on “low” setting.
  • Low and High-speed controls. Offering 5000 and 6500 RPM respectively.
  • “Bump and feed” trimmer head for feeding new trimmer line by tapping.
  • Guard to protect from debris.
  • Straight shaft. Machine is roughly 73 inches long.
  • Weight: 11.9 pounds.
Makita XRU09 String Trimmer
Direct drive brushless motor
High speed and low speed options
Runtime of up to 1hr on two x 18v batteries

Pros

Overall, we are impressed with this machine as a functional, reliable string trimmer. It is clear that Makita primarily invested their efforts in a product that truly works.

The brushless motor provides impressive power and torque, and the speed setting allows it to adjust to meet the needs of different jobs. 

The batteries are also impressive (they can be purchased separately). They have a good charge time of around 45 minutes and last for around 60 minutes on the Low setting. This is quite impressive compared to many other string trimmers, some of which run for only around 30 minutes.

Overall, our pros for this product center mainly on the fact that this is a reliable machine. It was clearly built with the work in mind. It can meet the demands of many landscaping projects from big to small.  

Cons

From our experience, we have learned to identify what makes a string trimmer top-of-the-line. While this string trimmer definitely performs well from a power and reliability standpoint, it does lack many of the “bells and whistles” that are seen in many other string trimmer options. It is important to know what these are so that you can effectively survey your options.

Here are some common features found in other popular string trimmers that are not included in the XRU09:

  • No adjustable handle: Many string trimmers include an adjustable front handle. This is important as it allows you to grip the string trimmer in the way that is most comfortable. Because you may find yourself readjusting the actual machine quite often in order to fit into tight spaces, it often is helpful to have an adjustable handle as well.
  • Not 2-in-1: Many competing string trimmers are 2-in-1 trimmers and edgers. What this means is that the trimmer head can rotate 90 degrees in order to turn into an edger. The edging feature allows for neatly smoothing out the edges of your lawn.
  • Non-adjustable guard: Some string trimmers include adjustable guards surrounding the trimmer head. This is useful if you want to readjust the guard to protect against something in a different direction. For example, you can set it forward-facing if you want to trim around flowers, plants, or lawn ornaments without damaging them.

These are what we consider to be the main drawbacks of the XRU09Z. While we were impressed with this product as a performance machine, it is important to note the few features it is lacking when compared to other offerings on the market. 

Consumer Reviews

Another way to form an opinion on a product is by looking at customer reviews. Customer reviews are valuable because they tend to eliminate the bias that is inherent with reading the information published by the manufacturer. It is a good way to see what people who have actually used the product think about it.

However, it is also important to note that people tend to leave reviews when they have had particularly positive or negative experiences with the product, which may sway these reviews in one direction or the other. Nonetheless, they are valuable to look at, so let’s look at some positive and negative things that consumers had to say:

Positive Reviews

Positive reviews for the XRU09 tended to focus on a few specific points:

Consumers tend to be overall quite satisfied with the performance of this string trimmer. They point to its torque and power as being very satisfactory. Some consumers note that even on the “low” setting, it has the power to tear through a wide variety of weeds.

Consumers are also quite happy with the cordless nature of the product. They note that they don’t struggle with the maintenance and noise issues of gas-powered trimmers, and it is much easier to start-up and use around their property.

Some other reviews focus on the batteries. Some consumers were quite impressed with the battery life, saying that on the “low” setting it easily lasts over an hour.

Overall, reviews for this product were quite positive. But negative reviews are worth considering as well, so let’s take a look at some.

Negative Reviews

The primary gripes with this product generally had to do with certain features not working as advertised.

A few consumers were unhappy with the spool-feed system, saying that it had a tendency to become jammed, which would require manual fixing. Also, they noted that the compartment to hold the spool was a bit small, so it might run out faster than expected.

Negative reviews were fewer than positive reviews, but they are still worth considering to form an accurate assessment.

Verdict

Overall, we really like this string trimmer, and would recommend it. We like this trimmer as a functional machine. It has the power to get you through many tough jobs, and the battery life to last you even if your property is somewhat large.

Of course, it also packs all the benefits of a battery-powered trimmer, including low noise, easy start-up, and not having to buy gas. This is also a bonus for the environmentally-conscious consumer.

However, if you are looking for a trimmer with all the “bells and whistles”, this might not be the one. It lacks some of the advanced features of other trimmers – such as 2-in-1 transformation, and adjustable guard.

However, if you are like us, and prioritize a product mainly on functionality and reliability, then we think this would be a great choice for you.

Of course, what meets your needs might be different, so be sure that any choice you make is based on a careful analysis of the type of work you intend to do, and the type of features you are seeking. Armed with this knowledge, you can make a great choice of string trimmer that will keep you happy for many jobs to come.

Makita XRU09 String Trimmer
Direct drive brushless motor
High speed and low speed options
Runtime of up to 1hr on two x 18v batteries

Gas vs. Battery

Compared to gas-powered trimmers, the big difference you might notice is that cordless trimmers are much quieter. In fact, gas-powered trimmers are recommended to be used with hearing protection. So if noise is a big concern for you, then a cordless trimmer might be the way to go.

Cordless trimmers, due to the nature of relying on battery life, are typically best for smaller lawns and landscaping projects. Commercial projects typically use gas-powered trimmers, as they are more portable and longer-lasting due to their refillable the gas tank.

The power and torque generated by the string trimmer will primarily differ based on the make and model. While gas-powered trimmers certainly have a reputation for being more powerful, you can buy cordless trimmers that are quite powerful as well.

Which trimmer you choose will typically depend on your needs and priorities. Before making a choice in a trimmer, you should sit down and carefully evaluate what you are going to use it for. If your needs are less extensive, and your landscaping area is small, then you might prefer a cordless trimmer. But of course, it will depend on your personal preference.

Conclusion

This has been our comprehensive review of the Makita XRU09 Cordless String Trimmer. In this article, we surveyed this product and broke it down into pros and cons, eventually arriving at our review of the product.

We think this is a great product for its superior performance and power. It was built with “getting the job done” as the top priority. So while it may not have the extra features that some other string trimmers have, you might find that it more than makes up for this in performance.

Overall, it’s going to come down to what you use your string trimmer for. So be sure to carefully evaluate what you want out of a string trimmer first. This way, you will ensure that whatever you choose meets your own personal standards.

Makita XRU09 String Trimmer
Direct drive brushless motor
High speed and low speed options
Runtime of up to 1hr on two x 18v batteries

And if you’ve tried this product, feel free to let us know! Leave your opinions in the comments below!

Last update on 2024-03-15 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API