Q&A

• Q: What's new about XGT® batteries?

  A:

  The batteries deliver 40 Volts, i.e. twice as much as the 18 Volt batteries of the LXT® platform. The Makita XGT® battery is even more robust and impact and water resistant than the LXT® battery. Like the LXT® battery, the fast charger communicates with the battery during charging. Only the XGT® battery offers new functionalities that the LXT® batteries do not offer. We will offer more information about this at a later stage.

• Q: What does the indication 'Max' at the voltage mean?

  A:

  When a battery is fully charged, it has a higher voltage. A CXT® 10.8 Volt battery has an unloaded 12 Volt voltage, which is called 12 Volt Max. The XGT® 36 Volt battery has a no-load voltage of 40 Volt, which is called 40 Volt Max. The LXT® voltage of 18 Volt is so well established, and so many of these batteries have been sold that Makita prefers to continue using the 18 Volt designation here. 

• Q: Makita already has products with two LXT® 18 Volt batteries?

  A:

  That's right, and those two batteries together deliver 36 Volts. Thanks to the new technology applied in the XGT® cells, one XGT® battery is lighter and more compact than two LXT® batteries.

• Q: Is Makita going to stop with 2x18 Volt LXT® products?

  A:

  Certainly not. There are so many satisfied users of the LXT® platform, and so many LXT® batteries in circulation that 2x18 Volt LXT® products will continue to exist. For users who opt for weight and compactness of the battery, XGT® is a great option next to it.

• Q: So Makita is launching a new platform with XGT®?

  A:

  Developments continue and innovations make new applications possible. The battery in combination with the charging technology provide new breakthroughs. Combine that with new motor technology, such as brushless motors and advanced electronics, and increasingly demanding applications are coming within range of battery products.

  The majority of the battery market consists of 18 Volt products; with Makita the 18 Volt LXT® battery. Under this, Makita has developed the CXT® platform, consisting of a nice series of 10.8 Volt, nowadays 12 Volt Max, products. These products are compact and ideal for lighter applications. And above the LXT® platform now comes the XGT® platform. With more compact batteries than 2 LXT® batteries together, and with more options to enable even more and heavier battery applications.

• Q: What Ah values ​​can we expect with XGT® batteries?

  A:

  The experts know that the Ah value has nothing to do with power. Only with tank capacity. The higher the Ah value, the longer the tool will work on one battery charge. Makita starts XGT® with 2.5 Ah and 4.0 Ah batteries.

  2.5 Ah has 2 important advantages:

  A 2.5 Ah battery is charged very quickly. The XGT® fast charger from Makita charges a 2.5 Ah battery in 28 minutes. The trick is to ensure that a battery is full faster than empty. In this case, optimal care has been taken.

  There is a very important logistics advantage. The law prescribes that batteries with a Watt / hour value of 100 or more must be specially transported. You calculate the Watt / hour value by multiplying the voltage by the Ah value. The 40 Volt Max batteries have a voltage of 36 Volt times 2.5 Ah is 90 Watt / hour. Well below 100 Watt / hour, so these batteries can be transported normally. 4.0 Ah has the advantage of longer working time per battery charge. However, shipping must be taken into account, including the return of repairs, for example.

   

• Q: Why does Makita not choose the path of the higher Ah values? There are batteries in the market with values ​​up to 12 Ah.

  A:

  Technically there is nothing wrong with higher Ah values. There are disadvantages in Makita's opinion when used. The batteries are bulky and heavy, they are much more expensive and of course they charge much slower. In addition, the transport problem plays a role, and we believe that you cannot ignore such problems carelessly. The 2.5 Ah XGT® battery is slightly heavier than the 5.0 Ah LXT® battery, but a lot lighter than the 9.0 Ah or 12 Ah batteries available in the market.

• Q: What is the weight of that XGT® battery?

  A:

  The XGT® 4.0 Ah battery weighs 1,0 kg and the XGT® 2.5 Ah battery weighs 0,7 kg.

• Q: Can I use my LXT® batteries on a XGT® machine or vice versa?

  A:

  No, you cannot. Makita has chosen to use the latest technology on the XGT® platform instead of opting for interchangeability.

• Q: Can I charge my XGT® batteries on the LXT® fast charger?

  A:

  No, you cannot.

• Q: Can I charge my LXT® batteries on the XGT® fast charger?

  A:

  That is not possible, an adapter is required for this. The adapter will be available as a separate accessory. This adapter can be slid onto the fast charger, and then LXT® batteries can be charged on the XGT® fast charger.

• Q: Which products should we consider with the XGT® platform?

  A:

  Initially Makita will launch products in trusted categories such as (hammer) drills / screwdrivers, reciprocating saws, impact screwdrivers, angle grinders, circular saws and combination hammers. It will not stop there. Makita's ambition is to rapidly expand the range of XGT® machines. Thanks to its relative compactness and weight, the XGT® battery lends itself to heavier applications. Makita's vision is that more and more applications can be reached with a battery. Thanks to the new technology (battery and motor combination), Makita expects to obtain watts that cannot be achieved with LXT® batteries, based on the knowledge of now.