Makita Vs. Milwaukee: Who Sells The Better Electric String Weed Trimmer?

Both sold at Home Depot but created by different manufacturers, Makita and Milwaukee are constantly being compared to each other. This is because they are both reputable and popular brands that each have their own cordless power tool battery line to invest in. Like most other brands, they both have their yard tools that can use their 18V batteries. This includes string trimmers, also known as a weed eaters or weed whackers, often depending on where you're from.

There are a few ways you can compare the Makita LXT 18V x2 (36V) Brushless Cordless String Trimmer which is $439 at Home Depot, and the Milwaukee M18 FUEL 18V Brushless Cordless Dual Battery String Trimmer priced at $399. The best ways to determine which of these lawn maintenance tools is best is to look at the differences in specs and features along with professional reviews. A more in-depth explanation of our methodology will be explained at the end of this article.

There are many similarities that these two 36V string trimmers share to make them both great choices for lawn maintenance professionals and homeowners. They both have a 17-inch cutting swath, which works well if you're trying to cut down heavy sections of grass. They also have the same line diameter range between 0.080-0.105 inches, which gets loaded into a bump and feed trimmer head. Additionally, they have the same three-year limited warranty with their respective brands.

That's about where the similarities end, though. The Makita string trimmer has the power equivalent to a 30cc gas trimmer and comes with a variable spread trigger with three speed options — Milwaukee only comes with a high and a low. Milwaukee states that their string trimmer has up to 2.5 HP of peak power. To compare that to Makita's 30cc power, we plugged the numbers into a cc-to-horsepower converter and it gave us two HP — meaning that Milwaukee's has more power than its Makita counterpart. To add to that, Makita's highest speed is 6,000 RPM, whereas Milwaukee's is 6,200 RPM.

However, Makita comes with a cool and very useful reverse  rotation feature that makes getting untangled in vines and other obstructions an easy endeavor. Milwaukee's string trimmer does not come with that unique function. Lastly, weight needs to be compared as well. Makita's is kind of heavy at 10.6 lbs, which doesn't include the dual battery weight, but Milwaukee's is heavier at 11.8 lbs.

Both of these tools would come in handy to help create a great looking yard. However, it is important to look at professional reviews from those who have properly tested the products and are honest in their results. Pro Tools Review gave the Makita string trimmer an 8.8 out of 10 score and the Milwaukee string trimmer a 9.5 out of 10. They discussed Makita's automatic torque drive mode and how it helps to adjust the power output of the trimmer while maintaining the desired speed, which helps with battery conservation. They were also impressed with Milwaukee's lack of vibration given the higher sound that comes from it.

Pro Tools Review's biggest beef with Makita's tool is the runtime at high speed. During their testing, it only ran for 13 and a half minutes. However, keep in mind that they were using two 5.0 Ah batteries, and while testing the Milwaukee tool, they were using two 8.0 Ah batteries. The different batteries have an impact on their results when concerning runtime. With that being said, two of the bigger batteries on the Milwaukee string trimmer at high speed lasted for nearly 31 minutes — that is over double the amount of time with a total of 6.0 Ah more battery allowance.

In the end, in terms of power and price, Milwaukee's M18 FUEL 18V Brushless Cordless Dual Battery String Trimmer is a better deal. However, the Makita string trimmer is still a good tool and comes with the nifty reverse feature.

Even though there are many options within the Milwaukee and Makita 18V battery lines, we chose to compare these two powerful string trimmers because Pro Tools Review, a professional and knowledgeable website devoted specifically to reviewing tools, had reviews on both of them. This means we would be able to give you a well-rounded explanation of which string trimmer was better. Although Pro Tools Review did an in-depth review on the single-use M18 Brushless String Trimmer, they didn't feel it was vital to review its Makita counterpart, the LXT 18V Brushless 13 in. String Trimmer.

However, if the dual batteries are too heavy or that much power is unnecessary for your yard, we would recommend doing extra research to ensure you're purchasing the best tool for your needs. Additionally, consider looking into what other tools the brand offers within their 18V battery line — sometimes one brand can have options that better suit your lifestyle or tools so strange you can't help but want them.