Makita is making a simple but significant change to their 01Z 18V X2 LXT Brushless Blower with the release of the 02Z. Mainly, the nozzle. The previous version featured a smaller flat tip design the provided higher speeds but lower volume. The new 02Z has a much wider nozzle that produces 473 CFM (at 120 mph) vs the 155 CFM (at 208 mph) found on the old model.
This change means the air is moving slower, but there’s a lot more air moving. The result? This thing feels powerful, and in our testing, we were easily able to dig up leaves that spent the winter buried under the snow instead of being cleaned up last Fall like they should have been.
All of this power is coming from a new motor that spins up to 21,500 RPM with the help of a pair of 18v Lithium-ion Makita batteries that are run in series to produce 36 volts. This means you need two batteries to even turn this thing on, but that’s not likely an issue for anyone who already uses 18v Makita tools. Using 2 5.0Ah batteries should give you around 30 minutes of run time at the 15,800 RPM setting.
The previous model had 2 speeds, while this one has 6. The trigger is also variable speed so there’s a lot of control. At 9.9lbs, it wasn’t that difficult to carry around for larger jobs, and the rubberized soft grip kept us comfortable. The nozzle actually telescopes out to three different lengths. Several of us took turns working with it and with an average height of only 5’9″, we all felt comfortable leaving it at medium length, but of course, you can easily adapt it to your own height.
The 120 MPH 473 CFM 18V X2 LXT Lithium-Ion Brushless Cordless Leaf Blower has an enormous name, but plenty of power to justify it. You can pick one up today at your local Home Depot.
