Professional Tool Reviews for Pros

Drawing on its deep history in gas equipment and cordless tools, Makita scores a huge win with its latest cordless hedge trimmer is a huge win. It significantly drops the weight down from the 18V X2 model while putting some serious distance on their competition in cutting speed. Combine that with a feature set that makes your job easier and the Makita XHU07T and XHU08T are very easy to recommend.

With more than 100 years of experience making electric motors and their acquisition of Dolmar bringing another 90 years of experience in gas OPE, Makita knows a thing or two about making battery-powered lawn care equipment with the performance of gas. So what does all that get you with the latest Makita 18V cordless hedge trimmer?

The short answer is more than what many of the other brands can offer.

Makita has to compete against companies that have 40, 56, 80, and even higher voltage. Rather than going with the 18V X2 platform, they stick with just 18V. And that’s not an issue at all.

The trimmer’s 3/4-inch knives are on par with what many cordless models have, though some are moving up to 1-inch gaps or a little more. However, its 4400 SPM stroke rate is quite a bit higher than most of the competition that tends to be in the 3000–3500 SPM range.

This Makita 18V cordless hedge trimmer also has 3 speed modes to work with—2000, 3600, and 4400 SPM. Low is good for when you’re doing some light trimming and want to conserve your battery. Medium matches the high speed of most of Makita’s competition and high lets you fly through your trimming duties quicker than other most other cordless models.

I prefer to use it at high speed. I get plenty of runtime to get all of the hedges done on one charge and the faster cutting helps get done faster so I can move onto other important work—like making sure somebody keeps the bass on their toes!

One thing I notice is that there’s very little vibration and noise when I’m trimming, even for a cordless hedge trimmer. It’s not an accident and Makita builds in specific vibration controls that you don’t see on some of the other models out there.

The latest Makita cordless hedge trimmer uses just one 18V battery instead of two to get its outstanding performance. It’s interesting that they go with a side entry instead of a rear entry, but it doesn’t seem to affect the balance in a negative way at all.

Balance is dead level on the guide handle without a battery and slightly to the rear with a 5.0 Ah pack. The 30-inch model likely has a more neutral balance with its longer blade.

Our scales show the full weight with 5.0 Ah battery at 9.2 pounds—pretty light in the professional cordless sector and 2-1/2 pounds lighter than the XHU04 with its 18V X2 configuration.

The Makita XHU07T includes a 5-position rotating handle. A simple push-down thumb lever releases it to let you maintain a more natural position when you’re trimming the sides of any hedges.

Makita adds a power button to its trigger safety system. Just hold it down for one second to activate it. After 1 minute of non-use, it shuts itself off.

The rest of the safety systems are pretty standard. A safety on top of the handle mechanically locks out the trigger and the final one is on the guide handle, ensuring you have to use two hands when you’re working.

Makita sees the majority of their users take an overhand grip to their hedge trimmers, so the guide handle safety pushes in toward the blade. I initially wanted to argue for a different placement because I like an underhand grip. But the more I used it, the more I realized I use an overhand grip the majority of the time as well.

Reverse doesn’t seem to make a lot of sense on a hedge trimmer since it’s a reciprocating motion. But jam the blades on a branch that’s a little too thick and Makita’s makes a lot of sense. It makes a quick reverse movement and stops, letting you release the branch before continuing on your merry way.

You have a couple of options when it comes to the blade length for the Makita 18V cordless hedge trimmer. The Makita XHU07T (or Z for the bare tool) comes with a 24-inch blade. The XHU08T has a 30-inch blade. The rest of the tool is the same and you can swap the blades out if you like.

As a bare tool, the Makita XHU07 runs $249 and it’s $389 as a kit with two 5.0 Ah batteries and a Rapid Optimum Charger. The 30-inch XHU08 is about $20 more.

Cordless hedge trimmer pricing is all over the map along with features and performance. The differences are so great, that there’s not a really great way to compare this Makita cordless hedge trimmer to others in such a short space. But you can check out some of those in more detail at OPE Reviews’ hedge trimmer shootout!

Drawing on its deep history in gas equipment and cordless tools, Makita scores a huge win with its latest 18V cordless hedge trimmer. It significantly drops the weight down from the 18V X2 model while putting some serious distance on their competition in cutting speed. Combine that with a feature set that makes your job easier and the Makita XHU07T and XHU08T are very easy to recommend.

On the clock, Kenny dives deep to discover the practical limits and comparative differences for all kinds of tools. Off the clock, his faith and love for his family are his top priorities, and you'll typically find him in the kitchen, on his bike (he's an Ironman), or taking folks out for a day of fishing on Tampa Bay.

Maintain Your Perfect Yard Without All The Work It’s interesting to see the evolution of autonomous robotic lawnmowers happen in real-time. What was once a thing of the future is becoming a reality right before our eyes. Toro’s autonomous robotic lawn mower hopes to change the industry even further with some state-of-the-art technology. While we […]

Whip Your Garden Into Shape With The Greenworks 60V Battery-Powered Cultivator As spring prepares to give way to summer, folks are starting to spruce up their gardens and flowerbeds with fresh annuals, vegetables, and new mulch. For you, maybe it’s time for a landscaping overhaul, complete with new topsoil, fertilizer, and soil aeration. We’ve been […]

Keep Your Food And Drinks At Just The Right Temperature With The Makita Cooler/Warmer There’s nothing like an ice-cold beverage after hours of hard work under the hot sun. Whether you’re in the market for a jobsite cooler or something to keep that brisket warm when it comes off the smoker, the Makita 18V X2 […]

DeWalt Continues Electric Lawn Mower Line with the 21.5-inch Self-Propelled Model We love watching battery-powered lawn equipment mature each year as more and more manufacturers create new products and improve others. DeWalt is tackling the runtime issue with two new lawn mowers. The DeWalt DCMWSP255Y2 and DCMWSP255U2 21.5-inch self-propelled lawn mower each come with two […]

You guys didn’t mention makitas new 40-80v line yet, get on it, don’t be late to the party!

so far im impress 36v blower usedit on speed 1 got six drive way and road done dident go down any bars

As an Amazon Associate, we may earn income when you click on an Amazon link. Thanks for helping us do what we love.

See our Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions.

Pro Tool Reviews is a successful online publication that has been providing tool reviews and industry news since 2008. In today’s world of Internet news and online content, we found that more and more professionals researched a large majority of their major power tool purchases online. That piqued our interest.

There’s one key thing to note about Pro Tool Reviews: We’re all about the professional tool user and tradesman!

Copyright ©2008-2022 Pro Tool Reviews, LLC. All rights reserved.

Professional Tool Reviews for Pros