Makita XMU04Z 18V LXT Lithium-Ion Cordless Grass Shear, Tool Only

Unbelievable upgrade for my gardening. Functions as a one-handed lawn mower -- completely smooth cut, easy to handle, quiet and powerful.

love these just wish they weren't so costly. it is just about as cheap to buy the whole tool as to replace the blades

It's a handy yard tool to do trimming where you don't want to use a weed-whacker that might harm flowers/bushes. My husband got it for me because he watches me use "household scissors". It's a little heavy to hold and move around, if you're an older lady (like me); but my husband loves it! It works fine, but I found it got heavy trying to lift, move and push forward for any length of time. It also didn't work real well trying to cut "long" grass (3-4 inches folded over) when trimming around bushes/rocks/boarders. That's probably not the fault of the tool, it's because I let the grass get too long!

So far so good. Does as expected

This is a heavy-duty wide blade grass clipper as well as being heavier than the standard electric grass clippers. I use it with the long handle attachment and without sometimes. It has great battery life that contributes to the weight because of it. It works great either way for me my wife uses the standard electric grass clippers as this is kind of heavy for her liking.

I got this to do edging on my Zeon Zoysia grass. Can't comment on battery life since my yard is so small (<500 sq.ft) but I would imagine it can do a large area. I blast the blades with some spray oil every month or so to prevent rusting.Pros:- Lightweight- fairly quick (weed wacker is still faster)- Clean cuts = no brown grass like a weed wacker (as long as you're following the 1/3 blade height rule)- Super quietCons:- Need to go on your hand and knees to cut the grass- Hard to do edges that are next to a barrier such as a wall or brick edging- Weed wacker is still quicker

I've been using a Gardena 8893-U for years, and although it is expensive, double the price of the Makita, it is well worth the cost. It's smaller overall (3" blades, 7.2v battery) but the blades are laser-sharp right out of the box and give a superior cut compared to the Makita (even though they are smaller).If you already have 18v LXT tools & batteries, the Makita is a good choice. If you have to buy 18v LXT batteries and a charger though, greatly adding to the cost, I'd highly recommend going with Gardena instead.I use a 4.0 Ah battery with the Makita and that gives it more than enough power. I've only used it 3 times though (fully charged each time), and the blades are already dull to the point where it 'drags' while cutting thicker grass. You have to move it along very slowly to get a decent cut. The teeth on the blades are configured such that it is very easy for mulch, small gravel, etc to cause the blades to jam too, requiring a screwdriver or similar to pry it loose. The angle attachment and hand guard only get in the way. I removed both. The ergonomics are very good overall, and with a 4Ah battery it's heavy, but not too bad. After 30 mins it was still comfortable to operate.I like the idea of Makita using external rechargeable batteries, as opposed to the Gardena with its non-replaceable internal battery pack.Replacement blades are hard to find and ridiculously overpriced for both Makita and Gardena. More so with Makita , assuming you could even find them, to the point it's almost cheaper buy a whole new unit instead.Bottom-line, if you've ever used a Gardena, you will probably not like these shears. If you need grass shears and already have other 18v LXT tools though, it's a good deal.

I bought this to replace my Makita 18V LXT Lithium-Ion Cordless Grass Shear after many years of use. It got destroyed when I loaned it to a friend to use to trim the edges of his yard. The tech who checked it out thinks that the might have been using it to cut hedges or bushes with it because he overheated the motor and damaged all the blades. Apparently he didn't understand that grass shears are made to cut grass and not bushes or hedges. Lesson learned, never loan out your tools to anyone.Anyway, this replacement is a newer model and it works very well for its intended purpose. I have a host of Makita tools and luckily, all the batteries fit all of the tools.I highly recommend this grass shear.