Makita has announced on social media that they will be coming out with a new XGT 8.0Ah battery, model BL4080F.
As Makita XGT is a 36V/40V Max battery system in an 18V form factor, this means that each 8.0Ah battery will pack a whopping 288/320 watt-hours of energy.
To put things into perspective, an 18V/20V Max 12.0A packs 216/240 watt-hours of rechargeable electrochemical energy.
The 8.0Ah battery is equivalent to an 18V/20V Max 16.0Ah battery.
This will be Makita’s largest cordless battery to date, in terms of charge capacity and physical size. XGT X2 80V Max tools would be expected to be powered by two of these batteries.
According to Australian preorders, the price will be $399 AUD, which would be around $298 USD.
Key Features & Specs
- 8Ah charge capacity
- 288 watt-hours nominal
- 76 minutes charging time
- weighs 1.9 kg (4.2 lbs)
Last year, Makita USA product managers made a big deal in showing off how other brands’ higher power battery solutions were ridiculously sized for handheld tools such as cordless impact drivers. They praised their XGT system for being different.
In spite of the biggest selling points Makita USA managers emphasized about the XGT system, here’s a battery that users are not going to comfortably pair with a compact drill or impact driver.
Weighing 4.2 lbs individually, or 8.4 lbs when used for XGT X2 tools, this new Makita XGT 8.0Ah battery is not the type of battery you’re going to attach to most handheld tools.
It’s nice to see Makita push boundaries, although it seems they’re simply using a massive number of cylindrical Li-ion cells. Meaning, this isn’t as innovative as Dewalt or Flex moving to higher performing pouch-style battery cells.
The question is, will there be any new Makita XGT tools that can fully utilize the charge capacity of this battery – if or when it launches in the USA?
Makita’s XGT collection is still very limited, compared to competing cordless platforms and also compared to their international releases.
For instance, where’s the Makita cordless table saw? And what about the improved XGT brad nailer that launched overseas one year ago – why hasn’t that been released to USA retailers yet?
Higher capacity in an oversized battery can be useful, I suppose, but personally I’d rather Makita increase their XGT tool selection, both overall and in the USA.
Here are some of the new Maktia XGT and 18V tools that launched overseas but not here:
- New Makita Cordless Lantern Radio
- New Makita XGT Cordless Router – 35% Faster than 18V
- New Makita XGT Cordless Air Duster Looks Very Multi-Functional
- New Makita 18V Cordless Heat Gun
- New Makita 18V Cooler and Warmer
- New Makita 18V X2 Cordless Kettle
- Makita 18V Cordless TV & Radio
- New Makita 40V Max XGT Cordless Brad Nailer
At this time, we don’t know if the 8.0Ah battery will be joining this list of Makita tools that aren’t available in North America.
If or when it is released here, are you in for one (or two)?
