Makita XLC02ZB 18V LXT Lithium-Ion Cordless Vacuum, Tool Only

A great little utility vacuum for home, car, office, etc. It tackles the dirt of two teens, two toddlers, a cat, and two busy parents. It charges quick, and is quick to deploy thanks to its mount. The wide angle head is large enough to make this vacuum usable for large carpets, the narrow head gets into tight spots well, and the scrub brush head will pry up stubborn dust. I also like that you can take out the neck tubing to use it (with or without attachments) for small/tight areas. I even use it to suck up fruit flies before releasing them outside. We were struggling to find a vacuum that we liked, and I decided to purchase the Makita because it looked very functional. It ended up being our favorite vacuum cleaner yet, and helps us keep our kitchen and living room clean. It also makes short work of vacuuming a car. The battery charges in 20 minutes, and lasts a good amount of time between charges. We havent noticed issues with cracking, and were pretty rough on things. You do have to clean it from time to time.

My husband recently expressed a wish for a small vacuum, not for major jobs but for the periodic pick up jobs that we all have from time to time - orzo spilled across the kitchen floor, for example. He was particularly impressed that this vac was made by Makita, a favorite line of tools in his construction business. We ordered this in mid-July, received it on Aug 1, and it slipped out of the return window at the end of August. Now, on September 13, he has used it enough that it needed to be emptied. Emptying this little vac created such a mess on the floor that he had to vacuum it up with a larger vacuum. He finds the process of emptying this little vac so unpleasant that he wants, badly, to return it. He is one of those folks we all know who can figure anything out, but this process is simply too difficult. I would volunteer to empty it for him when he vacuums, but he reminds me that he is vacuuming to protect my asthma and allergies, which would be triggered by vacuuming, let alone a dusty emptying routine. We have spent thousands with Amazon over the years, and nearly never return anything, but the difficulty of emptying this vacuum warrants an attempt. Alas, we will now have to throw ourselves on the mercy of Makita.

I own Makita 120v powered equipment and one battery powered drill, of which is nearing 32 years and still performs well and stored in the original metal carry case. Throughout those years I’ve noticed several tweaks in hand tools by the top producers, and Makita stood with them, if not, led the way. The most significant improvement is the interchangeable portable & rechargeable power platform. Makita rechargeable 18v power packs can be used with over 200 other Makita portable tools without interchange issues and with four levels of ampere hours. With that said, the Makita XLC02ZB vacuum was purchased after several other machines failed to perform within weeks of use. However, keep in mind this vacuum is not a shop vacuum, or for auto detailing, and should not be used as such. If you are seeking a durable handheld vacuum for quick cleanup of light household debris, I highly recommend you consider Makita’s XLC02ZB coupled with a battery & charger starter kit. There is a similar product offered by Makita. The XLC04ZBX4 vacuum tends to be slightly more brutal to debris with 3 speed options and offers locking accessories, which is helpful when fixing the 191D72-1 cyclonic vacuum attachment w/lock and locking extension tubes. Now that the entire assembly looks like a creature from planet Zargon 4X, you’ll be happy to know a full vacuum belly won’t fall off during those pesky bouts with piles of pet fuzz bunnies. If Makita is reading and listening, there is one improvement they should consider for their stick vacuum lineup. The main tank could be designed to lock in place to the power head with simple key-way locks molded into the components in lieu of a twist friction connection, which tends to loosen when in use, and will eventually wear to uselessness, or turn to Duct Tape as a BFF. Just saying…

Very light and powerful East to use

Works as intended very light.

OMG I used this vacuum for the first time at my boyfriends house and when I got home I am mediately ordered one for myself. It is the best vacuum I had ever owned and I have owned Dyson and Bissels, but this one is the best. It gets into my corners without me having to bend over it has different attachments as well. So glad I found the Makita cordless vac.

Im a single guy living in an apartment, and my entire downstairs is laminate, with a carpeted upstairs. This is perfect for me, especially since the laminate in the kitchen shows every little crumb I drop. This is handy to grab, sweep and go. Its not the most powerful vacuum, but as long as you arent trying to sweep up a garage or alot of pet hair, it is powerful enough to pick up dust, dirt, crumbs and other little things. Also, be sure to keep the filter clean and dump out the mess regularly, to help maintain the motor.

This works well, but yep observations; 1) strange to keep the trigger pulled while vacuuming. 2) the top part is oddly heavy because of the battery. Took a little to get used to it and now it’s all good.

Let it be known I searched high and wide before buying this vacuum. While it leaves off a few things I think are indispensible (in a perfect world), I am reviewing it for what it DOES have. I knew before I bought it there was no headlamp, no stand, and had a trigger switch with no lock. BUT...I didn’t want to spend twice as much on a commercial brand with a crappy battery just to get those amenities. In my experience and for my needs an 18volt rechargeable is a minimum. This product has that, AND I can easily purchase an extra or replacement battery. It’s also easy to order more filters (which is prudent if you want the battery to last). I can vacuum 1000 sq ft (hardwood and tile) without losing suction, get ALL THE HAIRBALLS and crumbs in low profile places (like under the fridge), and it is super lightweight. The head pivots/rotates well enough. The one negative that other reviewers have mentioned is that it is NOT made for tall people - I’m only 5’2” and I can just barely extend it arms reach without having to bend over. I assume it will be great for car cleaning so that’s a plus. Overall I would definitely recommend this vacuum if your needs are similar to mine.

First off, you should NOT buy this vacuum if: You don’t own any other Makita power tools. You expect this to be your main vacuum. You need this to clean thick carpet. Also I HIGHLY recommend getting the “199553-5 Cyclonic Vacuum Attachment” with it, so much so that IMO it should come with it and be part of the kit. I paid ~$120 (on sale) for the quick charger, 2 AH battery, and vacuum and at most would pay $150 for that kit. At ~$120, I do think it’s a great deal as the battery and quick charger alone are easily worth ~$90, so getting the vacuum for ~$30 is great. However, this is also why I say you need to have other Makita power tools, because if you have no use for the charger or battery outside of this vacuum it’s a terrible deal. I use this vacuum to clean my car and garage, and for these tasks it’s fantastic. It’s super light and with the added filter is the perfect length for me to clean the floor (I’m 6’3”) and I use it all the time to clean up random stuff like metal chippings from drilling to dirt tracked in from outside. It can clean short carpet (stuff like entry mats) very well. However, it does not clean thick carpet well as the suction isn’t super strong (at least compared to my Shark vacuum). As I mentioned earlier, I think you essentially HAVE to buy the extra filter as it allows you to use the vacuum without needing to change the main filter and it also seems to improve the suction of the vacuum as well. The added filter essentially acts as the “bag” of the vacuum and makes it much easier to dump out the collected dirt and “protects” the main filter significantly. So much so that I still haven’t had to replace it despite using it frequently and owning it for almost a year. Again I do NOT suggest this as your main/only vacuum as it’s just not up to that task, but as a second/portable vacuum this is a GREAT vacuum.