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

This is a great little vacuum. I work at a veterinary hospital and we purchased one for hair and toe nail clippings that accumulate all day long. It’s quick and does a great job. I would not recommend it for industrial type use ie: drywall dust, anything damp, etc. the filter will have to be discarded if you use it for that purpose. It also can’t be abused. Get the wall hanger for it because if you stand it up propped against a wall and it crashes to the floor it’s not going to last long. We got the cyclonic attachment because with lots of different folks using it hastily, the filter basket and filter paper cup kept getting pitched accidentally. Now it’s way easier to use and emptying it does not require it to be taken apart. The cup on the cyclonic device just pops off and no filter loss! BTW, the cyclonic device makes the wand about 4 inches longer so better for taller folks. It works well on pet hair and cat litter as there is no roller bar for hair to get tangled around and fling litter all over. I liked it so well I bought one for my house. My only caution is that you should clean it and care for it regularly and the tubes will not take abuse or pressure. It seems pricey for what it is, and I would love to get one at a better price but there just aren’t many cordless vacs with no roller bar feature. I would agree with others that it doesn’t do well on carpet other than very short pile.

Sweet little vacuum. And at ~$75.00 for the tool only, at $99.00 for the kit, makes it a great deal including the charger and battery for $25.00. Great suck value for a portable vacuum. Has enough power to gobble nuts and bolts, screws, metal items, and of course anything else. I bought one for the garage and another one for inside the house. I have a smaller super horse power shop vacuum and another larger super shop vacuum but this fills in where you need less suck and no cord. Edit Dec 2019: Soon after I bought this (purchased 2), one had a crack about 1/2 on the canister. For a cheap and easy fix, and just to be cautious I spent a few bucks on a JB Weld Plastic Stick. Wrapped a bead around it to prevent it cracking further and boom no more crack/cracking. I didnt need to, it still worked fine, but figured why not. Other vacuum is doing fine. Would buy these again. For $100 bucks, with a charger, its a steal. I know they have the brushless replacements for this; however, its twice the price for just the vacuum sans battery & charger. If the canister does break you can buy new ones for around $10 bucks. Also bought the cyclone attachment for one of them. Kinda spendy, but man makes emptying it a breeze.

We love this over-priced vacuum and use it daily. When it stopped working after 3 months because of a dead charger, I expected a quick replacement from Makita. Instead, I had to mail the charger to a repair center and wait more than a month before they mailed the replacement! I called Makita and asked that they simply send a new charger but nope, they have a stupid policy and by golly they cling to it. Too bad because otherwise, I would be writing about to say how well it works.

I bought this because I was interested in a stick-vac and a friend recommended it. Since I have several Makita cordless tools I already had the charger and batteries so decided to give it a try. I’m very happy with it and use it frequently. It works very well on hardwood and tile floors but not as well on carpet which is no surprise to me. The storage bracket allowed me to conveniently mount it in my broom closet although it does not come with mounting screws which wasn’t a big deal for me, but might be for others. Filters are readily available from third party venders at low cost and are easy to replace. Battery life is good. The only downside is that there is a high-pitched whine when in use which is annoying to me. I don’t tolerate loud noises well so frequently use hearing protection when using this and other power tools and appliances. Since I frequently use the stick-vac to clean up on DIY home projects, I’m typically already wearing hearing protection so it’s not a big deal. I deducted one star for the high-pitched noise and lack of mounting screws.

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…

Suction was a little weak but very convenient

I did read other reviews that blue shaft has problems with cracking. I gave this vacuum a try because Makita brand is Usually tough and reliable. I used this vacuum three times... and I have not had it One week. Blue shaft has several fracture lines, this is a huge flaw. I am respectable and careful with my electronics and tools; to have a product last less than a week is truly on Makita. I did give vacuum 2 stars because suction is pretty darn good... I would not be returning this if it did not crack. It’s now November 3rd 2019 and I wanted to update my opinions about this Makita cordless vacuum. Yes... it did bother me that the plastic hose has fracture lines... but honestly at this point it’s just cosmetic and has Nothing to do with how this vacuum performs. Battery charges promptly, hose and receptacle are easy dump/ easy clean. I use this vacuum all the time and it picks up dirt and fur from a kiddo, 2 dogs and a kitty:) I apologize Makita... happy I did not return the vacuum. Cheryl

I ordered it for my hubbys shop but, instead I use it in our RV. It works great for small spaces

Very light. Battery lasts forever. Great for floors and stairs. Not good enough for carpet though. Sadly, it’s just not strong enough for carpet. Otherwise, I love this thing. No cord, no hassle, zips through kitchen and bathroom in seconds. Picks up hair like crazy, no tangled rotary thing so hair cyclones right in. Great little tool.

Corners. This thing kills corners. Corners of stairs, corners of vehicles, corners of baseboards; whatever corner you can think of, with the fine tip attachment, it dominates these corners easily. This thing has the perfect amount of power with the fine tip attachment. As for large surface areas, dont even think about it. I use a traditional vac for large surface areas. The traditional vacuum blade attachment for this vacuum simply doesnt have the power to do this efficiently. Also, make sure to buy the Makita Cyclonic Vacuum attachment. It should come with the base kit, but its a small price to pay for a major upgrade. At my work, i pick up a lot of drywall dust, and after 3 months, I still have yet to replace the filter. Sure, depending on your use per week, you may have to clean out all the internals on a weekly/ bi-monthly basis, but this attachment makes it 10x easier. With this attachment, you can get away with clearing the cyclone chamber 6-7 times before cleaning the rest of the internals. Honestly, you might get more out of it before doing a full clean (a full clean I classify as a hot rinse of the plastics/filter, about a 5 minute activity). Im just a neat freak with my tools, so typically wash the thing out once a week (70 hour work weeks).