Makita 36V Brushless Turbo Blower Skin DUB362Z

I bought this product for its convenience and low maintenance requirements (compared with mains cable and petrol blowers), in spite of being sceptical that a cordless blower would offer sufficient battery life to be useful. But in fact, with a pair of 5Ah batteries (that I already owned for use with other Makita tools), I get about half an hour of use at a power level that deals well with wet leaves on mixed garden terrain, including a semi-wild area with long grass. The batteries can be fully recharged in the time it takes me to bag up or mix into compost the impressive volume of leaves gathered from a charge of the batteries, so there is not really any time wasted. The build quality is excellent (as usual with Makita products). It is also very quiet compared with ... MoreI bought this product for its convenience and low maintenance requirements (compared with mains cable and petrol blowers), in spite of being sceptical that a cordless blower would offer sufficient battery life to be useful. But in fact, with a pair of 5Ah batteries (that I already owned for use with other Makita tools), I get about half an hour of use at a power level that deals well with wet leaves on mixed garden terrain, including a semi-wild area with long grass. The batteries can be fully recharged in the time it takes me to bag up or mix into compost the impressive volume of leaves gathered from a charge of the batteries, so there is not really any time wasted. The build quality is excellent (as usual with Makita products). It is also very quiet compared with the racket made by my neighbours' relatively expensive petrol blowers, which don't appear to be doing any better a job, and which always seem to be a struggle to start.

Okay, so good things. It's brush less, batteries widely available; with a double battery charger, makes big difference. Performance; at half price of a husqvarna battery equivalent ( professional range) this isn't bad, and will do. Quite happy, but obvious not as powerful as a petrol hand held blower. Quiteheavy, compared to the husq' so can be fatiguing for longer periods; have to swap hands often. The dial with 1-6 power is a good feature; when it shuts off at full power, can dial down next level, and it still has power, until down to one. This can be very useful. Tube comes off easily for compact storage. Could do with a power off switch though, as can pick up blower, and press lever, and it goes off when you don't want it to. Only removing batteries disengages ... MoreOkay, so good things. It's brush less, batteries widely available; with a double battery charger, makes big difference. Performance; at half price of a husqvarna battery equivalent ( professional range) this isn't bad, and will do. Quite happy, but obvious not as powerful as a petrol hand held blower. Quiteheavy, compared to the husq' so can be fatiguing for longer periods; have to swap hands often. The dial with 1-6 power is a good feature; when it shuts off at full power, can dial down next level, and it still has power, until down to one. This can be very useful. Tube comes off easily for compact storage. Could do with a power off switch though, as can pick up blower, and press lever, and it goes off when you don't want it to. Only removing batteries disengages switch. Not such a bad problem though

Blown away by the sheer power, especially with the flat nozzle attached.Spend some cash and get a lot of wind for your money. I hear F1 teams use these to cool down the brakes, not surprised they are far better than my petrol blower without the noise or fumes.Usual Makita quality, but 4 stars as a bit pricey for a giant hairdryer, plastic tubes are a bit on the cheap looking side and would have been useful to have second forward grip for those Rambo moments when you want to wipe the smile off those pesky leaves.Also batteries last 10-15 mins depending on how much fun you are having so make sure you have spares.

I could not be more impressed, works really well even with wet leaves that frankly should have been cleared weeks earlier. The inevitable downside for this powerful machine is that the batteries exhaust quite quickly; this is not a complaint simply that powerful m/cs are great but battery drain is high. I have enough batteries for this not to cause an issue.

Good but not great

Luckily I own half a dozen batteries. I estimate that a tankful of fuel in my (now worn out) Makita leaf blower lasts for roughly the same as 4 x 4AH batteries - say, 1/2 hour+. So, if you've got a lot to do, you'll need to bear this in mind. Also, batteries get quite warm/hot after using this and, since you shouldn't recharge li-ion batteries when hot, you would struggle to manage with just 2 batteries, having to leave a long time between recharges, HOWEVER :) - it's lighter than a petrol blower and the power - if you turn the power up to maximum - is at least as good as my 4-stroke blower. So, you either need to have a small area to deal with or, like me, lots of suitable batteries. BTW, I have 3 'genuine' batteries and 3 much cheaper ones. I've yet to notice any ... MoreLuckily I own half a dozen batteries. I estimate that a tankful of fuel in my (now worn out) Makita leaf blower lasts for roughly the same as 4 x 4AH batteries - say, 1/2 hour+. So, if you've got a lot to do, you'll need to bear this in mind. Also, batteries get quite warm/hot after using this and, since you shouldn't recharge li-ion batteries when hot, you would struggle to manage with just 2 batteries, having to leave a long time between recharges, HOWEVER :) - it's lighter than a petrol blower and the power - if you turn the power up to maximum - is at least as good as my 4-stroke blower. So, you either need to have a small area to deal with or, like me, lots of suitable batteries. BTW, I have 3 'genuine' batteries and 3 much cheaper ones. I've yet to notice any difference between them, except that the claimed 6AH 'Chinese' battery really isn't any longer lasting than the other 4AH batteries.

Makita DUB362Z Twin 18v 36v Cordless Brushless Hand Held Leaf Blower B

Bought as a replacement for a now-defunct petrol-driven blower. This one is significantly lighter, easier to control, and much more effective. Even though I only have 3Ah batteries, they last a long time, and are quick to recharge. Overall, this is an excellent product.

Makita DUB362Z Twin 18v 36v Cordless Brushless Hand Held Leaf Blower B

As a 70 year old woman who uses a blower daily around our stable yard I am very happy with the performance of this replacement for a petrol engined blower. I like the variable blower strength and reduced noise and weight. Running time on a single charge is acceptable for most jobs, but we have a spare pair of batteries so can continue if necessary.

Makita DUB362Z Twin 18v LXT Brushless Cordless Blower Body Only

Very powerful. Other reviewers have noted that batteries are consumed very quickly and I find this is so, even using 5AH batteries. Having said that, I have a petrol blower/vac that equally consumes half a litre of mix very rapidly compared to other equipment. Normally however, I mostly use a lower setting, 4 on the dial, and in brief bursts to round the leaves up en masse in one direction rather than on max power which just blasts them everywhere in a leaf storm. It is obviously much quieter to others who may be within earshot than a petrol blower but it is still recommended that the operator wears ear defenders. The sound is high pitched rather than loud and deafening. I also find it is so powerful that my overalls get sucked onto the air intake if I am not ... MoreVery powerful. Other reviewers have noted that batteries are consumed very quickly and I find this is so, even using 5AH batteries. Having said that, I have a petrol blower/vac that equally consumes half a litre of mix very rapidly compared to other equipment. Normally however, I mostly use a lower setting, 4 on the dial, and in brief bursts to round the leaves up en masse in one direction rather than on max power which just blasts them everywhere in a leaf storm. It is obviously much quieter to others who may be within earshot than a petrol blower but it is still recommended that the operator wears ear defenders. The sound is high pitched rather than loud and deafening. I also find it is so powerful that my overalls get sucked onto the air intake if I am not careful to keep the unit rear end away from my clothing. Very handy for a quick leaf blast session with no petrol to mix and no fumes. I use a double battery charger and have spare 5AH batteries on hand so run time is not a problem. Powertool World prices are very competitive on this size of battery so worth buying extras when you purchase this tool.

More power thanexpected

On the highest dial setting the blower has plenty of power to move a big pile of leaves,far more in fact than I expected. The advantage of this machine is that the blowing power level can be turned right down, as well as using light pressure on the proportional switch, or even blipping the switch on and off, something not possible with a petrol blower. This is a big plus when cleaning up in tight areas where you do do not want to blast debris all over the place, or even upset the neighbours by blowing all your leaves into their garden. My petrol powered blower/vacuum is much less controllable in blower configuration. Whilst it is much quieter than a two stroke powered equivalent, it is still advised by Makita to wear ear defenders because though not loud, the noise ... MoreOn the highest dial setting the blower has plenty of power to move a big pile of leaves,far more in fact than I expected. The advantage of this machine is that the blowing power level can be turned right down, as well as using light pressure on the proportional switch, or even blipping the switch on and off, something not possible with a petrol blower. This is a big plus when cleaning up in tight areas where you do do not want to blast debris all over the place, or even upset the neighbours by blowing all your leaves into their garden. My petrol powered blower/vacuum is much less controllable in blower configuration. Whilst it is much quieter than a two stroke powered equivalent, it is still advised by Makita to wear ear defenders because though not loud, the noise generated on full speed is quite high pitched. I would certainly recommend buying 5Ah batteries and at least one pair of spares as well, because despite having a brushless motor, power consumption is still quite high.

Top piece of kit

Brilliant bit of kit. Have used it loads. Very powerful. Will go through 5ah batteries quite quick when using setting 3 plus so have some spares. Can't praise it enough. Only down side is the shoulder strap doesn't really do much even when fully extended unless you have short arms. People who say its heavy are talking rubbish, its 2 batteries plus a little more and if that's too heavy then you shouldn't be using it and get a job behind a desk 10 stars for another fab tool from Makita.