Makita 40V XGT Compact Blower Helps Keep Your Shop and Jobsite Clean
Compact blowers serve a much different purpose than top-of-the-line leaf blowers. While they’re not used for heavy-duty lawn clearing jobs, they’re often the best tool for quick shop, garage, and jobsite cleanup. Makita is adding a compact blower to the 40V XGT platform with the GBU02. I’ll walk you through this tool to see what applications it’s best suited for.
Makita 40V Compact Blower Overview
- Model: Makita GBU02
- Max air volume: 127 CFM
- Max air speed: 221 MPH
- 3 speed modes
- Runtime: 30 min (on High with 4.0Ah battery)
- Length: 20.25 inches
- Weight: 2.9 lbs (bare)
- Nozzle length: 8 inches
- Brushed motor
The Makita GBU02 compact blower is powered by a 40V XGT battery. It’s the first compact blower on the brand’s 40V platform, with the previous iteration being on the 18V LXT system.
It reaches air volume levels of up to 127 CFM, with top airspeeds of 221 MPH. With three speed modes, you can set your blowing speed to match the application, prioritizing either runtime and control or performance. In the highest setting, Makita estimates up to 30 minutes of runtime using a 4.0Ah battery (sold separately).
As a compact blower, the GBU02 is quite a bit smaller than a standard leaf blower. It measures just over 20 inches in length, featuring a durable 8-inch rubber nozzle. As a bare tool, it weighs 2.9 pounds, and the recommended 4.0Ah battery increases the working weight to approximately 5.1 pounds.
However, like the 18V iteration, this blower has a brushed motor. While brushed motors keep the price point down, they’re not as efficient or high-performing as brushless motors. It’s not a dealbreaker by any means, especially when you consider jobsite blowers don’t typically need the kind of runtime lawn care crews require.
Makita 40V Compact Blower Price
This blower retails for $169 as a bare tool. There are currently no kit options available, so be sure to pick up a Makita 40V XGT battery and charger if you’re not already on this platform. Makita backs your purchase with a 3-year warranty.
Should You Buy It?
Makita has been ramping up its 40V offerings in recent months, and now you can find many of the same tool types on the XGT platform as we see on the LXT system. This means that if you’re a 40V user looking for a compact blower for jobsite/shop cleanup, you no longer need to buy into another battery system. This blower’s 20-inch length is small enough to store out of the way, but it packs enough punch to clear dust and other debris from your work surface, so it’s worth considering.
The question remains: Is it worth it? Compact/jobiste blowers aren’t hard to come by, and most brands have their own version. If you already use Makita 40V batteries in your primary lawn care or tool roster, I think the $169 price point is a solid value, since you won’t need to purchase additional batteries or enter a whole new battery platform.
It goes without saying that this tool isn’t a replacement for a cordless leaf blower. For something on the higher-performance side for dedicated lawn cleanup, check out our top leaf blower picks from our head-to-head testing!
