Unbeknownst to us until recently, Makita UK has released a 12Ah, 36V battery backpack to work in conjunction with the range of Makita twin 18V cordless tools. With an 18V X2 wiring harness, it’s the same as four 6.0 amp hour 18V batteries – a total of 432 watt hours. The new Makita backpack battery offers a runtime extension to outdoor power equipment users already on the Makita platform and might give those who aren’t a good reason to consider it.
Lightweight and Efficient
This backpack battery weighs in at 11.9 lbs. That’s significantly lighter than some of the options from Stihl and Husqvarna. To be fair, the capacity is also lower, though. It features a removable padded harness for, well, in case you ever need to wash it? But you can rest assured that if you ever need to detach the battery from the harness, you absolutely have that ability.
Not only does this battery showcase longer run times than twin 18V Makita batteries, it has the potential to share compatibility with the Makita tools that run on the twin 18V platform. Even though the design specifically targets the OPE user, it’s not a far stretch to see this act as a larger power source for power tools like rotary hammers that will benefit from shifting the battery weight away from the tool.
The pack features a push-button, 5-stage LED fuel gauge. The Makita 36V backpack battery has built-in protection circuit to shield the battery from over-discharge, excessive temperatures, and overload. The charge time is around 3 hours when used with the built-in DC 3600 charger.
Conclusion: Good News/Bad News
The release of the Makita backpack battery brings some good news and bad news with it. The good news is that you’re essentially packing four 6.0 amp hour 18V batteries into one pack. With a 18V X2 LXT wiring harness, the backpack would be a great option for use with all of Makita’s line of X2 cordless outdoor power equipment. The obvious benefit is extending the runtime by more than twice what you get with two 5.0 amp hour packs. Perhaps if more Pros adopt the platform, we’ll see even higher capacity packs.
The MSRP on the Makita backpack battery is a lofty £799.95… roughly $1035. You can currently pick up a two-pack of 6.0 AH batteries at Acme Tools for $299 – about $600 for the same capacity in standard pack form. So you’ll have to weigh the convenience of getting the weight off the tool and not stopping to swap batteries as often with the price. That’s a nice segue to the bad news. Currently, this product is only available in Europe. Hopefully, that will change sometime in the near future and be available in the States, but we’ll have to wait and see.
Makita Backpack Battery Features
- Light Weight at Only 5.4kg/11.9 lbs
- 3 Hours Charge Time (with the DC3600 Charger)
- Removable Harness
- Battery Protection Circuit
- 5 Stage Battery Fuel Gauge
Makita Backpack Battery Specs
- Description: High Capacity Backpack
- Battery Type: Li-ion battery
- Capacity: 432 watt hours
- Battery ID: BL36120A
- MSRP: £799.95/$1035
