Makita 40V Max XGT 16" Chainsaw Kit vs Makita 18V X2 LXT 16" Top Handle Chainsaw Kit
Tinted cells mark the better figure on that row alone: more engine, longer bar, lighter, cheaper. A lighter weight is only a win on the same basis.
What owners like and complain about
Makita 40V Max XGT 16" Chainsaw Kit
- 5,020 FPM chain speed — the fastest chain in the 16" battery class, and it shows in cut speed
- Legitimate 42cc-class power that no longer embarrasses Makita next to EGO and Milwaukee
- Standard 3/8"LP/.050 91PX chain — replacement loops cost $15 anywhere, no proprietary sizing
- Outstanding build: XPT sealing, inertia chain brake, metal spikes, tool-free tensioning
- Variable-speed trigger with excellent low-speed control for careful limbing
- 45-minute rapid charger in the kit keeps a two-battery rotation viable
- $629 kit price is the highest in the 16" battery class — an EGO CS2005 20" kit costs less
- Included 4.0Ah pack manages only ~30 cuts in 12" wood by Makita's own claim; spares are $200+
- 13.9 lbs with battery — heavier than the LXT saw it effectively replaces
- XGT batteries don't interchange with Makita's own 18V LXT fleet, restarting your battery investment
- Modest 46-review pool at retail; long-term durability record is still thin compared to rivals
Makita 18V X2 LXT 16" Top Handle Chainsaw Kit
- Lightest 16" saw here with batteries fitted at 10.3 lb — the X2 layout keeps mass near the handle
- 16" of bar on a top handle, longer reach than almost anything else in the class
- Captured bar nut and tool-less adjuster, so bar service in a tree does not mean dropped hardware
- Two 5.0Ah LXT packs and a dual-port charger in the kit, usable across Makita's 18V range
- Weather-sealed XPT construction, which matters on a saw used in wet canopy work
- 30cc-gas equivalence is modest behind a 16" bar; it slows noticeably in hardwood
- Needs two charged 18V packs per run, doubling the battery cost of every hour of cutting
- A 16" bar on a one-hand-capable top handle is a long lever; it demands trained technique and full PPE
- 3,940 FPM is slower than the 40V XGT top handles Makita sells alongside it