Price: $419.00
(as of Oct 26, 2024 00:06:14 UTC - Details)

Landscapers and contractors are demanding more cordless alternatives to gas-powered outdoor power equipment. Makita is meeting demand with an expanding line of cordless OPE, including the 36V (18V X2) LXT® Brushless 16” Chain Saw (XCU04CM). With zero emissions, lower noise, and considerably less maintenance, the XCU04CM is a welcome solution for cutting and trimming applications. It’s powered by two 18V LXT® 4.0Ah Batteries for maximum power, speed and run-time. And with the efficient Makita® outer rotor brushless motor with direct drive system, users get high power efficiency that is equivalent to a 32cc gas chain saw. The XCU04CM has a 16” guide bar and the Makita-built outer rotor brushless motor direct drive system motor with variable speed delivers 0-3,940 FPM for increased cutting speed. It has zero emissions and reduced maintenance: there's no engine oil to change, no spark plug to replace, and no air filter or muffler to clean. And there's no need to drain the fuel for storage. Simply pick it up, load two 18V LXT® Lithium-Ion Batteries, and the saw is ready to use. Convenience features include a tool-less chain adjustments, a front hand guard engineered to actuate chain brake when engaged, an electric brake for maximum productivity, and more. It’s part of Makita’s expanding 18V LXT System, the world’s largest cordless tool system powered by 18V lithium-ion slide-style batteries. Makita® 18V LXT® Lithium-Ion Batteries have the fastest charge times in their categories, so they spend more time working and less time sitting on the charger. For improved tool performance and extended battery life, Makita created Star Protection Computer Controls™. Star Protection is communication technology that allows the Star Protection-equipped tool and battery to exchange data in real time and monitor conditions during use to protect against overloading, over-discharging and overheating. For increased versatility, the tool can also be powered by Makita® 18V LXT® Lithium-Ion Batteries with the star symbol on the battery indicating Star Protection inside.
No gas, emissions, oil mixing or pull starts with reduced maintenance and low noise levels
Makita-built outer rotor brushless motor direct-drive system delivers power of a 32cc gas chain saw
Two 18V LXT Lithium-Ion batteries deliver power and performance without leaving the 18V LXT platform
Up to 150 cuts in 4 x 4 cedar with two 18V LXT 4.0Ah batteries
"Tool-less" chain adjustment for convenient operation and maintenance
Reviewer: Elizabeth Muir-Chamberlain
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Fantastic, Light Weight, and Fully Functional
Review: The weight and lack of noise are nice. The fact that it doesn't emit noxious fumes is a huge plus. It starts easily, runs smoothly, and holds a charge moderately well. This small chainsaw is perfect for a property owner with wooded areas to maintain. In my opinion this Makita saw is priced well and is easy to use for clearing unwanted trees. Five stars.

Reviewer: Pandabratt1
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: lightweight and does the job!
Review: This was so much fun to take out recently. We had a very destructive ice storm over the winter that wrecked our entire town. 6 months later, people are still cleaning up their properties. We put this to use in my mother-in-law's backyard and it cut downed trees and limbs like butter. The blade is perfect, and the batteries lasted a good long time. The safety features are great, one to lock it out, and an extra button to start it up. It's lightweight so it feels safe to handle. The 16" blade was a great size for everything we needed to handle and we got the job done.

Reviewer: Raymond L Barnes III
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Quiet, Fast, Easy to Use, Batteries Last a Long Time, Assembly and Cleaning a Snap
Review: I bought the 16” kit with battery charger and the Makita lubricant oil. The lubricant oil is the only thing missing from the kit, which should be included, in my opinion. Purchasers of this kit or standalone chainsaw should make sure that they purchase the lubricant oil. Be aware that the lubricant oil is rather viscous, so leverage smaller funnels, rags, and towels so that loading the oil into the side of the chainsaw is less messy. This said, this was my first experience with a chainsaw and it was quite positive. Assembly and first charges of the batteries are fairly quick and intuitive for this unit. Getting used to the safety switch hand guard, as well as the back of the handle in use safety switch takes no time to master. The instruction manual is well written, though reading glasses may be required.My first job removing a Laurel bush/hedge with this could not have been easier or faster. Prior to using this device, a smaller hedge trimmer was leveraged to reduce the numbers of thinner branches (took about 35 minutes). 15 minutes after the lubricant oil was poured in and clean up, the first Laurel bush and a few of the larger branches of other bushes were removed. Took about 50 minutes for the cleanup.Using this chainsaw right-handed is a breeze, it is quite agile in tight spaces and the trigger throttle is quite responsive. The main thing is to press the joint of the body and chainsaw blade on the branch trunk that is to be cut, rather than halfway on the bottom of the chainsaw blade. The trunk of the Laurel bush was about 6” and took no time at all to be cut the larger branches to cut the trunk down to the ground. I split the last 6” of the trunk above the ground. The lubricant oil does not leak on my chainsaw at all. After the short amount of work very little lubricant oil and battery charge were used for this light bit of work. Cleanup of the Laurel bush and the chainsaw took much longer than the work itself. Makita made a wonderful device and I can’t recommend it enough. One thing I missed, it was quiet when going through the Laurel, much less noise than the hedge trimmer, by the by.

Reviewer: Wesley Swisher
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Works much better than I expected
Review: The operators manual is very vague in details. Battery charging is not very clear and no mention of charging time was seen. Took bout an hour to reach full charge which is good. I had a Japanese maple with a 2 1/2 inch dead limb and the saw went though it like it was butter. The chain width is about half as wide as a gas saw and cut very fast. I have not tested the battery life but should be perfect for back yard pruning. If extended use is contemplated I would recommend getting two more batteries.

Reviewer: Ambrose
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Cuts Wood Like Butta
Review: A few years back, I bought a little Earthwise saw, and I have NOT been impressed with it. It barely could do more than pruning. So I was a tad skeptical about getting another battery powered saw. But I figured maybe tech had advanced.. so I watched several YouTube videos, and one in particular did a head to head with this saw against a similarly sized gas saw, and this Makita came out on top.The next thing I was not sure about is if my current 18V Makita batteries would work. The one that comes with features 5Ah batteries, and mine are 3Ah. But given the significant cost difference, I thought I'd give it a shot. I'm happy to report the 18V 3Ah work fine (BL 1830B) with this saw. I figured they should--just won't last as long. I've been going electric for some time, and I've found I dislike having lots of different chargers and batteries, so I'm glad Makita offers this with their normal 18V.I took 'er out for a spin yesterday, and made quick work of about an 8" tree (at least the bottom half of it). It prunes off the branches like they're not there, and it slices through the trunk in no time. I'm very impressed! And when I took it back, it still showed full charge on the meter. I imagine it'd last a good bit, at least enough for the periodical jobs I have.I'd also mention that I recently had a professional tree guy do some vista clearing, and he was using a battery powered saw, so I guess even the pros are switching. No doubt there are limits, but hey, hard to beat less maintenance, not messing with fuel and mixing oil, less noise, and so forth. Speaking of noise, it's not bad at all. I don't feel I need ear protection, though maybe if I did it all day I'd feel differently.Note that the tool (as you might expect) comes bone dry in terms of blade oil, so be sure you have that on hand. The opening is big enough you can fill without a funnel, which is nice given how viscous that stuff is.It's very easy to install the chain/bar. No tools required.Lastly, about weight, it's not what Iid call light, especially with the batteries on board, but it's not uncomfortably heavy to me, either. Having some "meat" behind that power is a good thing, anyways, to help keep things stable.I've only had it a short time, but I'm very happy and impressed. Definitely recommend, particularly if you already have the 18V Makita batteries.

Reviewer: Yves St-Denis
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Super duper. No cranking. I cut trees that is up to 8" diam no problem. Provided that your chain is sharp and you don't lean heavy on your chainsaw. This chainsaw is smart enough to stop if you overload it. Surprisingly good for about 30 cut of about 8" diameter of green wet wood. Fast 45 minutes charge. You can take cut wood out of the way by the time it charges again. Very safe to use too. I am impress. No more carb worries. Would cut construction beam, joist and plywood no problem if an electrical source is available to charge batteries.

Reviewer: SW
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Excellente scie à chaine!!! Seulement 2 points négatifs avaient été soulevé par des utilisateurs et il semble bien que ça été reglé!!! Une chaine oregon fournie avec la scie et le bouton de mise en marche, qui selon certain s'éteignait après quelques seconde... Le problème n'est pas présent sur celle que j'ai reçu, Elle reste allumée plus d'une minute sans utilisation!!! Ancun point négatif pour l'utilisation que j'en fait!!!

Reviewer: Bruce
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: The narrow chain seems to cut well. The saw has good balance and isn't too heavy. It's good value for $400 with two 5AH batteries and the very large dual charger. Charge the batteries simultaneously for best battery performance. According to Oregon, the replacement chain is an R56 costing $21 from Amazon.ca.

Reviewer: Wayne Hodgson
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Works better than I thought. And it fits in the back of my side by side for trail work.

Reviewer: Christopher
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Great saw and great price