Makita DLM464Z

Mediocre – Overall not a bad mower but it has some design faults which cause it to stall under heavy load, because when you push it along it dips the nose too low. It actually works better walking it backwards. Although the catcher design is very good and doesn't cog up at all. Better for frequent light mows, can't handle heavy mows well at all. Definitely do not recommend on buffalo/st Augustine Show details

Good for small manicured Lawn – Hi Purchased this mower thinking it would cut my 600m2 of Kikuyu Grass . By Straight out of the box fully charged batteries it did the job on a grass which needed a 50mm cut Next time I cut the lawn mower cut out repeatedly cutting slightly longer grass , 2 @ 5ah batteries didn't cut 300m2 use my other 5ah batteries got to 500m2 had to resort to… Read more

2@ 3ah just finished the job , mower would have cut / choked at least 5 times . The red engagement handle became very uncomfortable after about 300m2 . Would not recommend for unmanicured lawns over 350m2 Bought this as I have Makita Power tools Disappointed, Sold after second use for a $100 loss

Nice build but too underpowered DLM464 – I bought this because my victa 82V was bulldozing grass because of a badly designed low hanging skirt at the front end. The Makita is well built and good for a light cut but it stalls way too easy if the grass is a bit longer. Its so embarrassing to use it out the front if anyone is watching. Stall after stall after stall. In comparison the victa… Read more

was a powerhouse. I think that the combination of just 2 18v batteries is not enough for lawnmowing unless you want to cut it long. I would rather cut it shorter. Also, i have 2 x 5amphr batteries and they die way too quick. Again, the victa 82v would cut for 20min fully loaded. Makita seems like half that.

A nightmare ,very poor mower – I have a couch lawn and this mower does not have the power to cut it short. The battery lasts 15 minutes max . The safety bar is a killer on the hands,I have to cable tie in position and as soon as the mower finds it a bit hard going it cuts out ,which is very regular,then I have to loose the tie to start up again.This mower is only good for… Read more

picking up leaves not cutting grass. I have spent a lot of money on this mower and feel it is waisted. I bought this mower because I have a lot of makita tools and batteries but find the older batteries won’t work in this mower. Very bad decision buying this mower.

Not good enough for the job – just not there yet. cuts out every few metres.. and that is brand new batteries brand new sharp blade.. once these things start to wear it will get worse. 18v is not good enough for the task in hand.. petrol or a competitors more powerful battery mower seems to be the way to go. wasted hundreds of dollars, Show details

Good, but insufficient user control – It's very convenient to just be able to grab the mower to trim grass but this model has several material disadvantages The dead-man's handle is unnecessarily stiff and at a slightly awkward angle. Anything more than a few minutes' use results in sore wrists. A much lighter spring is required. The mower is intent on dropping to its low-speed… Read more

mode, presumably to give a tiny increase in battery life. There is a very fine line between triggering the high-speed mode and 'stalling' to protect the motor when cutting thicker grass. Even the few seconds it takes to turn around at the end of a row results in the mower dropping to low speed making a 'stall' more likely. I appreciate the low-speed mode extends the battery a bit and is quieter but, as the user, I want the control to keep the mower in it's high-speed mode.

Even if it does stay in high-speed mode, mowing long, thick grass requires glacially slow progress. Either the motor protection is set very conservatively or it doesn't have the same torque as my petrol mowers.

Battery life is OK. We can mow 200 square metres on one pair of batteries. We have three pairs of batteries and that's not quite enough for continuous use. The first pair of batteries isn't quite fully charged by the time the third pair is flat. Four pairs would probably allow continuous use.

I like the steel cutting deck for resilience, it has a wide cut and only the right rear wheel extends beyond the width of the cut. The position of the wheels is such that the blade won't hit any path that one approaches square on. It's nice to be able to set it on an angle without worrying about fuel spills.

The design of the mulch plug results in a build up of grass above the plug. This requires the removal of the mulch plug for cleaning after every use.

I would probably give it four stars apart from the nut fastening the blade not being done up properly at the factory. One expects that such a simple safety issue is checked before dispatch.

This would be an ideal mower for a small block that is mown regularly but it has significant issues on larger, more heavily grassed areas.

Keeps cutting out – Owned for 6 months. Keeps cutting out, and then the power light flashes. No obstructions or anything. Runs for 10 seconds then dies. Then 5 seconds and dies, 3, 2 and so on. The red safety bar is murder on your hands too - need to jerry rig a cable tie to keep the machine running. Sometimes Makita gets it and sometimes it missed the boat by a mile. A load of garbage. Show details

Solid and Goes Great – Good solid quality. Nearly as heavy as my petrol mower. My yard is 85m squared and I couldn't believe it. New charged 6 ah batteries did the lot and still at above 75 to full. All lights on.. No smell no fuel. I should get at least 4 more mows on a charge maybe 5…The body seems very solid and not plastic. Catcher looks fine and the Mulcher has a… Read more

moving part so not sure about longevity. But the battery is great. Fairly long grass and great on low noise , on high it's actually a lot noiser than I thought it would be so still wearing ear muffs but more high pitch than loud. But not as bad as 4 stroke.The blades are sharp but not thick so you'd want a good quality yard, at least the body should take a lot of beating. The pull bar is ok but if your yard is 200m then they'll prob get a sore. I found that IV was moving my grip a bit and not an issue. Some kind of quick release strap maybe. The wheels are rubbered and I find they catch on bridgework, I would prefer plastic that glance over walls and not catch, again not an issue. It manuvers well. Funny same size deck but much easier to store and engine is obviously not as bulky. I think having handle in the upmost option works best. The levels are good but you won't need to go lower than level 8 about 65mm. It came with bonus wiper sniper but would have preferred to get 100 off to go towards one I actually want. Takes 6 weeks of you get in before deal ends. Sydney told have discounted this.

A solid mower, but not without its quirks – I bought this mower after I had two Dewalt mowers die under warranty. The second failed after just 10 minutes of use! Sydney Tools finally offered me a refund on the disgraced Dewalt and a discount on the Makita, so here we are. Having now used both mowers, I can compare the pros and cons of each, which I hope will be useful to others. … Read more

Durability:

While I have no way of knowing how long my new Makita will last, it looks and feels solid. It's a steel deck all the way round, and unlike the Dewalt, there's no risk of the blades contacting any part of the machine. (See my review of the Dewalt DCMW564N for more about that! https://www.productreview.com.au/reviews/d0010ef7-4854-431f-b304-416aece55db7)

Grass cutting:

The Makita cuts the grass beautifully, as did the Dewalt mower when it worked. They both use two 18 volt batteries, and the power feels about the same—not up to ploughing through a jungle, but perfectly adequate for normal mowing.

The Makita has twice as many cut-height settings, and is able to cut lower than the Dewalt. The Dewalt has just five settings, and the lowest setting is a bit higher than you might be used to. You probably shouldn’t cut grass shorter than that (for the health of the lawn), but even so, I think the Makita wins here because it gives you the choice.

Noise:

Both mowers seem quieter than our old petrol mowers—quiet enough that most people won’t feel the need for earmuffs. They’re both rated to 92 decibels (LWA) in the tech specs, but we measured (from head height) the Makita at about 86 dB (using an iPhone app, which may not be 100% accurate).

Also, the Makita has a very nice feature called ‘energy saving mode’, which lowers the revs from 3300 to 2500. In this mode it’s so quiet (about 78 dB), you’ll find it hard to believe it’s cutting anything at all! While it wasn’t great in longer grass, if you’re just giving your lawn a little trim, it works fine. If noise is a problem where you live, this feature alone might tip you towards the Makita.

Ergonomics and easy of use:

If you share the mower with someone who is shorter or taller than you, you might find the Makita frustrating. Adjusting the handle height requires you to completely remove the bolts and washers each time. Why they didn’t go with a quick-release design like Dewalt is anybody’s guess.

The Dewalt also outshines the Makita when it comes to adjusting the cut height. The cut height adjustment lever on the Dewalt is tensioned and weighted to perfection, so the deck doesn’t drop under its own weight when you release the lever, making it easier to adjust than any mower I’ve ever used. The Makita is far more clunky. Makita could do well to look at the Dewalt design and imitate it!

While mowing, both mowers have a thin bar that you have to pull and hold against the handle to maintain power. I guess it's a safety thing. (Makita calls it a ‘switch lever’ while Dewalt calls it a ‘bail handle’.) At first glance, the Makita one seems more ergonomic—it’s flat where it rests against the handle, while the Dewalt one is just a thin, round bar. However, for some reason the Makita one requires quite a bit of pressure to hold once you activate the power, like you’re fighting against some tensioning spring or something—and the part of the bar you’re most likely to hold (near the sides) isn’t flat anyway. The Dewalt mower does not have this tension—it’s very easy to hold and more comfortable to use over time.

The battery indicator is another win for Dewalt—a big, clear display right on the back of the motor/battery compartment where you can see it while you mow. Makita hides their little display on the left-side of the handle, where you have to press a small button before it even lights up, and even then it can be hard to see without leaning forward—a really poor design by comparison.

This is one area Makita could really improve on.

Overall:

If I was choosing again between these two mowers, and I knew both would last 10 years or more, it would be a close call, but I’d possibly choose the Dewalt over the Makita. But the best mower is, of course, the one that works! Makita has been in the mower game longer, so I’m hopeful I’ve made the right decision by switching. (I’ll be sure to update this review if things don’t go to plan.)

Electric game changer – It’s solidly out together and feels well made. Inserting the twin batteries that came with the kit and switching on for the first time, I realised how good this thing is. The deck is true and accurate, and the quietness of the motor is amazing. No ear defenders and stink of petrol. Clean, quiet and quick. Very happy with the results, and registering for the five year Makita warranty for free, seems like a no-brainer. Show details

Dlm464 18vx2 – DLM 464 18vx2. Second time using it today overall mows well, catcher actually fills up. not too much noise which is good,main concern is that the red run leaver that you need to hold down consistently has a fair bit of resistance I wouldn't not recommend for anyone suffering from sore hands, fingers or wrist. As I would of like it a bit better if it had a quick release to close the handle down rather thank the primitive moulded threaded bolts Show details