Makita’s August 2026 lineup adds four fresh cordless tools that push into very different corners of the jobsite. The mix covers outdoor cleanup, structural fastening, precision driving, and wide-area lighting, giving the brand another strong showing across its 18V LXT and 40V max XGT systems.
One of the standout arrivals is the 40V max XGT Brushless Backpack Blower, built to deliver serious muscle without the usual gas-engine baggage. Makita rates it as comparable to a 65 cc backpack blower, with 32 newtons of force, 675 CFM of airflow, and air speeds up to 215 mph. That is the kind of spec sheet that gets attention fast.
What makes the blower more interesting is how it handles power. It uses two XGT batteries and automatically shifts from one to the other, so the work keeps moving instead of forcing a stop for a pack swap. Even with that setup, Makita says the blower stays under 20 pounds with both batteries installed, which keeps it lighter than many gas alternatives while also avoiding fuel fumes and engine noise.
Then there is the 18V LXT Brushless 2-1/2-inch Positive Placement Metal Connector Nailer, a tool aimed squarely at structural work. This is not a general-purpose nailer for casual use. It is made for joist hangers, framing anchors, and other connector hardware where the nail has to pass through a pre-punched hole with real precision.
Makita gave the XNB09 a longer nail guide to help line up those tight shots, and it takes 30- to 35-degree metal connector nails from 1-1/2 to 2-1/2 inches long. The magazine holds 31 nails, depth can be adjusted without tools, and an anti-dry-fire system helps prevent empty shots when the supply runs low.
That same tool is also a good example of what cordless has done to the old jobsite routine. Instead of dragging around an air compressor and hose, it runs from a standard 18V LXT battery and can drive up to 1,000 nails on a 6.0Ah pack. At just under 12 pounds with the battery installed, it is not featherlight, but it is still a lot easier to manage than a pneumatic setup.
The new 18V LXT Brushless Quick-shift Mode 4-Speed Impact Driver, listed as the XDT21, keeps Makita’s familiar compact-driver formula but bumps the numbers where it counts. Torque climbs to 1,860 inch-pounds, with a top speed of 3,700 RPM and 4,400 IPM, which puts it ahead of the XDT20 it replaces.
It still offers four speed settings for more controlled fastening, plus Quick-Shift Mode for electronically managing speed and torque on the fly. There is also Tightening Mode for self-drilling screws in thin metal, along with a rubberized grip and a dual ball-bearing chuck meant to keep the bit steadier and reduce wobble during use.
The changes are not all about raw output, though. Makita also moved away from the old 360-degree LED ring and stretched the tool slightly longer, but the bigger story is the jump in torque rather than a dramatic increase in top-end speed. That makes the XDT21 feel tuned for real-world fastening pressure instead of just bragging rights on paper.
Rounding out the August group is the 40V max XGT/18V LXT Cordless Multi-Directional Tower Light, and this one goes big. The ML014G can hit 15,000 lumens, which is a massive leap over the older 3,000-lumen DML814, and its output can be dialed anywhere from 1,100 to 15,000 lumens depending on the task at hand.
It also stands out for battery flexibility, since it can run on either 40V max XGT or 18V LXT packs. With an 8.0Ah XGT battery, runtime can stretch from about two hours at full brightness to 28 hours at the lowest level, and the dual-battery layout gives it even more staying power for long shifts.
The tower itself reaches nearly 8 feet tall and uses three LED heads that can each rotate 180 degrees both horizontally and vertically. That kind of movement makes it easy to spread light across a wide area, whether the work is happening outdoors, across multiple rooms, or up and down a larger building site.
