Makita DUR190LZX3 vs DUR193RT

Both of these sit on Makita’s 18V LXT platform and both wear the same brushless-motor badge, but they were designed to solve different problems. The Makita DUR190LZX3 is a multi-purpose head that can swap between line, plastic cutters and a metal blade, so it can step past grass into light scrub. The Makita DUR193RT drops the blade option entirely in exchange for being the lightest, quietest trimmer in Makita’s 18V line-up, purpose-built for precise edging. Picking between them is really a question of what you’re cutting, not which is “better.”

At a glance

	Makita DUR190LZX3	Makita DUR193RT
Power	18V LXT, brushless	18V LXT, brushless
Weight	~3 kg with battery	~2.3–2.6 kg (lighter)
Cutting width	23 / 25.5 / 30 cm	260 mm
Cutting tools	Line, plastic cutters or metal blade	Line only — no blade option
Head design	Multi-purpose, fixed	Pivoting, rotating (better for edging)
Sold as	Bare tool (no battery)	Kit with 5.0 Ah battery + charger
Best suited to	Light brush and mixed grass	Lawn edging and precise trimming

Blade capability vs pure edging precision

The real dividing line here is the DUR190LZX3’s ability to run a metal blade. Most 18V trimmers, including the DUR193RT, are built around a nylon line head and stop there — fine for grass, useless against brambles or woody growth. The DUR190LZX3’s multi-purpose housing changes that: swap the head and it will take plastic cutters or a genuine metal blade, giving it light-duty brush-cutting reach that punches above its 18V weight class. That versatility comes with a small weight penalty and a fixed head, so it isn’t the most comfortable tool for hours of close lawn-edge work.

The DUR193RT goes the opposite direction. Makita stripped it down to do one job extremely well: at around 2.3–2.6 kg it’s the lightest 18V machine in the range, and its pivoting, rotating head lets you tilt the cutting plane to trace a lawn edge cleanly without twisting your wrist. It’s also notably quiet for a power tool. What you give up is any ability to handle anything beyond grass — no blade, no plastic cutter option, and Makita doesn’t recommend it for growth over roughly 30 cm tall.

Buying as a bare tool vs buying a kit

Cost isn’t printed on either spec sheet the way weight or cutting width is, but it’s a real part of this decision. The DUR190LZX3 is sold bare — no battery, no charger — so if you’re starting an LXT collection from nothing, budget for that separately on top of the tool. The DUR193RT, by contrast, comes as a complete kit with a generous 5.0 Ah battery and charger included, which makes its higher headline price easier to justify if you have no LXT batteries yet: you’re not paying twice. For existing LXT owners with batteries already in a drawer, that difference mostly disappears, and the choice comes down purely to which head suits the job.

Choose the Makita DUR190LZX3 if…

• You occasionally need to cut light scrub, brambles or tougher growth, not just grass
• You already own LXT batteries and don’t need a kit
• Versatility across line, plastic and metal blade matters more than shaving off weight
• You want one 18V tool that covers both trimming and light clearing

Choose the Makita DUR193RT if…

• Your work is lawn edging and grass trimming, full stop — no brush or scrub
• Low weight and quiet running matter for long sessions close to the house
• You want a complete kit with a battery included, especially as a first LXT tool
• Precise, comfortable edging with a pivoting head is the priority

Which should you buy?

If there’s any chance you’ll need to knock back brambles or light woody growth alongside your grass, the Makita DUR190LZX3 is the more flexible buy — its blade capability is genuinely rare at this size and battery voltage. If your garden is really about tidy lawn edges and grass trimming and nothing tougher, the Makita DUR193RT is the nicer tool to actually use day to day: lighter, quieter, and it arrives ready to go with a battery in the box.

Both are excellent within their remit and neither pretends to be something it isn’t — the honest answer is to match the tool to the growth you actually have, not the other way around.