Makita DUR368LZ vs DUR369LZ

The Makita DUR368LZ and DUR369LZ share the same basic recipe — a loop handle, a brushless motor and two 18V LXT batteries feeding 36V — but Makita tuned them for opposite priorities. The DUR368LZ is built to disappear in your hands: at around 3.9 kg it’s one of the lightest professional cordless brush cutters you can buy, but it only ever runs a string head. The DUR369LZ gives up some of that lightness for a 1000W motor that gets genuinely close to a 30 cc petrol machine, with a wider cut and blade capability the DUR368LZ simply doesn’t have. Picking between them comes down to one honest question: are you mostly cutting grass, or do you sometimes need to cut through something tougher?

At a glance

Attribute	Makita DUR368LZ	Makita DUR369LZ
Handle type	Loop handle	Loop handle
Power	36V (2× 18V LXT), brushless	36V (2× 18V LXT), 1000W brushless
Cutting width	23–35 cm (line only)	430 mm line / 255 mm blade
Weight	~3.9 kg	~5 kg (excl. battery)
Blade capable	No	Yes
Batteries/charger	Not included (bare tool)	Not included (bare tool)
Positioning	Lightest pro-grade, grass-focused	Near-petrol power, scrub-capable

Clear wins: the DUR368LZ wins on weight and all-day comfort; the DUR369LZ wins on raw power, cutting width and versatility with a blade fitted.

Where the two actually differ

Both machines run on the same LXT battery platform through a similar loop-handle layout, so this isn’t a case of different designs — it’s a case of different targets. The DUR368LZ is tuned purely around being light and quick to grab: without a heavy motor or blade hardware to carry, it sits at roughly 3.9 kg, which is noticeably easier on the shoulders over a long trimming session than most cordless brush cutters, professional or otherwise. Full detail is in our Makita DUR368LZ review.

The DUR369LZ is a different proposition. Its 1000W brushless motor delivers roughly double the output of Makita’s entry-level cordless models, closing much of the gap to a 30 cc petrol brush cutter, and it backs that up with a 430 mm line head or a 255 mm blade depending on what you fit. That extra capability adds weight — around 5 kg excluding the batteries — and a materially higher price once you account for the LXT packs and charger it doesn’t include. See the full breakdown in our Makita DUR369LZ review.

Weight and handling over a long session

This is the DUR368LZ’s strongest argument. Shaving even a kilogram off a brush cutter’s working weight makes a real difference once you’re an hour into trimming a long boundary or working at extended reach under a hedge — fatigue in your forearms and shoulders builds fast with any handheld power tool. The DUR369LZ’s extra weight isn’t dramatic, but it’s there, and it will be more noticeable if you’re doing long, continuous sessions rather than short bursts.

Cutting capability: grass only vs blade-ready

The bigger practical gap is what each machine can actually cut. The DUR368LZ runs a string head exclusively — no blade option — which makes it well suited to grass, weeds and light growth but genuinely limited the moment you meet something woodier. The DUR369LZ accepts a metal blade as well as its wider line head, so it can move from tidy grass-cutting to clearing brambles or small woody stems without swapping to a different machine entirely. If your land only ever grows grass and soft weeds, that extra capability is dead weight you’re carrying for nothing; if it occasionally throws up scrub, the DUR369LZ is the only one of the two that can actually deal with it.

Batteries and the LXT ecosystem

Neither model includes batteries or a charger — both carry the “LZ” suffix marking them as bare tools, and both run on two 18V LXT packs. If you already own Makita LXT batteries from other cordless tools, either brush cutter slots straight into your existing kit at no extra outlay, which is a big part of the appeal of staying within one brand’s ecosystem. Starting from zero, factor in two 5–6 Ah packs and a charger for whichever model you choose — that cost is proportionally larger on the cheaper DUR368LZ than on the already pricier DUR369LZ.

Choose the DUR368LZ if…

• Your work is almost entirely grass, weeds and light growth, with nothing woodier to deal with
• Low weight and all-day comfort matter more to you than raw cutting power
• You want the lightest pro-grade cordless brush cutter you can find within the LXT range
• You’d rather not pay for blade capability you know you’ll never use

Choose the DUR369LZ if…

• You sometimes meet scrub, brambles or small woody stems that a string head alone can’t handle
• You want cutting performance that gets close to a petrol machine, without the fuel and maintenance
• A wider 430 mm cutting path matters for covering larger areas efficiently
• You’re comfortable with roughly a kilogram more weight in exchange for that extra capability

Which should you buy?

If your land is genuinely just grass, weeds and the odd patch of light growth, the DUR368LZ is the smarter buy — it’s noticeably lighter, comfortable to use for a full session, and there’s no point paying for blade capability you’ll never fit. Step up to the DUR369LZ the moment your work regularly includes anything tougher: brambles, small woody stems or larger areas where a wider cut saves real time. Whichever you pick, remember both are bare “Z” tools, so weigh your existing LXT battery stock, or the cost of two packs and a charger, into the final decision alongside the machines themselves.