Makita DUR369LZ vs EGO ST1300E

The Makita DUR369LZ and the EGO ST1300E both promise near-petrol cordless performance, but they’re built to solve different jobs. The DUR369LZ is a proper brush cutter — a 1000W brushless motor on Makita’s 36V LXT system (two 18V batteries) with a metal blade option alongside its line head. The ST1300E is a dedicated line trimmer on EGO’s 56V ARC Lithium platform, quiet and strong for grass, but with no blade attachment at all. Choosing between them really comes down to one question: does your garden ever grow anything tougher than grass?

At a glance

	Makita DUR369LZ	EGO ST1300E
Battery platform	36V (2× 18V LXT)	56V ARC Lithium
Motor power	1000W brushless, near-petrol	Strong for a trimmer, near-petrol feel
Cutting attachment	Line head or metal blade	Line only, no blade option
Cutting width	430 mm line / 255 mm blade	33 cm
Weight	~5 kg (excl. battery)	Mid-weight for a battery trimmer
Runtime	~25–30 min per charge	Limited by battery charge, platform-dependent
Battery included	No — sold bare, 2 batteries needed	No — sold bare, 1 battery needed
Best suited to	Scrub, brambles, tough grass	Lawns, edges, light overgrowth

Blade capability: the real dividing line

This is the single biggest difference between these two machines, and it should decide the purchase before any other spec does. The DUR369LZ accepts a metal blade as well as a line head, and its 1000W brushless motor gives that blade real authority — this is a machine that can genuinely take on brambles, saplings, and small woody stems, not just grass. The ST1300E has no blade option whatsoever; it’s a line trimmer through and through, aimed squarely at grass, weeds, and light overgrowth. If your land ever produces anything tougher than that, the EGO is simply the wrong tool regardless of how well its 56V platform performs on grass.

Power and cutting width

Both platforms are respected for pushing cordless performance closer to petrol than most batteries manage. The Makita’s 1000W output on a 36V split-battery system is roughly double what Makita’s entry-level cordless brush cutter delivers, closing much of the gap to a 30 cc petrol machine — a genuinely strong number for a cordless tool that also has to swing a blade. The EGO’s 56V ARC Lithium platform is one of the stronger voltage classes used in trimmers, and the ST1300E holds its cutting speed through longer grass rather than bogging down the way lower-voltage cordless trimmers often do. Neither is underpowered for its intended job; they’re simply built for different jobs. The DUR369LZ’s 430 mm line width and 255 mm blade width also outsize the EGO’s 33 cm cut, though that gap matters less than the blade question above.

Battery cost and ecosystem

Neither machine is a complete package out of the box, and that catches a lot of first-time buyers out. The DUR369LZ runs on two 18V LXT batteries rather than one, since Makita builds its 36V power by pairing two of its 18V packs — so if you’re starting from zero, that’s two batteries and a charger to source, though it also means you’re buying into the enormous Makita LXT range shared with drills, saws, and dozens of other tools. The ST1300E needs a single EGO 56V ARC Lithium battery and charger, a simpler if still non-trivial cost, and one that pays off if you already run or plan to run other EGO 56V garden tools like a mower or blower.

Weight and everyday handling

At around 5 kg excluding batteries, the DUR369LZ carries typical brush-cutter heft — noticeably more substantial in hand than a line trimmer, which tracks given it’s built to swing a blade through scrub rather than just spin a line through grass. The ST1300E sits in the mid-weight range for a battery trimmer, comfortable enough for regular lawn edging sessions without the fatigue a heavier machine can bring over time. Neither is unreasonable for its category; the difference simply reflects what each tool is actually built to cut.

Choose the Makita DUR369LZ if…

• Your land includes brambles, saplings, or scrub as well as grass
• You want the option of fitting a metal blade for tougher growth
• You’re already invested in — or planning to build — a Makita LXT battery collection
• Near-petrol cutting power matters more to you than minimising weight

Choose the EGO ST1300E if…

• Your garden only ever produces grass, weeds, and light overgrowth
• A single battery and lighter, trimmer-style handling suit you better than a heavier blade-capable tool
• You’re already using — or open to starting — EGO’s 56V ARC Lithium ecosystem
• You don’t need to manage two batteries at once

Which should you buy?

If there’s any chance your ground grows something woodier than grass, the Makita DUR369LZ is the only one of these two built to handle it — its blade option and 1000W motor put real brush-clearing capability within reach, at the cost of running on two LXT batteries instead of one. If your plot is purely grass, weeds, and light overgrowth, the EGO ST1300E does that job with real cutting authority for a trimmer, a single simpler battery to manage, and a quieter, lighter feel in hand.

Neither is a bad choice within its lane — the DUR369LZ simply plays in a different, more capable category than the ST1300E, and it’s priced and built accordingly. Match the tool to what actually grows on your land rather than to the spec sheet, and the right pick becomes obvious.