18V STRING TRIMMER

Ni-Cad (Nickel Cadmium) battery.
These batteries are reasonably priced but are very damaging to the environment. They also need to be completely discharged and cool to be able to accept a full charge.

Ni-MH (Nickel Metal Hydride) battery.
With this battery technology it was possible to increased the amperage to 3.0Ah, they are also a better option environmentally than Ni-Cad. They can be fully charged whether they are warm or partially discharged.

Li-ion or Lithium-ion batteries.
Lighter weight, quicker charging and with more run time than an equal voltage Ni-Cad or Ni-MH battery. These batteries have a chip that communicates with the charger for optimum charging. Lithium-ion batteries also offer much improved charge retention over long periods of storage. Li-ion batteries do not have to be fully discharged before charging in fact they can be charged at any time with no ill effect.

K factor
The "K factor" is an industry standard uncertanty figure. It represents the natral variation in testing for vibration. The true vibration figure could be + or - the K factor figure.

Vibration
Machines by their nature have the habit of transferring vibration to the user. Use AVT machines to reduce your exposure to vibration. Vibration above
2.5 m / s ² is harmful.

The maximum time of exposure depends on the vibration value:
5 m/s²: 8 hours
10 m/s²: 2 hours
20m/s²: ½ hours

Tri-axial vibration values are used to calculate all Makita vibration figures.

Weight
As a permanent member of EPTA, the European Power Tool Association, Makita is committed to publishing weights in according with the EPTA standards. This standard is derived from EU Directive 1999/44/EC. The standard is a strict agreement with EPTA as to how different machines are to be weighted, so you can compare machines across the market.