Makita Blue Vs. Green Tools: What's The Difference?

Makita is a go-to brand for many professionals and DIYers when it comes to power tools, outdoor equipment, and other similar products. The brand has been around for decades — it was founded in Japan in the early 20th century — and since then, the signature teal blue hue of its tools has been impossible to miss in many hardware stores and major retailers.

However, the manufacturer also has a range of products you might not immediately recognize — precisely because they don't sport that traditional blue look. Instead, Makita's line of Outdoor Adventure products have an olive green appearance. While this green paint job might seem like a superficial gimmick, it instead signifies that these limited edition products are "inspired by the environment," according to Makita U.K.'s Marketing Manager, Kevin Brannigan. Brannigan adds that the brand's green tools "make an iconic statement in your kit bag and provide ultimate flexibility and mobility when enjoying the outdoors or at work."

The main difference between Makita's blue and green tools is the latter's focus on outdoor work and leisure activities. In many ways, however, both product lines are very similar. In fact, if you already own certain blue Makita cordless tools, you'll already have power supplies compatible with the brand's green Outdoor Adventure products.

Makita makes and sells outdoor equipment that have the brand's traditional blue color, including Makita tools that will help make your yard look great. While these tools are part of a much broader product line than the green tools of Makita's Outdoor Adventure products, many of them share the same battery ecosystem. Makita's green tools are all cordless and work within with the company's LXT power system.​​ The LXT system uses 18-volt slide-style batteries to power 18V/36V tools and is actually the world's largest cordless tool system powered this way, incorporating over 300 different devices — including those in the Makita Outdoor Adventure collection. (More powerful tools that require 36 volts can simultaneously use two 18V LXT batteries.)

This is especially good news if you already own blue Makita tools compatible with the LXT system, because you won't need to buy additional batteries or chargers to power Makita's green tools. As U.K Makita marketing manager Kevin Brannigan puts it, "Whether you're already a Makita user or new to the family, the Outdoor Adventure range provides new options of cordless power and performance for leisure activities, with each product utilizing our world-renowned LXT technology."

Being able to use the same batteries for so many devices not only saves you money, but saves space in the garage as well. Plus, you can quickly swap one battery from tool to tool if you're multitasking or doing something that requires several tools. This begs the question: which Makita tools are green as opposed to blue?

There are a lot of things that you can do outdoors that can benefit from cordless equipment, so Makita's green tools aren't as niche as you might think, even if they're more focused on certain activities than Makita's blue tools. The company says that Makita's Outdoor Adventure products are ideal for pursuits including tailgating, hiking, climbing, fishing, and boating. Plus, the lineup includes several Makita Outdoor Adventure products that will help level up your next camping trip, such as an 18V LXT Bluetooth Radio and LED Lantern and a 36V LXT Hot Water Kettle.

Additional green-colored Makita tools that you can find are an 18V LXT Brushless Wet/Dry Vacuum, an 18V LXT Air Inflator, an 18V LXT Coffee Maker, an 18V USB Power Bank to charge various devices, and a hybrid-powered cooler that can indefinitely run on AC power or otherwise use dual 18V LXT batteries, as well as cordless fans, such as the 18V LXT 9-inch Fan. Other Outdoor Adventure products will also lend themselves well to landscaping and yard work, such as the 18V LXT Blower and 18V LXT 12-inch Top Handle Chainsaw. Many of these tools can be purchased as bundles that include compatible LXT batteries and chargers if you're new to Makita's cordless line, which you'll also be able to use with blue Makita tools that are part of the LXT system.

Brannigan, boasts that Makita's Outdoor Adventure products "will make an iconic statement in your kit bag and provide ultimate flexibility and mobility when enjoying the outdoors or at work." Because the relatively new product line is a limited edition, you may want to act quickly and purchase Makita's new green tools before they're no longer available.