Makita DHW080 Review UK (2026)

Buy the Makita DHW080ZK if you already own two decent 18V LXT packs, you need 55 bar and 50 litres away from a 13A socket, and you will fill the case where it will sit. This review is only about the DHW080ZK case: what the carton actually contains, and when to walk away. The class shortlist is the cordless pressure washer with tank guide. Handhelds sit on the cordless guide.

It is not a lab test. Specs come from Makita. Street prices come from Amazon and UK shops in August 2026.

If you click through and buy, we may earn a commission.

It is an expensive LXT case, not a household trolley and not a mains substitute. Working pressure is 55 bar. The 80 bar figure is the maximum. Flow sits around 330 L/h on high. That is the closest cordless gets to a small pressure washer, and it is still below a basic mains K2. Fifty litres is a water-butt on wheels. You fill it in place. You do not lift it into a Fiesta. Buy it because the packs are already on the shelf and the job is a van, plant or a dirty car away from a socket. Do not buy it as a patio toy, and do not buy it if you are starting from zero on batteries.

If you want a 12 or 15 litre household tank and you are not already on LXT, that is the Bosch Fontus review or the Kärcher OC 6-18 review. If you will drop a hose in a bucket, stay on the cordless guide. If you have a tap and a 13A socket, buy mains. First-use setup, nozzles and frost drain-down are on how to use a pressure washer.

Quick picks

Specs

	Bare (DHW080ZK)	With two LXT packs
Model	Makita DHW080ZK, body only. No pack and no charger in the carton	Same case. You supply two 18V LXT packs
Max pressure	30 to 55 bar working, 80 bar max. High and low modes	Same pump
Flow	About 330 L/h on high, 240 L/h rated. Some UK shops print 380 L/h max	Same
Battery	Two 18V LXT packs in series (36V). None in the box. Makita wants 5.0Ah or 6.0Ah	Same. Do not turn up with 2.0Ah slides
Water	Storage case doubles as a 50 L tank. Self-priming up to 1 m. 5.5 m high-pressure hose. Or a tap	Same
Weight	7.1 to 7.7 kg for the unit. About 8.0 to 8.3 kg with batteries, tank empty. Some sheets sit at 7.1 to 7.9 kg with batteries	Same case. Do not lift it full. 50 kg of water plus the box
Runtime (Makita, 2 × 6.0Ah)	15 minutes high / 34 minutes low, if you already own those packs	Same, packs on the rail
Typical UK price, Aug 2026	£435 bare	Two decent LXT packs and a charger sit on top. A first-time buy can run well past £500

Prices checked August 2026. This is a body-only carton. Confirm that batteries are not in the carton. Shop the live total, not the word Makita on a tile. Full-tank weight is arithmetic (1 L = 1 kg) added to the published empty figures, not a weighed test on this site.

Who it is for

This is the LXT case tank. Buy it if most of the list below is true.

• You already own two Makita 18V LXT packs, 5.0Ah or 6.0Ah, and a charger.
• The job is a van, plant, or a dirty car away from a 13A socket. You need a real wash, not a 12 litre rinse.
• Fifty litres and 55 bar working are the point. You accept that this is still below a mains K2.
• You will fill the case where it will sit. You will use the wheels. You will not try to lift 50 kg of water plus plastic.
• There is no outdoor tap on the day, or the socket is the missing thing, and a 12 litre trolley is not enough water.
• You do not already own this case. If you do, buy spare packs, not another DHW080ZK.

That is the buyer the tank page already treats as the pressure pick, and the cordless guide already warns first-time buyers off. It is not the default household washer. It is not a bike gun. Fifty litres is a trade tank. A household that wants wheels and a kitchen fill should read the Fontus or OC 6-18 pages, not this one.

Skip it if

• You are starting from zero on batteries. Body-only at £435, then two 5.0Ah or 6.0Ah LXT packs and a charger, can run well past £500. That is not a first cordless washer. The Bosch Fontus does the no-tap household jobs at a fraction of the outlay: 15 litres, 20 bar, from £179 bare or £198 as a kit.
• You have a tap, a 13A socket and a patio or a weekly family car. This case is not a quieter K4. Fifty-five bar will wash a van. It will not match 130 bar on stone, and the runtime still ends. Buy mains. Leave this page.
• You will carry a bucket. A case is volume, not a reason to start LXT. A handheld on the cordless guide is lighter and usually enough for bikes and furniture. The water lives in the bucket.
• You want a 12 or 15 litre trolley you roll from the kitchen. That is the Fontus, or the Kärcher OC 6-18 if those 18V packs are already on the shelf. Twelve litres, 24 bar, £229.99 bare. This Makita is a 50 litre case, not a Fontus with a bigger jug.
• You thought tank meant a 10 kg trolley you lift into a hatchback. The case has wheels. Use them. Fifty kilograms of water plus plastic is a two-person lift and a strained back if you ignore that.
• You already own this pump. Add a pair of 5.0Ah or 6.0Ah LXT packs. Another DHW080ZK is a duplicate.

Makita DHW080ZK

The LXT case only if the packs are already on the shelf

• Buy: Makita DHW080ZK £435 bare
• Pressure: 30 to 55 bar working, 80 bar max. High and low modes
• Flow: about 330 L/h on high, 240 L/h rated. Some UK shops print 380 L/h max
• Battery: two 18V LXT packs in series (36V). None in the box. Makita wants 5.0Ah or 6.0Ah
• Water: storage case doubles as a 50 L tank. Self-priming up to 1 m. 5.5 m high-pressure hose. Or a tap
• Weight: 7.1 to 7.7 kg for the unit, about 8.0 to 8.3 kg with batteries, tank empty. Do not lift it full
• Runtime: 15 minutes high / 34 minutes low with 2 × 6.0Ah
• Who it is for: trades and homeowners already deep in Makita LXT who need to wash a van, plant or a dirty car away from a 13A socket

This is the only cordless tank we cover that behaves like a small pressure washer rather than a powered hose. Self-prime, two pressure modes, a real high-pressure hose, and a 50 litre case you can fill from a tap or a water butt. IPX5 wet-guard if the battery cover is closed. Fifty litres is a different conversation from 12 or 15. You can do a proper wash without walking back to the kitchen.

It is also the expensive one. Body-only at £435, then two decent LXT packs and a charger if you do not already own them. That can push a first-time buy well past £500. For that money a mains K4 or K5 will clean a driveway faster, if you have a tap and a socket. Shop 55 bar working, 50 litres and the two-pack rail. Do not shop a catalogue peak.

Body only, then two packs

There is no kit we will send you to. The DHW080ZK carton is the washer. Batteries are not in the box. Buy the bare tool if two 5.0Ah or 6.0Ah LXT packs and a charger are already on the shelf. That is the only honest first cost on this page: £435 for the body.

If the packs are not on the shelf, leave this page. Two new LXT cells and a charger sit on top of £435. A first-time buy can run well past £500. That is trade money for a platform you do not own. The Fontus kit is the no-tap household path. A handheld on the cordless guide is the path if you will carry water. Do not start LXT for a Saturday car.

Shop the live total, not the word kit. A listing that says DHW080ZK and shows a case with no packs is the bare tool. A listing that shows two packs should say so in the contents list, and we still only have one buy button. There is one button on this page: Check latest price.

Pressure and the two modes

Working pressure is 30 to 55 bar. High and low sit on the machine. The 80 bar figure is the maximum the pump is allowed to hit, not the number you will live with every minute. Shop 55 bar. That is still many times a garden hose, which is about 2 to 4 bar, and it is the closest cordless gets to a small mains washer. It is still below a basic K2 at 110 bar, and a long way below a K4 at 130 bar.

Flow is why it feels more like a proper washer than a Fontus or an OC 6-18. About 330 L/h on high, 240 L/h rated. Some UK shops print 380 L/h as a max. Those extra litres rinse shampoo off a van. A Fontus tops out around 186 L/h. An OC 6-18 is 200 L/h. A handheld HydroShot is 220 L/h. This case moves water. It still will not strip a mossy terrace the way a tap-fed K4 does.

Low is the setting for glass, stickers, a badge and anything you do not want to mark. High is the useful working step for film, arches and plant. Keep the lance moving. Stand back from paint. A bike is an open frame. Leave a tight jet off a hub, a headset, a cassette and any e-bike battery bay. The same rule as a dirt blaster on a mains machine. First-use nozzle order is on the how-to page.

Battery and runtime

The platform is two 18V LXT packs in series. That is a 36V rail, not a single-slide garden tool. Makita wants 5.0Ah or 6.0Ah. Do not turn up with 2.0Ah slides. A pair of small packs will disappoint you faster than the pump will. That is the reason to buy this case if the big packs are already on the shelf. It is also the reason to skip it if the packs on the shelf are Bosch, Kärcher, Ryobi or Worx. A bargain tool that needs a new charger and two 6.0Ah cells is not a bargain.

Makita quotes 15 minutes on high and 34 minutes on low with 2 × 6.0Ah. That is a proper wash of a van or a dirty car if you foam first and rinse with purpose. It is not an afternoon on a yard. A second pair of packs is the practical answer, not a wish that the pump would sip less. Fifty litres of water will outlast a short pack. The batteries are the limit on high, not the tank.

IPX5 wet-guard only holds if the battery cover is closed. Keep the jet off the packs anyway. Do not stand the case in a puddle and hope the rating covers a dunk. Use clean water in the tank. Grit wrecks these pumps faster than a 15-minute high runtime will annoy you. Drain before frost. The how-to page has the drain-down habit for any washer you will leave in a van or a shed.

Water: case or tap

The case carries water. That is the point and the limit. Fifty litres is enough for a real wash of a van or a dirty car without walking back inside. It is the first tank in this UK set that feels like a full wash rather than a rinse plus a refill. You can also clip it to a tap, or self-prime from a bucket or a water butt up to 1 m. You buy the case for the days there is no tap. You clip a hose on for the days there is.

Use clean water. Fill from a tap if the butt is green. Sand in a pump is a new case. Self-prime means the pump can lift water without a tap pushing it in. Check that 1 m height. A butt on a stand is fine. A pond down a bank is not. The 5.5 m high-pressure hose is reach around a van if you park the case at a corner. It is not hose to walk a yard. Move the case. Do not stretch the hose around a hot exhaust.

A tap feed does not turn this into a mains K4. Pressure and flow stay 55 bar working and about 330 L/h. You only stop filling the case. That is useful on a site with a standpipe. It is not a reason to skip mains if the tap and the socket are already there and the Saturday includes a drive every week.

Weight and daily use

Empty, this is a manageable case. Published empty weights sit around 7.1 to 7.7 kg for the unit, about 8.0 to 8.3 kg with batteries. Some UK tables print 7.1 to 7.9 kg with batteries. Full, add 50 kg of water. The case is a water-butt on wheels. Fill it where you will use it. Drain it before you think about a boot. If you cannot roll that weight over a gravel strip, this is the wrong shape, however good 55 bar looks on paper.

The wheels exist for that reason. Use them. Fifty kilograms of water plus plastic is a two-person lift if you ignore the sentence. Do not buy this if you thought tank meant a 10 kg trolley you lift into a hatchback. A Fontus on a full tank is around 22 to 25 kg. An OC 6-18 is about 18 to 20 kg. This case is a different class of heavy.

After the job, run the pump on clean water if the tank has sat. Drain what you can before frost. A case still holds water in the head and the 5.5 m hose. The how-to page has the drain-down habit. This one lives in a van or a shed. It does not live next to a helmet. That is why the cordless guide does not treat it as a household handheld, and why the tank page tells first-time buyers to walk away.

Which carton

1. You already own two 5.0Ah or 6.0Ah LXT packs and a charger. Bare DHW080ZK at £435. That is the only carton we will send you to.
2. You own LXT, but only 2.0Ah slides. Buy proper packs first, or leave this page. The small cells will not run this pump as Makita intends.
3. You own no Makita batteries. Do not start a new battery family for a Saturday wash. Read the Fontus review or the cordless guide.
4. You already own this case. A spare pair of 5.0Ah or 6.0Ah packs. Not a second DHW080ZK.
5. You have a tap and a socket. Leave this page. Buy mains.
6. You already live on Bosch or Kärcher 18V, and you want a tank you roll from the kitchen. Stay on those packs. Fontus or the OC 6-18.

There is only one Makita we will send you to. Shop DHW080ZK. Confirm 50 litres, 55 bar working, two 18V LXT rails and the 5.5 m hose. Confirm that batteries are not in the box. A listing that shouts a kit with two packs is a different carton, and it still has only one button on this site. A listing that shouts 80 bar and hides 55 is the same pump with the catalogue peak on the tile.

Not a mains substitute

A cordless case is for the job where the lead and the garden hose are more hassle than the dirt, and you already live on LXT. It is not the household washer. Fifty-five bar and about 330 L/h will wash a van. They will not do a green drive the way a tap-fed K4 does. Runtime on two 6.0Ah packs is 15 minutes on high. If the Saturday is cars and a normal patio, and the tap and the socket are there, buy mains. A K4 Flex is the usual house buy if the tap and the socket are there.

The Fontus and the OC 6-18 are the other named tanks. They are not picks on this page. Fifteen litres and 20 bar from £179, or 12 litres and 24 bar at £229.99 bare, if you want a kitchen-fill trolley rather than a 50 litre case. Those deep pages are the Bosch Fontus review and the Kärcher OC 6-18 review. Handheld siphon guns are not picks here either. That class sits on the cordless guide. A Makita is not a HydroShot with a crate glued on. That comparison is the tank page.

FAQ

Is the Makita DHW080 worth it?

Yes, if you already own two 5.0Ah or 6.0Ah LXT packs and you need 55 bar and 50 litres away from a socket. No, if you are starting from zero. No, if you have a tap and a socket and you will wash a patio. At £435 bare it is body-only money. Add two packs and a charger and a first-time buy can run well past £500. That is trade money, not a household gun.

Does it come with batteries?

No. The DHW080ZK carton is the washer. Two 18V LXT packs sit on top, 5.0Ah or 6.0Ah. There is no kit button on this page. Shop the contents list and the live total. If a tile shows packs in the photo, read the list before you pay. There is one buy button for the body.

Is it 55 bar or 80 bar?

Both, and the difference matters. 55 bar is the working high figure. 30 bar is the low end of the working range. 80 bar is the maximum. Shop 55 bar. That is still well above a Fontus or an OC 6-18, and still below a mains K2. Listings that only shout 80 bar are not lying. They are not telling you the number you will live with.

Can it wash a van or a car?

Yes, if you treat it as a wash, not a blast. Foam or shampoo, mitt, then a rinse. Fifty litres and 55 bar are enough for a dirtier job than a 12 litre trolley. Fifteen minutes on high with 2 × 6.0Ah is a proper van or a dirty car, not a leisurely fleet. A second pair of packs helps. A tap hook-up helps. None of that replaces a mains washer for a family that washes every weekend. This case is still cordless.

Can it do a patio?

A small, lightly dirty patch, on high, if you accept a short runtime and you already own the packs. A green terrace, driveway oil or a full set of slabs wants a mains machine in the 130 bar class. Cordless water volume is fine here. Battery time is the limit. Do not buy a £435 body as a patio washer and hope. That is the patio-toy warning the tank page already gives.

Do I need a tap?

You need a water source. The case holds 50 litres. You can fill it at a kitchen mixer, a standpipe or a water butt, then roll it. You can self-prime up to 1 m. You can clip a hose on if a tap is there. A K4 without a tap is a box in the kitchen. A DHW080ZK without water in the case is a dry motor. If you will carry a bucket anyway, a handheld on the cordless guide is the cheaper path.

How long does the battery last?

Fifteen minutes on high and 34 minutes on low with 2 × 6.0Ah, on Makita figures. Smaller packs are shorter. Plan the job around a van or a dirty car, not an afternoon on a yard. Swap packs. Do not stand there waiting for a charger to refill two 6.0Ah cells between arches. Fifty litres will usually outlast the high setting. The packs empty first.

How much does a full case weigh?

Add one kilogram per litre to the empty weight. Empty with batteries, about 8 kg. Full, 50 kg of water plus the box. Roll it. Fill it where it will sit. Drain before you lift anything into a car. A Fontus on a full tank is around 22 to 25 kg. An OC 6-18 is about 18 to 20 kg. This case is not those trolleys.

Makita, Fontus or OC 6-18?

Makita if the LXT packs are already on the shelf and you need 55 bar and 50 litres. Fontus if the outdoor tap is missing and you want the household Bosch tank. That deep page is the Bosch Fontus review. OC 6-18 if Kärcher 18V is already in the shed. That deep page is the Kärcher OC 6-18 review. The class argument stays on the tank page. This page will not re-shortlist them.

More reading

The tank class in full is the cordless pressure washer with tank guide. The household Bosch tank is the Bosch Fontus review. The Kärcher trolley is the Kärcher OC 6-18 review. Handheld siphon guns sit on the cordless guide. First use and frost drain-down are on how to use a pressure washer.