Battery charger issue 
I recently purchased this blower and the separate ...battery you need, but have yet to use it because I have had trouble finding an 18v battery charger. Amazon doesn't have one as a separate product, nor [do local stores](18 volt chargers are rare items, I am told). I wound up ordering a new Makita 18 volt 1/2" drill kit with two batteries and a charger for about $209 (not much more than the price of two batteries). A reconditioned drill kit would be even better, as recommended in another review here, but when I looked Amazon no longer carried this item.Point is, think about how you are going to buy your batteries (cheaper in a kit) and where you will get a charger if not in a kit.
I give it 5 stars because I assume it is a great product, and the review system requires a stars to be selected.
What a disappointment 
I am a contractor who really needs a small cordless vacuum and blower. I already have many corded and cordless 18v Makita tools, so I was really looking forward to this arriving. There is a really aweful reason why you only ever see the photo of this set up in blower configuration. It's because that is all it is any good for. To convert it to a vacuum you have to put the dust bag on the front in place of the nozzle, then you put the nozzle on the side of the maching sticking out at 90 degrees from the handle!! Obviously, the machine is now such a weird shape it is now basically useless as a vacuum. It cannot be used to vacuum a van or car. It cannot be used to vacuum inside cabinets or anything else. I am not even sure how you could hold the trigger while holding the machine so the nozzle aims in front of you. You would probably have to use both hands. I can't believe anyone could be stupid enough to design this. They should sell it as just a blower or give a photo of it in both configurations to warn people.
I never even bothered to put a battery in it or turn it on. Five minutes after opening it and reading the instructions, it was back in its box and on its way to Amazon returns.
If you ONLY want a blower, then maybe it would be fine for you. If you want a cordless vacuum, then don't even consider this Frankenstein designed machine.
Great light-duty blower
I do woodworking on the weekends and bought this blower to clean up my shop. The variable speed on the blower is very useful; I can use the blower with just enough force to blow sawdust off of my tools and work surfaces without creating a dust storm in my shop. The 18 volt battery lasts for several days when used in this mode. My only complaint is that the blower won't stand upright when set on a flat surface. I wish Makita had built the blower with the weight distributed such that it would stand up when set on a surface.
Makita 18V Blower
A joy to use! Much quieter than plug-in electrics, but a little less powerful. It really gets the job done easily. Instead of pulling out 100 ft of cord or gassing up the really loud gas blower--I can just pull this compact, light blower out and get the job done in 5 minutes instead of 20.
Battery usually lasts long enough to do several cleanups after mowing and trimming front and back yards. Should be available with charger and 18V battery included. I really like it!
Good quick set up blower - no good vacuum
The blower portion works real well. The hose could be longer so as to not have to stoop at times. An extention wand would be great. The vacuum is useless since the impeller is blocked by a non-removable guard under the intake by a plastic cross. One small leaf blocked it immediately. I laughed at the size when I saw it but it works good for small quick jobs.
