M12™ Variable Speed Polisher/Sander (Tool Only)
M12™ Variable Speed Polisher/Sander (Tool Only)
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The lowest price for Milwaukee 2438-20 M12 Variable Speed Polisher/Sander ? Bare Tool right now is , compared across 5 retailers.
Milwaukee 2438-20 M12 Variable Speed Polisher/Sander ? Bare Tool
M12™ Variable Speed Polisher/Sander (Tool Only)
M12™ Variable Speed Polisher/Sander (Tool Only)
The all-time low was $20.35 on 28 Aug 2026. That's the lowest price we've ever tracked — a great time to buy.
Prices last updated 4 Sept 2026.
Last updated at 04/09/2026 11:17:43
Milwaukee 2438-20 M12 Variable Speed Polisher/Sander ? Bare Tool
Free delivery
Affiliate Disclosure: We may receive a small commission for purchases made through this link at no extra cost to you. This helps support our site. Thank you!
Milwaukee M12 Variable Speed Polisher/Sander (Tool Only) 2438-20
Milwaukee 2438-20 M12 Cordless Variable Speed Polisher/sander
Delivery $45.47
Affiliate Disclosure: We may receive a small commission for purchases made through this link at no extra cost to you. This helps support our site. Thank you!
Milwaukee 2438-20 M12 Variable Speed Polisher/Sander Bare Tool
Delivery between 8–12 Sept $35.88
Cordless Polisher, No Battery Included
Delivery between 10–13 Sept $29
originally posted on ebay.com
So Ive wanted this for a while and I knew if I bought anything else I wouldnt be happy and I would eventually get this Milwaukee polisher anyway. Well I had a coupon for Harbor freights version I believe its called the earthquake XT? So who better to try it out first than my best friend who happens to own a body shop. And he is an artist when it comes to paint and body work. So he starts to polish the fender of his 66 Buick. He said at first it had decent power and felt OK. Within about two minutes he said it started to get very hot. Maybe 2 minutes later.... the battery died. And I made sure it was on a full charge. That night I ordered the Milwaukee and returned the earthquake. An d I will never go with another brand. Ive used it at least 10 times so far and that ... MoreSo Ive wanted this for a while and I knew if I bought anything else I wouldnt be happy and I would eventually get this Milwaukee polisher anyway. Well I had a coupon for Harbor freights version I believe its called the earthquake XT? So who better to try it out first than my best friend who happens to own a body shop. And he is an artist when it comes to paint and body work. So he starts to polish the fender of his 66 Buick. He said at first it had decent power and felt OK. Within about two minutes he said it started to get very hot. Maybe 2 minutes later.... the battery died. And I made sure it was on a full charge. That night I ordered the Milwaukee and returned the earthquake. An d I will never go with another brand. Ive used it at least 10 times so far and that was both polishing and sanding. Very happy with my purchase and I saved a couple bucks also!
originally posted on homedepot.com
So I never write reviews like this, and I LOVE Milwaukee products, but I feel people should know this before purchasing. The thread on the unit is a M9x.75 female. This is not only non-standard, but virtually does not exist. This really irks me. There already are standards for polishing pads. Straight 1/4 shaft, 1/4-20, 5/16-24, 5/8-11, or even M10. But guess what ain't a standard for anything - m9x.75. And why?!?! This could have been a great product otherwise.
originally posted on milwaukeetool.com
Purchased this for doing my Charger SRT8 HC & the Wife's Jeep. For the smaller, harder to get at areas and it works very well. That was my excuse for buying it. LOL , what I truly wanted it for is my Guitar builds and refinishes and for some touchup work on them. Have to say it works better for this than ever believed possible. Perfect in size, weight , speed. It's all good.Then ya get to the negative, the 2 foam pads that were included, could have been good but are garbage. Within the first five minutes of use (on both of em) the backing was coming off. Stopped the machine and while trying carefully to peel off the backing ripped right off. To be fair was already mostly off the pad already.I've used multiple name brand (and some no name) and these had the ... MorePurchased this for doing my Charger SRT8 HC & the Wife's Jeep. For the smaller, harder to get at areas and it works very well. That was my excuse for buying it. LOL , what I truly wanted it for is my Guitar builds and refinishes and for some touchup work on them. Have to say it works better for this than ever believed possible. Perfect in size, weight , speed. It's all good.Then ya get to the negative, the 2 foam pads that were included, could have been good but are garbage. Within the first five minutes of use (on both of em) the backing was coming off. Stopped the machine and while trying carefully to peel off the backing ripped right off. To be fair was already mostly off the pad already.I've used multiple name brand (and some no name) and these had the possibility to be very good. But the backing is awful.Very dissatisfied and disappointed in the foam pads.Also wish there was an attachment (coupling) if some sort that could fit a 1/4 in bit like on some other pad bases. Yes realize there some forms but not for foam pads that have the 1/4 inch but fully attached as a single unit with the pad. Example the StewMac Guitar Polishing Pads. As they have some unique sizes as well.As far as the tool, Love it! Perhaps I received some bad pads, don't know. However if I buy some more and they're the same and fall apart, won't be happy.
| Included components | Polisher |
| Power source | Cordless |
| Voltage | 220 |
| Specific Uses For Product | Sander |
Milwaukee 2438-20 M12 Variable Speed Polisher/Sander ? Bare Tool
Free delivery
Affiliate Disclosure: We may receive a small commission for purchases made through this link at no extra cost to you. This helps support our site. Thank you!
Milwaukee M12 Variable Speed Polisher/Sander (Tool Only) 2438-20
Milwaukee 2438-20 M12 Cordless Variable Speed Polisher/sander
Delivery $45.47
Affiliate Disclosure: We may receive a small commission for purchases made through this link at no extra cost to you. This helps support our site. Thank you!
Milwaukee 2438-20 M12 Variable Speed Polisher/Sander Bare Tool
Delivery between 8–12 Sept $35.88
Cordless Polisher, No Battery Included
Delivery between 10–13 Sept $29
So Ive wanted this for a while and I knew if I bought anything else I wouldnt be happy and I would eventually get this Milwaukee polisher anyway. Well I had a coupon for Harbor freights version I believe its called the earthquake XT? So who better to try it out first than my best friend who happens to own a body shop. And he is an artist when it comes to paint and body work. So he starts to polish the fender of his 66 Buick. He said at first it had decent power and felt OK. Within about two minutes he said it started to get very hot. Maybe 2 minutes later.... the battery died. And I made sure it was on a full charge. That night I ordered the Milwaukee and returned the earthquake. An d I will never go with another brand. Ive used it at least 10 times so far and that ... MoreSo Ive wanted this for a while and I knew if I bought anything else I wouldnt be happy and I would eventually get this Milwaukee polisher anyway. Well I had a coupon for Harbor freights version I believe its called the earthquake XT? So who better to try it out first than my best friend who happens to own a body shop. And he is an artist when it comes to paint and body work. So he starts to polish the fender of his 66 Buick. He said at first it had decent power and felt OK. Within about two minutes he said it started to get very hot. Maybe 2 minutes later.... the battery died. And I made sure it was on a full charge. That night I ordered the Milwaukee and returned the earthquake. An d I will never go with another brand. Ive used it at least 10 times so far and that was both polishing and sanding. Very happy with my purchase and I saved a couple bucks also!
So I never write reviews like this, and I LOVE Milwaukee products, but I feel people should know this before purchasing. The thread on the unit is a M9x.75 female. This is not only non-standard, but virtually does not exist. This really irks me. There already are standards for polishing pads. Straight 1/4 shaft, 1/4-20, 5/16-24, 5/8-11, or even M10. But guess what ain't a standard for anything - m9x.75. And why?!?! This could have been a great product otherwise.
Purchased this for doing my Charger SRT8 HC & the Wife's Jeep. For the smaller, harder to get at areas and it works very well. That was my excuse for buying it. LOL , what I truly wanted it for is my Guitar builds and refinishes and for some touchup work on them. Have to say it works better for this than ever believed possible. Perfect in size, weight , speed. It's all good.Then ya get to the negative, the 2 foam pads that were included, could have been good but are garbage. Within the first five minutes of use (on both of em) the backing was coming off. Stopped the machine and while trying carefully to peel off the backing ripped right off. To be fair was already mostly off the pad already.I've used multiple name brand (and some no name) and these had the ... MorePurchased this for doing my Charger SRT8 HC & the Wife's Jeep. For the smaller, harder to get at areas and it works very well. That was my excuse for buying it. LOL , what I truly wanted it for is my Guitar builds and refinishes and for some touchup work on them. Have to say it works better for this than ever believed possible. Perfect in size, weight , speed. It's all good.Then ya get to the negative, the 2 foam pads that were included, could have been good but are garbage. Within the first five minutes of use (on both of em) the backing was coming off. Stopped the machine and while trying carefully to peel off the backing ripped right off. To be fair was already mostly off the pad already.I've used multiple name brand (and some no name) and these had the possibility to be very good. But the backing is awful.Very dissatisfied and disappointed in the foam pads.Also wish there was an attachment (coupling) if some sort that could fit a 1/4 in bit like on some other pad bases. Yes realize there some forms but not for foam pads that have the 1/4 inch but fully attached as a single unit with the pad. Example the StewMac Guitar Polishing Pads. As they have some unique sizes as well.As far as the tool, Love it! Perhaps I received some bad pads, don't know. However if I buy some more and they're the same and fall apart, won't be happy.
Sanding out imperfections and polishing with the same tool is great. I have no idea how people have such a hard time finding replacement 3in pads!? This is a great alternative to my pneumatic 3in orbital sander and 3in polisher. It’s also nice you can take it out on the lot for a quick polish of a scratch or something. Only thing I find kinda odd about it is why isn’t there a fuel version? Also I’m not sure if it’s just mine but it seems like the bearing housing on the front gets really hot in a relatively short time. Either way I don’t exactly use it for huge jobs that’s what the big Milwaukee corded 7”/9” 5460 heavy duty polisher is for!
I recently used the Milwaukee M12 Cordless Variable Speed Polisher/Sander to buff out and polish the "fogged" acrylic headlight lenses on 3 vehicles. This involved 4-5 passes with 800, 1500 and 2000 grit sandpaper and water, and 6-8 passes with a polishing pad and rubbing compound. The tool felt comfortable in my hand, and it was easy to control the speed and position, with and without the optional handle. As for battery life, the 1st vehicle took me about 1 1/2 hours using an XC 4.0 A/hr battery. It still had 2 lights on the charge indicator upon completion. I switched to an XC6.0 A/hr battery for the 2nd and 3rd vehicles and completed both (4 headlights) in just over 2 hours. The charge indicator at 3 lights until just after starting the polishing passes.
I took a long time researching other options before buying this tool. I even bought an air polisher from HF which does a similar job and was about 30 bucks. I used both of them and while they both work well I would use this for interiors and places where an air hose cannot go. In fact I used it on the kitchen quartz counter-top in my house which was stained and yellow and none of the cleaning solutions worked. It worked like a charm and brought back the new finish with the supplied foam pads and the car polish. It basically paid for itself in that one application and made my wife happy. They are definitely expensive as compared to other M12 tools but they are definitely useful at places you would least expect to use them and within few uses you would feel you have ... MoreI took a long time researching other options before buying this tool. I even bought an air polisher from HF which does a similar job and was about 30 bucks. I used both of them and while they both work well I would use this for interiors and places where an air hose cannot go. In fact I used it on the kitchen quartz counter-top in my house which was stained and yellow and none of the cleaning solutions worked. It worked like a charm and brought back the new finish with the supplied foam pads and the car polish. It basically paid for itself in that one application and made my wife happy. They are definitely expensive as compared to other M12 tools but they are definitely useful at places you would least expect to use them and within few uses you would feel you have invested your money in a useful tool. Not very ergonomic due to the M12 battery under the wrist making the handle bulge specially when working on angles but a solid tool.
I do car detailing with it. So far I've used it to apply wax and it performed ok. It's got lots of torque. It's nice to have 2 range of speed but it's not easy to keep a steady speed with the trigger.There are a few things that I would have done differently. First, I have used many other polishers and sanders and they had the same common commodity: a locking trigger and a speed dial. There is a lock on the trigger but it only works in the off position (for storage).Second, Milwaukee designed it with a threaded M9 shock. This means that you can't use other backings plates. There are threaded adapters sold out there but I just wish they would have come up with a more common thread.I'm looking forward to try different things with it. I plan to sand headlights, ... MoreI do car detailing with it. So far I've used it to apply wax and it performed ok. It's got lots of torque. It's nice to have 2 range of speed but it's not easy to keep a steady speed with the trigger.There are a few things that I would have done differently. First, I have used many other polishers and sanders and they had the same common commodity: a locking trigger and a speed dial. There is a lock on the trigger but it only works in the off position (for storage).Second, Milwaukee designed it with a threaded M9 shock. This means that you can't use other backings plates. There are threaded adapters sold out there but I just wish they would have come up with a more common thread.I'm looking forward to try different things with it. I plan to sand headlights, use it with compound to polish in tight areas and a few other things once I find threaded adapters. BTW, be careful with the hook-and-loop adapter, I tear off the adhesive piece on my pad the first time I took it off.
The problem with this tool is that it only uses overpriced Rolok type sanding disks. There are lots of much less expensive 2 inch "hook an loop" sanding disks but there are no 2 inch "hook an loop" backing pads made that fit this tool because of its weird female metric M9x0.75 Spindle Thread.To be fair there are 3rd party after market thread adapters available that allow one to mount industry standard backing pads. The question for Milwaukee is why not use a standard mounting thread to begin with?
The polisher is great but it could be better. I like a few things about it. The polisher is lightweight and versatile. It can get into tight places. It is multi-purpose. There are lot's of battery options for it. There are lots of pad options for it, and countless sanding options. I don't like that the variable speed is trigger controlled.Trying to hold the trigger at what you think is a certain RPM can be tiring. It would be better with a dial to control the speed, then just pull and lock the trigger. Or make a One Key model that allows for speed customization through the app. If you're on the fence, maybe hold off until that happens.
I am impressed with this little versatile tool and the advantage to do small panels at a time using the large cache of milwaukee batteries I have collected with many sets in past. It's great to offer a "tool only" option to save a little and justify a purchase more so than to keep buying kits with batteries. I used this for polishing and was so impressed that I could not stop with the "what else can I conveniently polish?" jitters. It works very well and gave me roughly 25 minutes of variable run time on the XC which is great for a small panel. I would say you need at least 3 batteries to charge cycle if you are using this to polish a larger surface so you always have a charged battery as one dies. The best is that it feels very well balanced and not heavy at all so ... MoreI am impressed with this little versatile tool and the advantage to do small panels at a time using the large cache of milwaukee batteries I have collected with many sets in past. It's great to offer a "tool only" option to save a little and justify a purchase more so than to keep buying kits with batteries. I used this for polishing and was so impressed that I could not stop with the "what else can I conveniently polish?" jitters. It works very well and gave me roughly 25 minutes of variable run time on the XC which is great for a small panel. I would say you need at least 3 batteries to charge cycle if you are using this to polish a larger surface so you always have a charged battery as one dies. The best is that it feels very well balanced and not heavy at all so you will have less fatigue in the hand compared to hand polishing with a buffing pad. With anyone curious about reverse, it does not have reverse as it is intended for polishing and sanding only. With that said, if you are looking for something to use effectively for polishing small surface areas, give this one a shot as long as you do not expect to fully polish a whole car in one charge.
| Included components | Polisher |
| Power source | Cordless |
| Voltage | 220 |
| Specific Uses For Product | Sander |
