Milwaukee M12 Polisher/Sander 2438-22X

woodstockva · Aug 4, 2014

Hey Everybody

This is the newest offering in Milwaukee's M12 lineup, and is an innovative solution for auto-detailers and mechanics all in one unit.

They built in some cool features with this, that will allow you to use polishing pads & standard 2" ROLOC discs by incorporating two different speed settings that is ideal for each mode. Speed #1 will be polishing mode & the pad will spin at 2,800 RPMs......but, if you want to use sanding discs, just bump it to speed #2 & now you are spinning at 8,300 RPMs to remove tough baked-on gaskets on things like cylinder heads, engine blocks, exhaust manifolds, or intakes.

In this video I will go over the features of this tool, I will show you what comes in the kit, and you will get to see it actually being used.

*** CORRECTION ***

The 2438-22X kit includes a 1.5AH & 3.0AH battery, not a 2.0AH & 4.0AH as stated in the video.

Thanks for watching!

ADSR · Aug 4, 2014

Oh man! That looks very handy. cleaning up gaskets without air *****. That looks just the ticket.

Strouty · Aug 4, 2014

Looks great, the tool and the video.

chadster1 · Aug 4, 2014

I got mine in about a week ago. Just have not had a chance to use it yet.

ADSR · Aug 4, 2014

chadster1 said:
I got mine in about a week ago. Just have not had a chance to use it yet.

price?

rice rocket · Aug 4, 2014

Shirt....so bright...

efb16acrx · Aug 4, 2014

I was wondering about the mandrel change, that's pretty slick. How's the power compared to your standard small air angle die grinder? Thinking about picking one up but I'd use it more for welding prep with sanding discs than anything else.

chadster1 · Aug 4, 2014

LORDDiESEL said:
price?

I don't really remember. I ordered it from one of the wholesalers that I dealt with when I was a Snap-on dealer and at the same time I was getting credit for some things that I was returning.

Bobcat753 · Aug 4, 2014

Now I want one. Seems real handy for doing gasket prep on small engines. Would also be perfect for polishing lenses on some of my lightbars!

juicedapple463 · Aug 4, 2014

Great review, looks real handy to surface prep.

woodstockva · Aug 4, 2014

LORDDiESEL said:
Oh man! That looks very handy. cleaning up gaskets without air *****. That looks just the ticket.

Yeah.....one slip of the wrist with a regular scraper will gouge an aluminum surface and mess everything up. Sadly I know this all too well....ROLOC bristle discs always for me now

Strouty said:
Looks great, the tool and the video.

Thanks!

LORDDiESEL said:
price?

There are 3 options :

1. Bare tool (2438-20) = $149.99
2. Kit w/2 compact batteries (2438-22) = $199.99
3. Kit w/1 compact & 1 high capacity battery (2438-22X) = $229.99

rice rocket said:
Shirt....so bright...

Ha....yeah I know

I forgot I had it on until it was too late!

efb16acrx said:
I was wondering about the mandrel change, that's pretty slick. How's the power compared to your standard small air angle die grinder? Thinking about picking one up but I'd use it more for welding prep with sanding discs than anything else.

It removes gaskets about 75% as fast I would say.....but the HUGE advantage is how quiet it is!!! Although "hearing protection" is recommended, I dont know why.....at full speed it is quieter than a regular drill. I guess thats the legal dept's doing.

Keep in mind that at 8,300 RPMs, the batteries are not going to last an extremely long time. You really need to get the 2438-22X kit (with one high capacity 4.0 & one compact 2.0 battery).

The feel, control, and noise level was exceptional with this. I was very happily surprised to see how well it did with ROLOC discs. I hate the noise & air consumption of an angle die grinder.

Bobcat753 said:
Now I want one. Seems real handy for doing gasket prep on small engines. Would also be perfect for polishing lenses on some of my lightbars!

Oh definitely!

juicedapple463 said:
Great review, looks real handy to surface prep.

Thanks!

trackwelder · Aug 5, 2014

Mine is on the UPS truck out for delivery today. I ordered from Toolfetch for $195.74 shipped with a 5% coupon code. I can't wait to get home and use it.

woodstockva · Aug 5, 2014

trackwelder said:
Mine is on the UPS truck out for delivery today. I ordered from Toolfetch for $195.74 shipped with a 5% coupon code. I can't wait to get home and use it.

Awesome!

One suggestion I will say while I am thinking of it.....if you are using ROLOC Bristle Discs, do NOT overtighten them!! If you twist them down further than when they meet the mandrel surface, it will rip the threaded post off of the bristle disc & ruin it. I found this out the hard way.

You only need to "hand tighten" the mandrels onto the tool & "hand tighten" the ROLOC discs onto the mandrel.

trackwelder · Aug 5, 2014

Thanks for the tip on the Roloc bristles. They are too expensive to ruin.

woodstockva · Aug 5, 2014

**** CORRECTION ****

The 2438-22X kit includes a 1.5AH & 3.0AH battery, not a 2.0AH & 4.0AH as stated in the video.

Thanks to trackwelder for pointing this out! I have updated the video and description.

trackwelder · Aug 5, 2014

My kit arrived today and it is super nice. This tool is going to be a real time saver. I used it for about 15 minutes and I'm really impressed. To the Milwaukee engineer's who may read this way to GO!!!!!!!! keep the new tools coming :drool:

weerez935 · Aug 5, 2014

Woodstocka you keep making me buy more stuff!

So far you have got me to order or soon to order:
M18fuel high torque 1/2" impact

M12 hackzall

Astro pneumatic speed bar set

Gearwrench 120 XP

Little big nozzle

Great videos! If they were any better or more frequent I'd be divorced.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Ign · Aug 6, 2014

I really want one of these but am looking for a good promo. Not excited about $230 for the XC kit or $150 for tool-only.

Ign · Aug 13, 2014

Ok, I have a burning question for which I can't seem to find an answer: IS IT POSSIBLE TO GET AN ADAPTER FOR 3" ROLOCS?

I can't tell if the threads that go into the tool itself are proprietary?? Is it possible to buy Roloc holders in the aftermarket w these threads?? I'm only aware of 1/4" straight shank for use in a die grinder collet and 1/4 hex QC.

What I do with 3" Rolocs is light load, so I'm not worried about taxing the motor, but in order for this to be a good investment for me I NEED it to accept 3" Rolocs.

Anyone??

Ign · Aug 14, 2014

BTT, I'm betting the OP can at least take a stab at this...

Astro_Pneumatic_Tools · Aug 14, 2014

weerez935 said:
Woodstocka you keep making me buy more stuff!

So far you have got me to order or soon to order:
M18fuel high torque 1/2" impact

M12 hackzall

Astro pneumatic speed bar set

Gearwrench 120 XP

Little big nozzle

Great videos! If they were any better or more frequent I'd be divorced.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

woodstockva · Aug 14, 2014

Ign said:
Ok, I have a burning question for which I can't seem to find an answer: IS IT POSSIBLE TO GET AN ADAPTER FOR 3" ROLOCS?

I can't tell if the threads that go into the tool itself are proprietary?? Is it possible to buy Roloc holders in the aftermarket w these threads?? I'm only aware of 1/4" straight shank for use in a die grinder collet and 1/4 hex QC.

What I do with 3" Rolocs is light load, so I'm not worried about taxing the motor, but in order for this to be a good investment for me I NEED it to accept 3" Rolocs.

Anyone??

Ign said:
BTT, I'm betting the OP can at least take a stab at this...

Hey sorry for the delay! I just flew back in from the Milwaukee 2014 Product Event

The post is threaded into the mandrel & into the tool. I assume if you got a 3" mandrel & drilled/tapped the hole to match the thread pitch on that mounting post, you could (in theory) swap it over to the 3" version. As long as it is centered, I dont see why this would be an issue.

I think this polisher/sander is a lot more popular than they originally thought it would be, so hopefully a more powerful FUEL version may come down the pipeline next year.....I am hoping anyway!

Ign · Aug 22, 2014

trackwelder said:
Mine is on the UPS truck out for delivery today. I ordered from Toolfetch for $195.74 shipped with a 5% coupon code. I can't wait to get home and use it.

Alright, I could wait no more. I was hoping to wait until some sort of a promo either thru Milwaukee or something like CPO where you buy an M12 kit and get a light, or a free battery, or something (there is such a promo right now, notably thru HD but others honor it too but the 2438 is seemingly so new it is not included in any current promos).

I was at $191.14 shipped thru Toolfetch with the 5% code (which was offered to me when I visited their site and signed up my email address). In the current market pretty good for the -22X kit, which of course includes the one XC battery and one standard battery.

Ign · Aug 28, 2014

So Toolfetch cancelled my order stating "long lead times." Shortly thereafter I went to eBay seeing if there were any new kits that had not actually been bid up to or above retail by the average eBay idiot. Lo and behold I got a NIB 2438-22X for $168 shipped which is a really good price for this kit right now. The seller sells A LOT of Milwaukee on eBay but I honestly don't know if they're an authorized retailer, so not sure my warranty will be intact but am sure I don't care much.

I haven't received the kit yet but have progressing tracking info so that's 1 step further than Toolfetch got me!

Ign · Aug 31, 2014

Alright the spindle of the tool is female M9x.75. ****** move by Milwaukee because M9 is pretty damn rare & I'm sure they did this on purpose. I've tried to find an M9x.75 bolt I could modify to an adapter in the lathe but no hardware seems to exist in this size.

The other end of the adapter which goes into the provided backing pads is M6x1.0. This is also a problem because the threads in my 3M backing pad for 3" Rolocs is 1/4-20.

If I have to I'll just make a custom adapter from scratch, but at the moment I have an import 3" Roloc backing pad on order, hoping it might M6 threads for direct plug 'n play. Will update more later.

Ign · Sep 4, 2014

So I got this import 3" Roloc backing pad today
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B003L3RMKE

It's packaged as a White Dog brand and all the wording is solid English. Overall the quality of this is pretty impressive, and they did one helluva job copying the 3M holder right down to the 1/4-20 thread! I was hoping for M6x1.0

Anyway in a moment of EXTREME laziness I just ran an M6 tap into the backing pad threads, which are a brass insert of some kind. I figured if it didn't work out I'd either get an M6 Timesert/Heli-coil or worst case destroy an item that cost me $4.99 delivered w Prime.

Seems to work fine. It does have a bit of runout but I don't know if that was from my hand-tap job as I never spun it up in the 1/4-20 threads. Not a wobble runout, looks like concentricity.

Anyway, the problem is presently resolved AFAIC. Oh and you may note from Amazon reviews these import backing pads apparently went thru a period of bad threads for the Rolocs themselves, but reviewers later noted that appears to have been remedied. My BriteStar pads (a woven abrasive competitor regularly sold by Enco & MSC) fit fine.

Ign · Sep 15, 2014

So far my 3" Roloc backing pad is working great and I love the tool. Definitely lasts a lot longer on the XC batteries. Thus far I've polished 480 ends of 1.5" aluminum tube with the 3" Roloc and the threads are holding up

Ign · Sep 17, 2014

Ign said:
So far my 3" Roloc backing pad is working great and I love the tool. Definitely lasts a lot longer on the XC batteries. Thus far I've polished 480 ends of 1.5" aluminum tube with the 3" Roloc and the threads are holding up

Alright, finished my job, sanded 1,480 ends of pipe with my 3" Roloc setup.

The tool not only works better on XC batteries but preferably with more than two dots on the fuel gage. Polishing requires speed (which is where the greater surface speed of a 3" helps vs a 2") and performance does suffer a bit below 1/2 charge.

Twice I had the tool flash the gage lights in an alternating, traveling pattern, ie like 1st and 3rd then 2nd and 4th. The manual makes no mention of this malfunction code but from what I could tell it means the battery is not making full contact or is somehow improperly seated. One time just letting off the trigger and then engaging it again cleared the problem. The second time I dropped the battery out and popped it back in, which cleared the problem. Different XC batteries each time (one was a 3.0, one was a 4.0), so it's something in the tool, presumably the contacts. Hopefully this does not become a long-term nagging problem or I'll pursue warranty repair.

rice rocket · Sep 17, 2014

I've had flashing like that (not sure it was the same pattern) on my M12 Fuel impact driver when using the variable speed trigger at really low speeds. I usually resolves itself w/ the next trigger pull as you said.

ToddW · Dec 24, 2016

How's everyone still liking this tool?

Thinking about picking it up as my first M12 tool (got a # of m18 already).

Looking to use it when I don't want to grab the air hose and die grinders... my concern is that this is only 8500rp vs 15,000rpm of the grinders.

I will use it with roloc surface prep discs and roloc sanding disks... will I be upset with it for this usage? I have 0 need or usage as a polisher.

ihateminimumwage · Dec 24, 2016

ToddW said:
How's everyone still liking this tool?

Thinking about picking it up as my first M12 tool (got a # of m18 already).

Looking to use it when I don't want to grab the air hose and die grinders... my concern is that this is only 8500rp vs 15,000rpm of the grinders.

I will use it with roloc surface prep discs and roloc sanding disks... will I be upset with it for this usage? I have 0 need or usage as a polisher.

Loving mine so far (only had it a few months). Works great with Roloc bristle discs and sanding discs as well. Mine gets used for onsite gasket removal (SO much faster than a scraper or razor).

I was a little thrown off by the specific chuck fitting, but it makes sense to keep folks from trying to use drill bits (too fast) or carbide burrs (too slow) in it. The speed seemed slow when I first tried it out, but it really works great with the 2" discs, and took one quick use outside in the wet cold to convince me it's a keeper.

Ign · Dec 24, 2016

ToddW said:
How's everyone still liking this tool?

Thinking about picking it up as my first M12 tool (got a # of m18 already).

Looking to use it when I don't want to grab the air hose and die grinders... my concern is that this is only 8500rp vs 15,000rpm of the grinders.

I will use it with roloc surface prep discs and roloc sanding disks... will I be upset with it for this usage? I have 0 need or usage as a polisher.

Do what I explained in post 26. I've used mine heavily since those postings. You'll get way more performance w 3" because you are literally getting more speed at the OD

ToddW · Dec 24, 2016

Ign said:
Do what I explained in post 26. I've used mine heavily since those postings. You'll get way more performance w 3" because you are literally getting more speed at the OD

I like the idea, but I'm not going to go out and buy 3" discs to do it... I have tons of 2" from/for my air tools. Maybe when they run out :bounce:

Ign · Dec 24, 2016

I keep a nice RA die grinder ready w 2" and the Milwaukee is my 3". Thus duties are divided but I rarely use 2" anymore unless space constraints mandate it.

ToddW · Dec 26, 2016

Ign said:
I keep a nice RA die grinder ready w 2" and the Milwaukee is my 3". Thus duties are divided but I rarely use 2" anymore unless space constraints mandate it.

That's really the only reason I use the 2" and die grinders... space

If I have room then I'm busting out the Dewalt 120v with 'nice grip' and high RPM and going at it... I like the small 2" for final weld prep, tight spot prep, cleanup/strip tight spot, etc...

I think this m12 will serve me well in that regard, no pulling air and get the job done quick

Now to find some M12 battery deals for another highcap battery!

dnschmidt · Dec 26, 2016

Got one and it's the nuts. Used it to polish a bumper I had painted for a friend's drift car. Eats batteries fairly fast but I expected that. I also carry a pair and a spare of batteries when using a high draw tool as this is.

a52-830 · Jul 7, 2017

this thread started almost three years ago, so these tools are not new.

i recently bought one of these buffers. i like it so far, but have not been able to find any accessories for it other than the ones it comes with.

am i missing something? are there accessories either milwaukee or someone else makes that attaches to this buffer?

thanx. . . . .

pstemari · Jul 8, 2017

Earlier in the thread are some suggestions for adapting a 3" roloc to this by retapping the roloc adapter for an M6 thread.

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Hammer1963 · Jul 9, 2017

This is a great tool. I primarily use mine for buffing. It is a hungry tool that likes to use plenty of juice. Just be prepared with batteries and you'll love it.

bpankratz · Nov 1, 2017

I just bought this tool and got it in the mail. It seems like Milwaukee does not even supply the replacement adapters for these??

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