18V Brushless Sander Polisher, 180mm, 1000 to 3000rpm, M14

This is a cordless version of the bodyshop sander polisher. With a wool pad it polishes paint, cuts back a respray and lifts oxidation off a faded panel. With sanding paper fitted it flattens filler, feathers an edge and takes rust and old coatings off steel. Being cordless, it goes to the vehicle rather than the vehicle coming to the socket, which suits mobile detailing, a yard, a breakdown or a site.

Speed control from 1 000 to 3 000 revolutions a minute is what lets one machine do both jobs. Compound needs a low speed or it dries out and burns the paint, while sanding wants the top of the range. The soft start stops the pad snatching and flinging compound when you first pull the trigger. A brushless motor is the reason this is practical on a battery at all, because it gets more work from a pack and has no brushes to wear out. The M14 spindle is the standard thread for backing plates and pads, so accessories are easy to find. A wool pad, a polisher pad, a D type auxiliary handle and sanding paper come with it, and at 1.43kg it is light for a tool of this class.