Starrett Automatic Center Punch with Hardened Steel Metal - 100mm Length, 11mm Punch Diameter Tapered Point - 18AA

Pay attention to the recent reviews regarding failure to reset after triggering, which it mostly doesn’t do. Unfortunately I waited too long before I realized how bad it was. Test immediately, if you bother at all. Apparently, Starrett isn’t the company it used to be. I have vintage tools that are 50 years old and work perfectly, but now there’s a 30-day return limit? Ridiculous! Also, this model is TINY! I didn’t realize a micro-version was an option. Fool me once…

This punch is small, which is a plus, and very dependable. I use it anytime I want a small centering hole. Just push and punch. Well worth getting. The self tapping feature is easy and reliable. Dont know why it took me so long to find this device. No more hammering. Now a simple one-handed operation. Listen for the click and you know you have a made small centering mark.

Good for woodworking, even on softer woods. Sometimes takes a couple punches to make the size of hole that I want but given how easy it is to use this isnt really a con, just press up and down a couple times. It works on metal too but obviously if you are primarily doing metal working this probably wont be heavy duty enough.

Quality, quality, quality. You get what you pay for from Starrett. Very well made. No complaints.

This, the 18AA is a little brother to the 18A. Keep in mind that the 18AA has no replaceable tips which can be a good thing as its more rugged. I use auto center punches for aviation rivet removal so they are heavily abused. Starrett auto center punches have never misfired even once for me. Bypass the red punches from the tool truck they are junk compared to a Starrett!

Product quickly arrived as promised. This small punch makes a tiiiiiny indention, enough for a drillbit to lead. I do wish was more potent and made a larger indention in sheet metal.

As presented! This punch actually allows one to vary the indentation force via the adjustment knob - unlike a previous purchase!

After yet another Harbor Freight punch wore out, I decided to buy a real tool. The Starrett auto punch is definitely well made and feels good to hold, and operates smoothly -- but it doesnt do much. Im getting just a tiny nick in 24ga steel sheet metal, and not much better in 1/8 aluminum extrusions. This is at the highest setting. I guess this punch is only really intended for softer materials, but that wasnt super clear to me in the description. Im just a weekend warrior and not familiar with the intricacies of selecting proper fabrication tools. Evidently I I was also surprised by how small it is...the dimensions are clearly given but I have small hands so figured it wouldnt be an issue. I can hold it fine but it gets lost in the pencil-loop of my toolbelt where I kept my old one -- I have to take off my gloves and poke around in there to fish it out, which isnt much of a time-savings. Im returning the punch in favor of the full-sized 18C, which apparently is more like what Im looking for.

I use this to punch/stamp date codes into metal castings and I typically have to do it multiple times in the same spot for it to be deep enough for QA purposes (by deep enough, I mean visible without a magnifying glass and/or light to notice the difference). The tool came fully tightened, so theres no way to make the punch hit harder unless I use a hammer (which is impractical in some cases). Maybe the spring is faulty and thats my issue? I dont know as Im not going to try to open it up and risk not having it work even at this level. The tip has retained its point after multiple uses, so thats a definite plus. I would have given this 5 stars if I didnt have to punch the same spot multiple times to see an effect.

It arrived early and workswell. The adjustable punch is great depending on the material youre trying to mark and the size if impression.