Starrett Steel Automatic Center Punch with Adjustable Stroke - 5-1/4 Length, 11/16 Punch Diameter, Lightweight, Knurled Steel Handle - 18C

This tool is great. Ive used it for everything from marking shipping containers to building engine stands to marking cuts for the band saw on steel, aluminum, stainless, cast, galvy sheet metal, and chineseium. My only complaint is that the case has started to get a rust on it, making it look way older than the year Ive had it for. No averse performance issues though, the striking unit is clean as a whistle. Keep an eye on this piece... Ive found it in other peoples tool boxes on quite a few instances.

Great automatic center punch. Very well made, solid, excellent machining. Made in Murica.

Starrett tools are made only with the finest of materials, performs everytime as designed, markings are outstanding and second to none. I never loan out tools ever as my Starrett tools will confess.

I figured out that to get the punch to reset after each punch, the rear cap had to be unscrewed almost all the way off. (Yes, Im working with steel.) I currently have the cap taped to the body of the tool so its position doesnt change. The video didnt help. My 20 year old tool started not resetting, which is why I bought a new one. If you fiddle around with the tip after each punch, it sometimes resets. I expected a better tool for the price.

Love it, very handy,beats a hammer and center punch!

The Starrett automatic center punch has the same high quality as all other Starrett tools I have ever owned. It is a little stiff to use when adjusted for full impact but creates a nice little punch mark where you want it. I can highly recommend this item.

Awesome, works very well, certainly heavy duty, contrary to any unhappiness with this product from other reviewers, I purchased two from Amazon, with a firm hold, both punches make one dent per actuation, I find that the rough ends of the adjustment spring prevent the punch from wandering away from the tension setting that I adjusted it to, a good idea in my world. In my opinion once I find a happy spot for my needs I wont be winding this thing up and down anyway as I might select a lighter punch for lighter work. 5 star, both punches that I purchased work awesome ! I recommend this brand of punch to anyone who is looking for excellent quality and years of durability. This item is used by gripping punch firmly in one hand and pushing the pointy bit into a metal plate all the way down until it kicks, it will leave a nice smart dent so that you can use it for layout purposes, a dent to start a drill bit in, and other creative uses, ie: denting a shaft surface, etc wind in the handle end clockwise all the way makes a heavier dent, counter clockwise progressively lightens the dent impression created., Unlike the previous automatic centre punch that someone borrowed from me, and used a hammer on it....its only good for that now. For hand use only, maybe an optional plastic handle on this thing might end any confusion with a hammer style centre punch ( what do you think Starrett ? )

I have only used this punch on mild steel and within two months the point has become very dull. I suspect a hardening issue. Not what I thought I was getting when I bought a Starrett. Otherwise it seems nice.

This marking punch packs a wallop. It leaves a deep centering mark in the hardest steel. A great tool.

The day I received my 18C from Amazon, I tried using it on some suitable aluminum stock, to get familiar with it and see how its adjustment works. For a while, I couldnt get it to fire at all, even though I was adjusting it correctly: I turned the end cap so the spring nearest the user would be compressed less. Finally, I loosened the threaded sleeve near the tip, even though I figured that that sleeve isnt there for any adjustment purpose (I found out later I was right). After loosening the sleeve near the tip a bit, I could get it to fire about 50% of the time. I wanted to see whether, in fact, the only adjustment on the tool is performed by turning the end cap; so I looked on the Starrett website for an instruction manual. (As other reviewers have pointed out, none of the Starrett automatic center punches come with any instructions, probably because the company believes that anyone who buys a Starrett tool must already know what hes doing.) There is no instruction manual available on the Starrett website either. I called Starrett using the toll-free phone number on the website. The nice tech support person I talked with told me: Yes, the only adjustment on the tool is via the end cap, and the threaded sleeve near the tip should not be loose prior to using the tool. I explained that I could only get the punch to fire if I slightly loosened the threaded sleeve near the tip; even though I had loosened the end cap quite a bit. I also said that even after I did those 2 things, the punch would only fire about half the time; based on at least 50 attempts. I asked the Starrett tech support person whether I might have a defective item. He said I might have, and I should probably exchange it for a different example. Im kind of disappointed. This is the first Starrett tool Ive ever purchased, and it took me a while to talk myself into paying what I did for it. (By the way, I think Amazons price is very good: as I recall, its the lowest I saw, and of course shipping is free for an Amazon Prime member.) I may purchase a Starrett 18A, which is also a current Starrett product. The length of that unit is 4.85 in, according to the drawing I downloaded from the Starrett website; its largest diameter is slightly less than that of the 18C; and according to the website, the spring near the end cap has a smaller diameter than the one in the 18C. So the 18A should apply less force to the material than the 18C. That would be fine with me. I think the 18C would apply too much force for most of the work I do. Strangely, I see that if I purchase a Starrett 18A on Amazon, it would be through an Amazon reseller, so I would have to pay a shipping fee. If I do purchase another Starrett automatic center punch, Ill cross my fingers and hope that I dont get another defective example. By the way, 18C that I received is beautifully machined and seems to be well designed. I even took it apart, and I dont see anything wrong with it. Given all that, Im very surprised that I can only get it to fire about 50% of the time.