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

Despite laying in salty slush for two weeks over the winter after falling out of a hole in my pocker while entering my car, a wipe down with some scotch brite and some oil made this punch work like new again. Nice and sturdy with a smooth action and sharp knurling. Temper on the tip is excellent, with minimum tip rounding, even on harder materials, deforming rather than cracking when struck against something harder than it can handle. The only drawback Ive found is that sometimes the spring doesnt fully reset after use, and will just depress without hammering the tip when pressed against the stock. However, this only happens rarely and doesnt require disassembly to fix, you just have to press it again. This is in my pocket every day at work, and gets whipped out at every opportunity. No one else is allowed to touch it, just me.

Any Starrett products are world class in there market they do command a high price but never fall short in performance and quality. This center punch is a perfect example of just that, just holding it you are sure of its quality. For use in wood or Soft material You could get away with a lighter duty Starrett automatic center punch. But in metal hard or soft one crack of this punch in the shop And the heads will turn. Often imitated but never duplicated, OK Starrett send me some free tools for this great review....Well it’s worth a try.

Useful, but a bit stiff in use. Might ease up after a while, but excellent quality. Made in USA!!!

First off-this is a quality product, for professional use. There is no slop on the part fit up, and replacement parts are readily available through the manufacturer. It’s a tad expensive, but it’s worth more than what I paid for it. It’s easily adjustable, and strikes reliably, without losing its pinch pressure setting. A tad stiff at the hardest punching level, I would recommend some type of padding or impact glove for all day use. This tool works very well for pricking holes in 308 stainless for line up on a drill press, or an ironworker (punch).

If youre reading this, theres a 95% chance you saw this punch on the Canadian fabricobblers YouTube channel. Like he said, this isnt a necessary tool, but is it ever nice to have. I find that it either takes two strikes with heavy tension to get a good starting mark, or one strike on light tension, followed up with an actual hammer and punch. So, its not a one-hit wonder, but it will definitely let you mark the spot precisely. Its saved me enough time and frustration in the three months Ive owned it that Id say its earned five stars.

Im a retired tool and die maker of 35 years. I started buying Starret precision tools in the early 70s. Back then those tools were far superior to anything on the market. I still use them to this day which speaks volumes about the quality. The only reason I purchased an auto center punch is because my original punch disappeared about a month ago. My daddy always said Dont buy the cheap tools because in the end it will cost more to keep replacing them than if you spend a little more on quality.

I always used a punch and hammer togeather. Now I am able to mark holes more quickly one handed which is especially nice when I need to drill several holes. Realizing that took away overspending concerns especially since Starrett makes high quality tools. I read some comments about the tool not resetting. I am not sure if it was the same issue I noticed but the tool would fail to reset after multiple punches. After some thought a Duh moment arrived and with it realizing I was not lifting the tool up fully from the stock after it clicked. Perhaps it has something to do with getting broken in. Since then the issue went away. The only other smidgeon of an issue is the black paint job on a small tool which can make for tedious searching. Next hardware order will include some bright color spray paint.

Great for starting holes in the exact spot you want. This bad boy pits a sizeable divot in the metal and there is no bit wondering. Extremely hard to push though on the stiffest setting. The usual Starrett quality youd expect. Im a happy buyer.

I use it at work

The Starrett 18C Automatic Center Punch is the most heavy duty center punch Starrett offers. The automatic center punches offered by Starret are the 18AA, 18A, and 18C. The main difference is the length and diameter of the handle this allows for stronger spring compression and greater size. With an increased spring size the 18C is capable of driving a starter hole punch is the toughest of material, without the need to hammer a manual punch after. General: Excellent Knurling - Amazing Grip. Great Finish. Not good for center punching most wood materials—too heavy-duty. Perfect for 16 Gauge Steel.