Starrett Automatic Center Punch with Adjustable Stroke - 125mm Length, 14mm Diameter Tapered Point û 18A

Like any machined tool, make sure to disassemble, clean, oil, and reassemble before first use. Like a torque wrench, I keep the spring unloaded when Im not using it. Have used it on steel, aluminum, and wood and this center punch works great.

My old automatic center punch failed after more than 30 years. The first one failed to deliver the strike. After returning (waiting a week) the 2nd one appears to work. It is not a smooth as my old one, but it does deliver the automatic strike.

This is my second Starrett Automatic Center Punch. The first one I bought 6 years ago and it has been handed down to a journeyman on my team and he is using it daily. Guys on my team have used several different brand Auto Center Punches over the years. Starrett makes the best... hands down. With others the center point starts to dull over time or the mechanism starts to malfunction and it is worthless. I used broken off-brand with a hammer and it exploded into pieces.... so dont do that.

I dont do a lot of metalworking, but sometimes I need to mark to drill a hole. All I had were a couple of old hammer driven punches, and every time I used them, the tips flattened out. So I ordered a Starrett 18C from a nonAmazon source. I got it quick, and it was new, but when I tried it, it would hardly ever reset without unscrewing all the parts and screwing back together. I didnt want to go through the hassle of returning it. I got on the Starrett website and using their contact form, I told them the problem and sent a copy of my receipt. After a couple of attempts, I had not received a response from them. I finally called and spoke to a nice lady. She did some searching and found that someone had responded by email, and that they were sending a replacement spring. She suggested checking spam in my email. The response was not there either, but the spring did arrive in my mailbox. After installing it, it resets every time! So I am happy with my 18C.

Works as described

Replacement for a low cost import when impact mechanism stopped working and punch tip mushroomed after minimal use. Starrett remains the USA gold standard for measuring instruments and tools.

Used it to punch dimples on aluminum to drill holes

The quality of this tool is awesome. I fully believe this punch will last the rest of my life and when my daughter gets it, probably the rest of her life. Ive had many automatic punches made in China and all are garbage. Now I can give all those away. I just wish I had purchased this to begin with.

I expected high quality from Starrett. I splurged and purchased the punch I knew I could rely on. My reliance was misplaced. After probably 20 punches it started slipping like a cheaply made counterpart . Save yourself the money and buy 5 cheap punches.

Ive had cheaper versions of these auto center punches which arent as durable or last as long as this one. It is truly a case of you get what you pay for.