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

This is a quality tool, yes a bit more expensive than its counterparts, but its the only one you will buy in your lifetime. Unless you are like me and must have the 18a as well BAM! This tool hits with significant force, enough to mark stainless steel billet. Im getting the 18a as well for some lighter sheet metal work. You dont find quality like this often. Im really proud to own this tool. No regerts :)

First let me thank the Amazon Customer whos 2017 review mentioned that he couldnt turn the knurled adjustment cap. Here it is 2021 and I had the same issue, but with a vise and pliers it opened right up. After a little testing I see a big difference in dimple size between the light and heavy settings. I cant really address durability except that I inherited a Starrett 18A lighter duty model out of my grandfathers toolbox years ago and its still punches just fine. I just thought with this heaver punch I wouldnt have to follow up with a hammer and punch on the harder metals, and so far so good. I keep HF punches in the cars for breaking windows in emergency (and test them every so often), but for real work Starrett cant be beat.

As stated in the title, I run a metalfab shop. I use this nearly every day, and have punched what must be hundreds of centers in mild steel with this. Its still sharp and working like the day I pulled it from the box for the first time. Having it be adjustable is nice too, when using it on softer/thinner materials or for smaller holes, where more force or larger centers arent necessarily a good thing. Ive learned to love this center punch, highly recommend it, and will be a repeat customer.

I had a Brown and Sharpe 770 that I liked a lot but it failed with an internal fatigue crack after long use. I wanted something of comparable quality so Starrett was the obious choice. When this punch came in I noted it was quite a bit smaller so I was concerned that it might not make the clear punch marks I was used to. Those concerns were quickly dispelled. This is even better. The end cap has to be unscrewed a bit to allow it to work with reasonable pressure. The punch marks are clear and deep. I have no doubt this will last for many years. It is a bit pricey but quality tools cost money

I’ve already set over 1000 center marks in 6061 aluminum. This punch is fantastic. Very happy with this purchase.

Almost gave up on this. The punch arrived a few days ago and I could not get the stroke adjustment to work. Assuming it might be defective I returned it - I was tempted to use a vice and pliers to see if the top would turn but thought this might damage it and a new product shouldnt arrive jammed like this. Sure enough the replacement would not turn eitehr - so into the vice with soft jaws and use and use some tape to protect from the pliers teeth. Didnt take much and now it works! But no way either of them would turn by hand and I tried pretty hard. I guess some bodybuilder works at the factory? Love the tool - well built - its replacing my General Tool punch I left out in the rain by mistake and that was already damaged (tip falling out)

Everything Ive grown to expect from Starrett. Inheriting my grandfathers Starrett mics and running metrology & calibration labs during my career have me a $tarrett believer. Pricy but will be reliable and accurate forever.

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

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.

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.