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

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.

I had one of these gems for over 20 years, on my third point, and someone walked away with it. Got by with an inferior and irritating model from General and decided to pick up tried and true again. If this is a tool you use much at all, it is so worth spending the extra dollars on the Starrett. I was a little concerned after reading some reviews here that said it was jamming and that it wasnt machined as well, had debris or was dry, etc. Pleased to report that mine is every bit as well machined and finished as the one I got in the 90s. Clean inside, impeccable threading, properly and lightly lubed, anvils are polished for smooth operation, still a nice aggressive knurling, works a treat. Im not an anti-China guy at all but Im really happy to support genuine US manufacturing and thats getting harder and harder to do these days...glad that Starrett has remained through all of the upheaval and changes over the last few decades while so many others have capitulated into a reduction in quality and/or function, or disappeared altogether.

Just an amazing tool, easy to use and works perfect.

Spot on punch

Used it to punch dimples on aluminum to drill holes

Some time ago, I bought a General Tools automatic center punch &I was always disappointed with it. It was always very hard to push to get it to trigger, no matter how I adjusted it. Also, the tip would always loosen with each punch. But the worse thing is no matter how I had it adjusted, & no matter how carefully I pushed down, When it triggered, the tip ALWAYS jumped off the cross scratch about a 64th of an inch. No good for any precision work. With this Starrett punch I dont have ANY of these problems. The mark is not quite as deep as my old one, but if the job requires a big deep mark, I just put a regular center punch in the little dimple & use a hammer to make it deeper. After putting up with my old General for too long, Im a happy camper now.

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.

This 18A punch is well made. I am primarily a woodworker, and this punch has to be used on the light setting to use on soft wood. I am considering the purchase of the 18AA for soft wood. The 18A works well for soft metals. For steel this punch still left an acceptable indentation. If one wants to use hardened steel the 18C should be considered.

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.

Ive used this tool for two years now. Its still in like new condition. I was using it at work today and a coworker was admiring it. He had me order one for him.