Independent comparisons. We may earn from shop links. More info

Best automatic centre punch for the mark you need now

Updated: 22 October 2026

You are looking at a 5.0-star automatic centre punch with one rating, and at a 4.7-star Starrett with thousands, and both pages say they mark metal. The best automatic centre punch in this set depends on the mark you need. A lighter dimple, a heavier dent and a large UK sample under £10 are three different decisions. The [automatic centre punch comparison](/hub/hand-tools/automatic-centre-punch) holds all twelve listings. A qualifying purchase can earn us a commission at no extra cost to you. Peter F. wrote this on 21 October 2026 from amazon.co.uk listings and review notes, not from a lab test.

You are looking at a 5.0-star automatic centre punch with one rating, and at a 4.7-star Starrett with thousands, and both pages say they mark metal.

Our top picks

Starrett Starrett 18A

Best overall

Starrett Starrett 18A
7.6/10about £32.00
View offer
Starrett Starrett 18C

Alternative

Starrett Starrett 18C
7.0/10about £26.46
View offer
Eclipse Eclipse 65-171R

Best value

Eclipse Eclipse 65-171R
7.0/10about £9.00
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Top pick for general marking
  2. 2.When the heavy punch is the pick
  3. 3.Best value under £10
  4. 4.Who should skip these

Top pick for general marking

The Starrett 18A is the mid-size punch in this capture. The included line says 125 mm and the dimensions field says 25 × 28 × 140 mm, so the length is not a single number. Many of the first 50 UK texts describe a click that keeps working when cheaper punches jam, and they say it is easier to control than the 18C. The strike is called a little light even on the full setting, and a spare is not in the box. Skip the 18A when a light dimple lets the drill skate. The checks underneath this choice are on the automatic centre punch buying guide.

When the heavy punch is the pick

The Starrett 18C is the heavy-duty listing, titled at 5-1/4 in, with a listed weight of 132 g and 4.4 from 2,296 ratings at £26.46. Reviewers name a heavy indentation in stainless and in 4 mm steel sheet. If your last punch left a prick on mild steel, this is the spring punch those texts point at, provided you can load the spring. Skip it when the cap is too narrow or the spring is too stiff. Some reviewers need both hands at maximum. A heavier automatic is still not a hammer.
Starrett Starrett 18A

Testsieger

Starrett Starrett 18A
7.6/10about £32.00
View offer

Best value under £10

The Eclipse 65-171R is the best-value pick for a large UK sample under £10. It has 4.3 from 1,381 ratings at £9.00, listed at 13 cm and 81.6 g. The listing says a hammer should not be used. Reviewers use it for hinges, timber and softer metals, and they often call the mild-steel mark too shallow even at maximum. The QWORK two-pack is £4.99 with 4.4 from 329 ratings. The same file says the mark is not deep in steel and that the mechanism does not catch. Neither replaces the 18C on stainless.

Who should skip these

Skip the Starrett 18AA for mild steel or harder stock. It has 4.4 from 759 ratings at £10.59, and many of the 42 texts say the dot is not useful on mild steel. It also locks with the spring compressed. Skip the Vylro as a 5.0 pick: one rating and no review text. Skip the LeeQunQ at £3.79 for heavy work: two texts, one a jam after three marks. Skip the S&R (60–130 N) and the SabreCut (60–140 N) when you will not press hard. The SabreCut tip snapped in more than one report.

Common questions

Which automatic centre punch is the top pick for mild steel if a lighter dimple is acceptable?
The Starrett 18A, on the criterion of the largest amazon.co.uk sample in this set: 4.7 from 3,736 ratings at £32.00. Reviewers describe a click that is more reliable than cheap punches, and they also call the strike a little light on the full setting. It is the wrong pick when you already need the heavier dent associated with the 18C, or when you need the lowest price.
Who should buy the heavy 18C instead?
Buy the 18C when reviews of a lighter punch have already called the mark too shallow, and you can press a stiff spring. It has 4.4 from 2,296 ratings at £26.46, and texts name stainless and 4 mm sheet. Skip it for light DIY, and skip it if a punch that failed to trigger out of the box is a risk you will not carry. It is still a spring tool, not a hammer blow.
What is the best-value pick under £10?
The Eclipse 65-171R, because £9.00 comes with 4.3 from 1,381 ratings, the largest sample under £10 in this set. Use it for hinges, timber and softer metals. Do not expect the mild-steel dimple that those reviews often call too shallow. The QWORK at £4.99 is the better value only when your rule is the lowest price with hundreds of ratings, and you can accept missed trips.
Who should skip the Starrett 18AA?
Skip it for mild steel and harder stock. The 42 texts praise a compact mark on aluminium, wood and trunking, and many say it lacks punch on mild steel. It also locks compressed. At £10.59 with a spare point included, it remains a light-class punch, not a substitute for the 18A or the 18C.
Who should skip a 5.0 from one review?
Skip the Vylro on that basis. One rating and no review text cannot show a trip, a tip swap or a mark in steel. The LeeQunQ's 4.1 from seven ratings is only a little thicker: two texts, one of them a jam after three marks. The GCNWW's 4.7 from 21 ratings is a short file of nine texts, not a durability result.
Is the S&R or the SabreCut the pick when you want a printed newton range?
The S&R if you want 60–130 N, a wrist-rest and a spare tip in the included line, at £22.98 and 215 ratings. The SabreCut if you want 60–140 N, a rubber grip and a scribe, at £24.99 and 210 ratings, with tip breakages in the problem list and no spare listed. Neither is the pick for the biggest review count. That remains the 18A, which prints no newton figure.

Related pages

Automatic centre punch vs hammer

Automatic centre punch for metal

Automatic centre punch

Automatic centre punch buying guide before you pay

How to use an automatic centre punch, step by step

Sources

Public UK and maker sources from the research digest, last checked on 22 October 2026. Shelf prices and star lines are the amazon.co.uk figures captured on 19 October 2026.

  1. Starrett, punches: types and uses (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  2. Starrett UK, 18A automatic centre punch (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  3. Starrett 18-series data sheet (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  4. Spear & Jackson, Eclipse automatic centre punches (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  5. HSE, PUWER overview (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  6. HSE, using the right type of PPE (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  7. Consumer Rights Act 2015 (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  8. Resqme, tempered-glass limit on spring breakers (retrieved 22 October 2026)