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Automatic centre punch buying guide before you pay

Updated: 22 October 2026

You have a drill that skates on a pencil cross, and the listing in front of you says adjustable, hardened and suitable for metal. An automatic centre punch buying guide sorts that claim into a strike class, a trip that fires, and a tip you can service. The [automatic centre punch comparison](/hub/hand-tools/automatic-centre-punch) holds the twelve listings. It does not name a winner, and it does not teach the press. A qualifying purchase can earn us a commission at no extra cost to you. Peter F. wrote this on 21 October 2026 from maker pages and the amazon.co.uk listings, not from a lab test.

You have a drill that skates on a pencil cross, and the listing in front of you says adjustable, hardened and suitable for 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.Strike class
  2. 2.A trip that fires, and a tip you can replace
  3. 3.Grip and pack size
  4. 4.What the shelf prices show

Strike class

The first check is how hard the spring hits, because a prick will not seat a drill in mild steel. Starrett's ladder is the 18AA, the 18A and the 18C, at about 4–6 lb, 15–20 lb and 40–65 lb on the maker's overview. Those figures are not on the amazon.co.uk listings. Do not convert them into the S&R's 60–130 N or the SabreCut's 60–140 N. Adjustable without a figure is weaker. The Eclipse listing gives a knurled head and no newton figure, and 13 cm against 149 mm on the Spear & Jackson page. The 18AA suits aluminium, wood and trunking, not a mild-steel hole the drill has already missed.

A trip that fires, and a tip you can replace

The second check is whether the spring trips every press. The Eclipse arrived without a click for some buyers, the QWORK mechanism does not catch, the 18AA locks compressed, the 18C failed to trigger out of the box, and the Oavie sticks down. A hammer is not the fix. A new punch that jams is a Consumer Rights Act 2015 question, and at work PUWER 1998 still expects a suitable tool. Read the included line for a spare. The 18AA includes a replacement point. The 18A and the 18C do not. HSS and hardened are not a hardness test.
Starrett Starrett 18A

Testsieger

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

Grip and pack size

The blow only happens after your hand has loaded the spring. A slim knurl leaves a small area on the palm, and the 18C's cap is narrow enough that some people need both hands. A wrist-rest on the S&R, or a rubber grip on the SabreCut, spreads that push. It does not add newtons the listing forgot to print. A second punch, as in the QWORK or Oavie packs, does not double the strike. The Vylro's 5.0 is one rating and no text. Steel marks are on the automatic centre punch for metal page.

What the shelf prices show

These are the amazon.co.uk shelf prices captured on 19 October 2026, not a promise for today. The entry band is about £3.79 to £9, including the Eclipse at £9.00 with 1,381 ratings. The 18AA is £10.59, the S&R £22.98, the SabreCut £24.99, the 18C £26.46 and the 18A £32.00. A low price is not this guide's winner. The QWORK still has missed trips, and the Eclipse mark on mild steel is still called shallow. Window-breaker bullets on five cheap packs name no glass type.

Common questions

What should you check before you buy an automatic centre punch?
Check the strike class first, then whether reviews say the spring trips, then whether a spare tip is in the included line, then the grip, then the amazon.co.uk review count. A knurled cap with no newton figure tells you less than the S&R's 60–130 N or the SabreCut's 60–140 N. Starrett's 4–6 lb, 15–20 lb and 40–65 lb ladder is a maker guide. It is not printed on those Amazon listings, and it is not a scale you convert into the newton bands.
Does a spare tip in the bullets mean it is in the box?
Not always. The S&R included line names a replaceable tip, and the 18AA included components list a replacement point. The Oavie bullets say one spare tip and the included-components field says no. The Vylro title says three tips and the included field only says 6, with no review to confirm the swap. If the parcel matters, trust the included line and then look in the box, rather than the adjective HSS or CR-V.
Which Starrett size is the light, mid and heavy class?
In this set the 18AA is the light, compact punch, the 18A is the mid-size, and the 18C is the heavy-duty. Starrett's overview puts them at about 4–6 lb, 15–20 lb and 40–65 lb. The amazon.co.uk 18AA title says 4 in, the 18A included line says 125 mm against a 140 mm dimensions field, and the 18C title says 5-1/4 in. Reviewers still treat the 18C as the one that needs the harder press.
Why does grip matter if the tool is only a press?
The spring does not fire until you have loaded it. A slim knurl is easy to pocket and harder on the palm at a high setting, which is why some 18C reviews mention two hands and a narrow cap. The S&R wrist-rest and the SabreCut rubber grip spread that load. They do not raise a listing that never printed a force figure, and they can be clumsy when you wanted a light mark on thin sheet.
What is a sensible price band on amazon.co.uk for this set?
In the 19 October 2026 capture, light multi-packs and the Eclipse sit from £3.79 to £9, the 18AA, S&R and SabreCut sit from £10.59 to £24.99, and the 18C and 18A sit at £26.46 and £32.00. More reviews do not remove the shallow-mark complaints on the Eclipse or the light-strike comments on the 18A. A 5.0 from one Vylro rating is not a band you should shop by.
When is a window-breaker bullet not a reason to buy?
When the bullet names no glass type. Five packs in this set claim an emergency car-window use and do not say tempered, toughened or laminated. A spring punch is not a certified escape tool, and it is not a reason to prefer a £5 pack over a strike class you actually need. Buy the dimple for the drill, and leave vehicle glass to a method that states the glass.

Related pages

Best automatic centre punch

Automatic centre punch vs hammer

Automatic centre punch

Automatic centre punch for mild steel and stainless

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)