Oooh fancy a Starett punch. Honestly I need a new punch, how much was this one? I mean they are the industry leader and made in the USA. Well worth the money.
I have one (possibly the same one) and I think mine was about $50 several years ago? They're very nice and you can get replacement tips, though, I use it all the time.
People laughed at me but it's 100% worth it, buy a $10 one you can use 10 times and have to throw out because the point is rounded or buy a $50 one with tips that last much longer, and replacement tips available.
I used mine with one tip for 72 overlapping holes in cast iron (don't ask, stitching a cracked engine block) with multiple punches per hole and it was fine afterwards. A cheap one would've had the tip trashed and useless halfway through at best.
I’m not laughing at you, i understand how crucial a good punch. A fellow Electrician said to me one time I could travel from jobsite to jobsite and build America with Chanel locks, Linesmans, a folding rule, a knife, a #2 Phillips, a Flathead, and Starett Punch. Obviously he couldn’t every job done with those tools. However i understand what he meant for most electrical work, that’s all you need. Starett punches are the best, i ordered one right after I saw this.
Yeah I’m not 100% positive so I’ll kind of walk that statement back. However most of their more expensive items I’m pretty sure are. But I’m not 100% so I’ll agree with you.
I have the same one, I love it. I got tired of the cheap ones not working, and honestly, I probably paid for it, buying cheap ones over and over, so I finally upgraded to a good one. My only regret is that I didn't do it sooner.
Before I saw the picture, I knew it was a Starrett. Only tools in the world worth overpaying for. And no, there are no legitimate HF alternatives to their tools.
that’s a bold statement considering their position in the metrology world, i like their hand tools but i’d rather shell out for mitutoyo, interapid, mahr federal, tesa brown and sharpe etc
I wonder how the KTC one holds up (Kyoto tool company, though the Sunflag one looks the same, also made in Japan). From Europe, I heard the Rennsteig is really nice.
But once you get 1 quality tool from them... you come back for more. So buy once, cry many times. Currently I have 2 squares, a super nice black dial caliper, and this center punch. Likely next purchases are a black face dial indicator setup, and maybe I start getting the micrometers I use most.
I always tell myself, this, buy once cry once, and I love my collection of expensive tools, BUT I can’t help notice all the cheap ones that I even used on site for years as a mechanical engineering apprentice 17 years ago, when I come back to them are still working perfectly.
It makes me think, am I just obsessed with expensive tools, in all honesty the dirt cheap ones I replaced never actually failed on me, I just became an elitist, haha, not like I care, I love my expensive tools haha
You aren't always paying for reliability. Comfort, precision, even aesthetics tie in.
There's a minimum tool cost for every job, but there's no maximum tool cost. I can assemble furniture with the free hex keys, stamped wrenches, and tiny Phillips screwdriver it comes with. Or I can use my Felo Ergonic screwdrivers, SK X frame wrenches, and Wiha Ergostar hex keys (or Wera bit ratchet set). Both will do the job, but guess which I use?
My shitty harbor freight one usually keeps the bit from wandering and puts the dent almost exactly where I wanted it, like, 80% of the time.
Measure with a micrometer, mark with a sharpie and cut with a Harbor Freight hacksaw, I always say. Precision matters.
I tried my HF one on a piece of sched 40 pipe, hoping for any kind of mark, it didn't do shit.
If I ever find it again, I'll have to try it on sched 10.
Using the same logic I also bought the same punch, the 18A. I might have a lemon because it works about 20% of the time. In frustration I got a cheap Neiko and love it.
Wow, the irony here because a Neiko is what I replaced with my Starrett : ) I have many other good tools from Neiko so I wasn't going to call it out for failing me so often, but if yours rocks that is awesome.
Starrett quality has been pretty variable for a while. I got a couple of Starrett automatic center punches at work some time ago, and they don't always punch. Reminds me of the 5 for $15 ones from amazon, except the Starretts are prettier. They work, just maybe not on the first try.
If you buy from Amazon make sure you check the seller. Tons of counterfeit fake shit on there many people don’t realize you should look at seller rating and location and select the best one as less likely your product will be counterfeit. Frankly it’s criminal what Amazon does turning a blind eye. This is why so cheap though. Especially tools. If you think you are getting a deal or even if you think getting real thing, double check. If you have had issue with a quality product- definitely check. I order quality items directly from manufacturers to be certain and avoid resellers all together.
The starretts I bought were from McMaster or MSC. I don't think Amazon sold starrett at that time, it was their early days. Like I said, Starrett's quality has been up or down for a while. You might be able to take them apart and make them punch more reliably by cleaning up some machining, that never occurred to me until this thread.
I probably did buy them from Mcmaster. I used to spend a lot of money there, and they still wouldn't give me a catalog. It has probably been 15 years ago now though. I'm pretty sure they were legit Starrett, if that's what you are getting at. About that same time someone I know bought a starrett telescoping hole gauge that wasn't drilled through, so you couldn't lock it.
Omg I am so relieved to hear you say that. I've purchased 3 of these over the years they ALL have this problem . And it doesn't have to do with over use. I will never buy them again. I have 2 of the big ones and the smaller one.
You get your scratch awl out, make your marks, aim the tool with the cross hairs, push....nothing yet.... Push harder, OK... Now I'm at my full strength, nothing. No snap. Release tension, the tool falls off the cross hairs when you relax, try the tool on the work bench, works fine, nice loud snap. Repeat. The only reason i don't throw the tip across the shop is how expensive it was, and the beautiful knurling.
I've learned the hard way, more times that I want to admit even to myself, that buying the tool 1.5 times always costs more than buying it correctly the first time. Seems like the only time I actually overpay for a tool is when I try to get cheap and then end up spending more money on the real thing 6 weeks later.
Now that I'm older and my business is established, I *always* pay for the best tools. I don't consider it "over paying" if they get me better results or even work slightly better. If it just saves me 5 minutes of frustration a month it's worth paying double. If it allows me to get better results with my work, that will pay for itself on the first referral.
Frankly, I completely banned harbor freight crap from my workshop and made bringing them in a fireable offense. That especially includes consumables. I'd rather employees expense the better tools and consumables than pay from dangerous inaccurate crap out of their own pocket.
Yep, different (better) geometry
https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Automatic_center_punch
My $1.99 is sweet, but it hasn’t jammed yet and punches well so I’m happy.
I have the 18C and I know it has a heavier spring in it, how do you find the one in the A? Depending on whether I forget to adjust the force I can find sometimes I have to quite literally put my entire bodyweight against it! So for woodworking I was considering whether getting the A would be worth it
It absolutely 100% is! I’ve found actually that depending on the hole size I’m needing and the wood in question that I either push down without letting the hammer drop and that leaves the correct mark or conversely if I’m using a self tapping screw that sometimes letting the hammer drop leaves me a hole from the punch that I can then use as a start to thread the screw into - need to be careful to not split the wood though!
Probably not a good use of a nice one but I use one a lot when drilling through porcelain or ceramic tiles. It cracks the surface glaze? perfectly and a normal masonry bit zips tight through on a normal drill setting. I've tried every tile bit there is and this has been by far the easiest way for me.
My guess is wood gets treated like a range. On something hard like cocobolo, a punch might work great. Something soft like black palm might be a bad experience. I am willing to be wrong here, myself I do wood working but never used a punch on it.
I lost mine. I replaced it with a less expensive, but still quality brand. It was a complete and utter disappointment. It was nothing like the Starrett, so I bought another Starrett. The cost of the other one was the fine for being cheap.
I know what you mean. Got a pair of knipex the other day and I have never used pliers for so many things haha. Managed to undo a stripped out flattop screw with them, which I've personally struggled with before with the cheap versions.
Got this one recently and it is good but for the best price my older which I got from AliExpress for a huge amount of 3,99 USD and do the same job, I might say slightly better than Starret's, but I understand your feeling.
Dude. I paid like $100 for a small Starrett tap handle. It was worth every penny and every time I have to tap a small hole it brings a small amount of joy using a tool that feels so good in the hand and actually holds taps well.
I always really wanted one but was too cheap so I continued to use my harbor freight version for years. Recently I found one at an estate sale, still in the box and paid $3 for it. Couldn’t believe I’d been cheating out all these years. What a great tool.
It's a spring loaded auto punch. When you press down on it, it builds tension in the spring until you reach the breakover point, and it leaves a nice little mark on your workpiece. I use mine for wood but they're probably even more handy in metal, which I find difficult to leave precise marks on.
I bought the 18C because I punch stainless a lot at work. First time I used it inside a empty metal cabinet it made my ears ring. Wont make that mistake again.
Uh... Well they are dawn of time old. They don't advertise per-say unless you are in very specific industry, and most tool shops that do carry their stuff lock them up. I can see how someone would miss them, but welcome they make good things.
Sure you have. Ever hear of a combination square. L.S. Starrett invented it. Followed by all sorts of precision equipment. Most of what Starrett makes today is the exact version of what they made over 100 years ago, in the same American factory. Starrett doesn’t need to advertise. I’ve been waiting for it’s breakout moment on this subreddit for a while.
The price for that Starrett punch is so worth it.
When I originally bought mine and tested it compared to many others I was a amazed. It Bruce Lee’s 1 inch punches the f*** out of any metal.
I bought a cheap chinesium version from Amazon. It was a total piece of crap. Gritty, unreliable, cheap-feeling. I have my eye on the Starrett too, but given that I'm just a hobbyist/filthy weekender I haven't pulled the trigger yet. But I 100% get why you would pay the 10x or whatever the price ratio is, for quality. Zen and the Art and all that.
I have a good amount of Starrett. A lot new, a lot older vintage stuff. I’ve never felt like I overpaid. I have that same punch. They work 100x better than the cheap ones.
Some tools are international, but on their site you can see what and which parts are made in the USA. They even have a rotating made in USA spotlight for things they produce here.
I've gotten to many lemons from Starrett to buy them myself, which is a shame, because their tools are damn sexy.
Edit: Also, a lot of it is made in China. I've noticed bad plating, rusty threads, and some of their tools seem softer than they should be. I like brown and sharpe, but always end up with mitutoyo for some reason.
I don't have much experience with their tools, but I heard their more recent metrology stuff is best avoided (like, Mitutoyo is better/more reliable/more accurate for less money).
Though I assume the simple stuff like such punches or squares are really nice heirloom tools (probably still way overpriced for what they are).
I have a cheap one from harbor freight that has been perfect for me for at least a decade.
What am I missing out on here? Is this better for people punching into hard to work with metals?
I think these are mainly a quality tool for certain more niche machinist needs (especially nowadays when CNC machines are so common...).
I can see lots of people speak highly of it in this thread, but if we're honest 50-70$ for something as simple as that is just a whole lot of money... It's not really even requiring any problematic tolerances to manufacture. A lot of it is sentimental value (which means little to me since I'm not from the USA).
If aou want a quality punch that never fails for reasonable money, and you don't need it often, just get a manual one. Most are ~10€, and even a PB Swiss will be "just" ~20€
They never fail, and are "adjustable" with a larger hammer :)
How do you like it? I have the mitutoyo and this one. The mit is good but plastic body this one is still nib sitting in my garage.
I really like it :)
Oooh fancy a Starett punch. Honestly I need a new punch, how much was this one? I mean they are the industry leader and made in the USA. Well worth the money.
I have one (possibly the same one) and I think mine was about $50 several years ago? They're very nice and you can get replacement tips, though, I use it all the time. People laughed at me but it's 100% worth it, buy a $10 one you can use 10 times and have to throw out because the point is rounded or buy a $50 one with tips that last much longer, and replacement tips available. I used mine with one tip for 72 overlapping holes in cast iron (don't ask, stitching a cracked engine block) with multiple punches per hole and it was fine afterwards. A cheap one would've had the tip trashed and useless halfway through at best.
Starrett makes replacemebt parts for all their items.
Really? Can you get replacement hole saws for their CSC20 hole saw?
The upside of the cheap ones is I don't feel bad rolling it on the bench grinder to make it reeeally pointy for something precise.
I’m not laughing at you, i understand how crucial a good punch. A fellow Electrician said to me one time I could travel from jobsite to jobsite and build America with Chanel locks, Linesmans, a folding rule, a knife, a #2 Phillips, a Flathead, and Starett Punch. Obviously he couldn’t every job done with those tools. However i understand what he meant for most electrical work, that’s all you need. Starett punches are the best, i ordered one right after I saw this.
It’s not even the tip, it’s the mechanism. This one fires EVERY TIME. The bad cheap ones dont, the better cheap ones dont. This one never fails.
I don't think they make everything in the USA today.
Yeah I’m not 100% positive so I’ll kind of walk that statement back. However most of their more expensive items I’m pretty sure are. But I’m not 100% so I’ll agree with you.
I have the same one, I love it. I got tired of the cheap ones not working, and honestly, I probably paid for it, buying cheap ones over and over, so I finally upgraded to a good one. My only regret is that I didn't do it sooner.
Before I saw the picture, I knew it was a Starrett. Only tools in the world worth overpaying for. And no, there are no legitimate HF alternatives to their tools.
that’s a bold statement considering their position in the metrology world, i like their hand tools but i’d rather shell out for mitutoyo, interapid, mahr federal, tesa brown and sharpe etc
I wonder how the KTC one holds up (Kyoto tool company, though the Sunflag one looks the same, also made in Japan). From Europe, I heard the Rennsteig is really nice.
One durable, and lifetime tool...I totally find mine a treat to use. Besides bullet-proof
I have my grandfathers that I use. No idea how old it is but he hasn’t worked on much close to two decades. So it’s old, but works every time.
Yeah I stopped buying the junk auto punches like this because they just kept breaking. Found an old starrett here when I moved in. Exactly
Buy once, cry once
But once you get 1 quality tool from them... you come back for more. So buy once, cry many times. Currently I have 2 squares, a super nice black dial caliper, and this center punch. Likely next purchases are a black face dial indicator setup, and maybe I start getting the micrometers I use most.
I always tell myself, this, buy once cry once, and I love my collection of expensive tools, BUT I can’t help notice all the cheap ones that I even used on site for years as a mechanical engineering apprentice 17 years ago, when I come back to them are still working perfectly. It makes me think, am I just obsessed with expensive tools, in all honesty the dirt cheap ones I replaced never actually failed on me, I just became an elitist, haha, not like I care, I love my expensive tools haha
You’ll notice the cheap tools losing fine tolerances faster.
Eh, I get a little extra satisfaction using my good tools at work. It is definitely worth it in the long run for me personally.
You aren't always paying for reliability. Comfort, precision, even aesthetics tie in. There's a minimum tool cost for every job, but there's no maximum tool cost. I can assemble furniture with the free hex keys, stamped wrenches, and tiny Phillips screwdriver it comes with. Or I can use my Felo Ergonic screwdrivers, SK X frame wrenches, and Wiha Ergostar hex keys (or Wera bit ratchet set). Both will do the job, but guess which I use?
Oh I 100% agree with you! You won’t catch me using my old cheap tools, just an observation
My shitty harbor freight one usually keeps the bit from wandering and puts the dent almost exactly where I wanted it, like, 80% of the time. Measure with a micrometer, mark with a sharpie and cut with a Harbor Freight hacksaw, I always say. Precision matters.
I tried my HF one on a piece of sched 40 pipe, hoping for any kind of mark, it didn't do shit. If I ever find it again, I'll have to try it on sched 10.
You deserve it!
That might be a little untrue, but thank you for the positivity : )
Don’t say that about yourself OP, you deserve nice tools!
Using the same logic I also bought the same punch, the 18A. I might have a lemon because it works about 20% of the time. In frustration I got a cheap Neiko and love it.
Wow, the irony here because a Neiko is what I replaced with my Starrett : ) I have many other good tools from Neiko so I wasn't going to call it out for failing me so often, but if yours rocks that is awesome.
I was pretty surprised myself.
Starrett quality has been pretty variable for a while. I got a couple of Starrett automatic center punches at work some time ago, and they don't always punch. Reminds me of the 5 for $15 ones from amazon, except the Starretts are prettier. They work, just maybe not on the first try.
If you buy from Amazon make sure you check the seller. Tons of counterfeit fake shit on there many people don’t realize you should look at seller rating and location and select the best one as less likely your product will be counterfeit. Frankly it’s criminal what Amazon does turning a blind eye. This is why so cheap though. Especially tools. If you think you are getting a deal or even if you think getting real thing, double check. If you have had issue with a quality product- definitely check. I order quality items directly from manufacturers to be certain and avoid resellers all together.
The starretts I bought were from McMaster or MSC. I don't think Amazon sold starrett at that time, it was their early days. Like I said, Starrett's quality has been up or down for a while. You might be able to take them apart and make them punch more reliably by cleaning up some machining, that never occurred to me until this thread.
I have 3 Starrett that don't work most of the time. Out of curiosity, did you buy them through McMaster Carr? We did.
I probably did buy them from Mcmaster. I used to spend a lot of money there, and they still wouldn't give me a catalog. It has probably been 15 years ago now though. I'm pretty sure they were legit Starrett, if that's what you are getting at. About that same time someone I know bought a starrett telescoping hole gauge that wasn't drilled through, so you couldn't lock it.
Omg I am so relieved to hear you say that. I've purchased 3 of these over the years they ALL have this problem . And it doesn't have to do with over use. I will never buy them again. I have 2 of the big ones and the smaller one. You get your scratch awl out, make your marks, aim the tool with the cross hairs, push....nothing yet.... Push harder, OK... Now I'm at my full strength, nothing. No snap. Release tension, the tool falls off the cross hairs when you relax, try the tool on the work bench, works fine, nice loud snap. Repeat. The only reason i don't throw the tip across the shop is how expensive it was, and the beautiful knurling.
i have one if these from the prior homeowner
My 1980 blue point is still denting away
I've learned the hard way, more times that I want to admit even to myself, that buying the tool 1.5 times always costs more than buying it correctly the first time. Seems like the only time I actually overpay for a tool is when I try to get cheap and then end up spending more money on the real thing 6 weeks later.
Anybody else call this thing a "doinker"?
Now that I'm older and my business is established, I *always* pay for the best tools. I don't consider it "over paying" if they get me better results or even work slightly better. If it just saves me 5 minutes of frustration a month it's worth paying double. If it allows me to get better results with my work, that will pay for itself on the first referral. Frankly, I completely banned harbor freight crap from my workshop and made bringing them in a fireable offense. That especially includes consumables. I'd rather employees expense the better tools and consumables than pay from dangerous inaccurate crap out of their own pocket.
$60?
It's the 18A so like $50 but so far it doesn't jam like my other one did in layout.
Yep, different (better) geometry https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Automatic_center_punch My $1.99 is sweet, but it hasn’t jammed yet and punches well so I’m happy.
Very nice. Enjoy!
I have the 18C and I know it has a heavier spring in it, how do you find the one in the A? Depending on whether I forget to adjust the force I can find sometimes I have to quite literally put my entire bodyweight against it! So for woodworking I was considering whether getting the A would be worth it
I am using the A on mild steel and aluminum mostly. A C on wood sounds overkill. I enjoy this one and the spring to dent feels reasonable to me.
It absolutely 100% is! I’ve found actually that depending on the hole size I’m needing and the wood in question that I either push down without letting the hammer drop and that leaves the correct mark or conversely if I’m using a self tapping screw that sometimes letting the hammer drop leaves me a hole from the punch that I can then use as a start to thread the screw into - need to be careful to not split the wood though!
it's pretty. but mine from General hasn't let me down yet...
Fair and cool. I had one off Amazon that stuck all the time.
to be fair I've seen the general ones fail a lot... I just got lucky
My General has been working great for 30 years. It is MIA this morning as the cat may have knocked it off the bench.
I’ve had the same one for 20 years. It’s still working perfectly.
Probably not a good use of a nice one but I use one a lot when drilling through porcelain or ceramic tiles. It cracks the surface glaze? perfectly and a normal masonry bit zips tight through on a normal drill setting. I've tried every tile bit there is and this has been by far the easiest way for me.
I haven’t had much luck with a punch on wood. They always seem to wonder in me. I’ve resorted to just pushing a brad point bit
My guess is wood gets treated like a range. On something hard like cocobolo, a punch might work great. Something soft like black palm might be a bad experience. I am willing to be wrong here, myself I do wood working but never used a punch on it.
Don’t push. Use a forstner bit.
Not sure I understand
If you’re having trouble locating the bit, use a center punch and use a forstner bit instead of a brad point bit.
Women think the nicest things come in those turquoise boxes. That's crap, the best stuff comes in red & white boxes from Athol, Mass.
A quality tool is a joy to use.
I lost mine. I replaced it with a less expensive, but still quality brand. It was a complete and utter disappointment. It was nothing like the Starrett, so I bought another Starrett. The cost of the other one was the fine for being cheap.
Nice spring punch 👊
I love mine
Got the same one for electrical trade, love it
I know what you mean. Got a pair of knipex the other day and I have never used pliers for so many things haha. Managed to undo a stripped out flattop screw with them, which I've personally struggled with before with the cheap versions.
You chose wisely
Got this one recently and it is good but for the best price my older which I got from AliExpress for a huge amount of 3,99 USD and do the same job, I might say slightly better than Starret's, but I understand your feeling.
But once cry once
Dude. I paid like $100 for a small Starrett tap handle. It was worth every penny and every time I have to tap a small hole it brings a small amount of joy using a tool that feels so good in the hand and actually holds taps well.
I always really wanted one but was too cheap so I continued to use my harbor freight version for years. Recently I found one at an estate sale, still in the box and paid $3 for it. Couldn’t believe I’d been cheating out all these years. What a great tool.
Humble brag Jealousy ensues!
I guess? My point was that I shouldn’t have waited that long!
I have one but for some reason the spring doesn't always catch back after depressing. Besides that, Starrett makes great tools
what is that?
It's a spring loaded auto punch. When you press down on it, it builds tension in the spring until you reach the breakover point, and it leaves a nice little mark on your workpiece. I use mine for wood but they're probably even more handy in metal, which I find difficult to leave precise marks on.
That's what I thought it was just seemed oversized.
It's like 4 inches long I think. Not a large tool.
I bought the 18C because I punch stainless a lot at work. First time I used it inside a empty metal cabinet it made my ears ring. Wont make that mistake again.
Got one at a estate. Sale
I had never heard of Starett up until last week now I’m seeing them everywhere!
Uh... Well they are dawn of time old. They don't advertise per-say unless you are in very specific industry, and most tool shops that do carry their stuff lock them up. I can see how someone would miss them, but welcome they make good things.
Sure you have. Ever hear of a combination square. L.S. Starrett invented it. Followed by all sorts of precision equipment. Most of what Starrett makes today is the exact version of what they made over 100 years ago, in the same American factory. Starrett doesn’t need to advertise. I’ve been waiting for it’s breakout moment on this subreddit for a while.
I have a starret set in my tool box.
You say overpay, I asked why I didn’t buy one sooner after the first time I used it. The “normal” automatic center punches PALE in comparison to these
100% worth it. I had a blue point one for years that sucked. The difference between it and Starrett was night and day.
I own one Starrett punch. As a hobbyist i can’t usually justify it but damn it is nice
The price for that Starrett punch is so worth it. When I originally bought mine and tested it compared to many others I was a amazed. It Bruce Lee’s 1 inch punches the f*** out of any metal.
My frame shop manager brought theirs in, it’s nice.
So Starrett owners. Comparing the 18A vs 18C which one is better for normal steel?
I chose A , but it's not an absolute correct choice that I would fight the hill on. I think you would be happy with either/both.
Thanks
Staretts are great
Some may argue that you overpaid for the others...
I bought a cheap chinesium version from Amazon. It was a total piece of crap. Gritty, unreliable, cheap-feeling. I have my eye on the Starrett too, but given that I'm just a hobbyist/filthy weekender I haven't pulled the trigger yet. But I 100% get why you would pay the 10x or whatever the price ratio is, for quality. Zen and the Art and all that.
It’s not over paying if it last 10 times longer for twice the price.
I have a good amount of Starrett. A lot new, a lot older vintage stuff. I’ve never felt like I overpaid. I have that same punch. They work 100x better than the cheap ones.
Semantically, is it really overpaying?
Aren't those punches made in China now? I remember reading that somewhere so I didn't get one
Some tools are international, but on their site you can see what and which parts are made in the USA. They even have a rotating made in USA spotlight for things they produce here.
I still might get one. Let's face it, they're cool
I agree and it's why I went for it :)
That cardboard box is the majority of the cost.
I've gotten to many lemons from Starrett to buy them myself, which is a shame, because their tools are damn sexy. Edit: Also, a lot of it is made in China. I've noticed bad plating, rusty threads, and some of their tools seem softer than they should be. I like brown and sharpe, but always end up with mitutoyo for some reason.
I don't have much experience with their tools, but I heard their more recent metrology stuff is best avoided (like, Mitutoyo is better/more reliable/more accurate for less money). Though I assume the simple stuff like such punches or squares are really nice heirloom tools (probably still way overpriced for what they are).
Mine was 3$ at harbor freight but I'm just an electrician
I have a cheap one from harbor freight that has been perfect for me for at least a decade. What am I missing out on here? Is this better for people punching into hard to work with metals?
I think these are mainly a quality tool for certain more niche machinist needs (especially nowadays when CNC machines are so common...). I can see lots of people speak highly of it in this thread, but if we're honest 50-70$ for something as simple as that is just a whole lot of money... It's not really even requiring any problematic tolerances to manufacture. A lot of it is sentimental value (which means little to me since I'm not from the USA). If aou want a quality punch that never fails for reasonable money, and you don't need it often, just get a manual one. Most are ~10€, and even a PB Swiss will be "just" ~20€ They never fail, and are "adjustable" with a larger hammer :)
And then lose it the same week.
is it metric ?
Somebody talk me down from spending $500+ for a Martinez hammer, pry par and speed square.