Darts Buying Guide

Your complete guide to choosing the right darts — from barrel composition and grip to flights, shafts, boards and accessories.

By Racketlon Sports

Before You Buy

Consider your budget, playing style, level of play, brand preference, and what you’d like to achieve — more social play, league standard, or extreme accuracy. Once you’ve answered these questions, you’ll be closer to choosing your ideal dart set.

💰 Budget

Prices vary across brands, models and shops. Shop around — not all are created equal. Choose a store that specialises in darts and can give you the best advice. Service during and after your purchase is vital. More expensive doesn’t always mean better — we’re all individuals with different needs. You should be able to feel and test a set of darts before purchase.

🏅 Level of Play

Are you a beginner, intermediate or advanced? Do you play once a week or every day? Socially or competitively? If you’re just starting out, don’t get the most expensive set — get something suitable for where you are now. Your style will evolve as you improve. Darts aren’t overly expensive, so most players pick up extra sets during their playing career. An extra set always comes in handy when guests come around.

🏷️ Brand Preference

A good store stocks quality items. We only stock the best Target, Red Dragon, Harrows, Shot, Winmau and Unicorn so you’ll be sure of a quality brand.

🎯 What Are You Looking For?

Easy to throw and stable? — Thicker, heavier darts with longer stems and larger flights
Close grouping? — Lighter, thinner darts with smaller flights — requires a steady and precise throw every time

Understanding Dart Barrels

Composition

Brass / Nickel — Beginner darts. Chunky and affordable. Made purely from brass or nickel.

Tungsten — The heavy material mixed with steel to create thinner, more versatile darts. Generally, the higher the tungsten percentage, the more expensive. Available in:

Tungsten %	Notes
70%	Entry-level tungsten
80%	Good quality, popular with club players
85%	Mid-range performance
90%	Most popular — used by both amateurs and professionals
95%	Premium, very thin barrels possible
97%	Top tier — thinnest barrels available. 100% tungsten does not exist.

Points: Made from steel and replaceable with a tool. Available in lengths from 26mm to 48mm (36mm is standard). Modern points also feature grooves and rings for improved grip on fingers and in the board.

Weight

Measured in grams, ranging from 10g to 50g. Average is 20–30g, with 24g and 26g being the most popular.

Heavier darts — Easier to throw, more stable through the air. Generally thicker as more material is used.
Lighter darts — Can be much thinner for closer grouping, but require more consistency.
Rough guide: The harder you throw, the lighter you can go. The softer you throw, the heavier dart can help carry the distance.

🎯 Pro weights: Michael van Gerwen uses 23g, Phil Taylor used 26g, Peter Wright uses 21g.

Length

Barrel length ranges from 30mm to 60mm, with 50mm being the norm. Longer darts tend to be centre-weighted and more stable through the air.

Diameter

Ranges from as thin as 4.6mm to 8mm. Thicker “stubby” darts are common with brass/nickel. Average thickness is around 6mm.

Grip Style

Modern engineering has taken grip styles far beyond the old smooth, ringed or knurled options. Today’s styles offer more aggressive grip, longer-lasting grip, and stunning aesthetics. Examples include:

Pixel, Cortex, Axial, Shark, Reverse Ringed, Trapezoidal, Precision Milled, Groove — and many more.

Grip style is personal and can be a deciding factor in finding your ideal set.

Grip Level

We rate grip level from 1 to 6:

Level	Description
1	None — risk of dart slipping during throw
2	Minimal grip
3 – 5	Most popular range. Good balance of grip and release.
6	Aggressive — risk of dart sticking and not releasing cleanly

Tip: Workers with rough hands tend to prefer grippier darts. Accessories like grip powder and wax can help if your favourite dart has lost its grip or for hot evenings when fingers get clammy.

🎯 Pro hint: Don’t use your throwing arm to drink your beverage. Keep your throwing hand fingers dry and warm for your darts.

Barrel Shape

Parallel — Most popular. Consistent diameter throughout.
Torpedo — Narrow at front and back, thicker in the middle.
Missile — Parallel but tapers significantly at the front.
Scallop — Various indentations throughout the barrel, perfectly placed for your fingers.

Important: Everyone holds the dart differently. Don’t let the dart dictate how you hold it — find the dart that best compliments your natural hold.

Front Profile

Not to be confused with barrel shape — this refers to where the barrel meets the point:

Tapered — Seamlessly combines barrel and point for a smooth transition.
Elliptical / Rounded — More obvious transition. Can be used as a guide for holding the dart.

Balance

Front-weighted — Dart enters the board at a downward angle
Centre-weighted — The norm. Balanced, stable flight.

Rear-weighted — Dart goes

Balance

Front-weighted — Dart enters the board at a downward angle
Centre-weighted — The norm. Balanced, stable flight.
Rear-weighted — Dart goes in flatter or at an upward angle

Balance affects how the dart lands in the board (also dependent on your throw/pitch). Remember that shaft length and flight choice will also affect landing and flight angle.

Flights

Flight Thickness

Micron	Type
75	Thinnest
100	Standard
150 – 180	Thicker, more durable

Solid / Moulded Flights: More robust, hold their shape longer, and are growing in popularity worldwide. Brands include L-Style, Target 8-Flight, Robson, Harrows Click, and Winmau Stealth.

Flight Shapes

Shape	Characteristic
Micro	Very small surface area
Standard Ten-X	Classic shape, good all-round
Standard No.2	Slightly wider than Ten-X
Standard No.6	The standard choice for most players
Slim	Narrower — better for tight grouping
Pear / Teardrop	Rounded shape, good stability
Kite	Angular shape, balanced lift
Vapor / Vapor S	Smallest — best left for pros

How does flight shape affect your throw? Larger flights have more lift — the rear of the dart lifts more, creating a steeper downward angle into the board. They also provide more stability. The drawback is that larger flights can make tight grouping more difficult. Smaller flights are better for grouping but require more consistent technique.

Shafts (Stems)

Shaft Materials

Material	Pros & Cons
Nylon	Cheapest and lightest. Most common. Can break easily when falling.
Polycarbonate	Most fragile but attractive colour options.
Aluminium	Strong but tends to bend when hit or dropped.
Carbon	Similar to nylon but reinforced — much stronger.
Composite	Two-piece combination of nylon and aluminium.
Titanium	Most expensive, virtually unbreakable. Heavier. Top piece needs replacing.
Spinning	Available in various materials. Top piece rotates so flights get pushed aside by incoming darts. Avoids deflection.

Shaft Lengths

Length	Name
23mm	Ultra Short
27mm	Extra Short
34mm	Short
37mm	Short Plus
41mm	Intermediate
48mm	Medium
52mm	Long (rarely used now)

All modern shafts use 2BA diameter. Older darts used larger diameter shafts which are no longer available.

How Shafts Affect Your Throw

Longer shaft — Balance shifts to the front. Dart enters board at a steeper angle.
Shorter shaft — Balance shifts to centre or rear.
Heavier shaft — Dart goes in flatter or even upward.
Lighter shaft — Dart enters from a higher angle.

Remember: The trajectory and angle that a dart enters the board is affected by: barrel shape and weight, your grip and location on the barrel, speed of release/pitch, flight shape, and shaft length and weight.

Setting Up Your Darts Space

🎯 Dart Board

All bristle boards are made from various grades of sisal from Kenya. Higher grade sisal has more vibrant colour, smoother feel and quicker recovery — making it more durable.

Maintenance: Rotate your board regularly and keep it out of extreme cold or heat.

Wiring matters:

Staple / Round Wire — Cheaper option. Wiring can be intrusive and cause bounce-outs (no score + risk of breaking shafts/points when hitting the floor).
Blade Wire — Minimal intrusion, the choice for most players. Roughly double the price but well worth it.

🏠 Cabinet / Surround

Cabinet — Protects against stray darts. Can close up and usually includes scoreboards.
Surround — Does not close but offers added padding protection around the board. Scoreboard purchased separately.

💡 Lighting

A spotlight can work, but LED surround lighting is the modern choice — no shadows, easy to install and remove, and doesn’t add extra heat.

📊 Scorers

Blackboard — Classic option with chalk.
Whiteboard — Uses non-marking pens.
Electronic — Shows scores and calculates everything for you.

🧱 Mat

A carpet or rubber mat protects your darts from damage when they fall — and protects your floor too, whether it’s wood, tile or concrete. We highly recommend a mat. Most mats include the oche (throwing line) marked on them.

💼 Case

You need somewhere to keep your sets and accessories. We have cases to suit your needs in many colour options — from single-set wallets to multi-set cases.

🧳 Portable Options

A tripod stand is the ideal solution for taking your board on your travels, or if you don’t have a permanent place to mount your board at home.

🔧 Accessories

JW rings, O-rings, Lock Slot rings, punches, referee tools, shaft removers, point sharpeners, flight protectors, and add-a-gram weights to fine-tune your dart’s weight.

Our Brands

We stock only the best: Target, Red Dragon, Harrows, Shot, Winmau, Unicorn, Mission, Designa, Cuesoul and One80. Whatever your level or budget, you’ll find quality here.

Need Help Choosing?

Our team lives and breathes darts. Whether you’re a complete beginner or a seasoned league player, we’re here to help you find the perfect setup.

South Africa’s home of racket sports and darts