Articles
Understand how different dart properties affect your throw. Knowledge is the first step to finding your perfect dart.
Beginner's Guide to Choosing Darts
New to darts, or never thought about specs before? This is the one to read first: tungsten percentages, weights, grips and how to put together a setup that helps you improve fast.
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Beginner's Guide to Choosing Darts
New to darts? Start here. We cover the basics of tungsten percentages, point systems, flights, shafts, and how to put together a setup that helps you improve fast.
How Barrel Weight Affects Your Throw
Heavier darts fly more stable but need more force. Lighter darts are faster but can drift. Learn how to find the weight range that suits your throwing style and grip pressure.
Complete Dart Setup Guide: Barrel, Shaft, and Flight
Barrel, shaft, and flight are one system — change one and the others may need adjusting. A step-by-step framework for building a coherent setup, with links to the deep-dive guides for each component.
How to Throw Darts: Technique Guide for Beginners
Grip, stance, aim, release, and follow-through — the five fundamentals of a repeatable throw, plus the most common beginner mistakes and how to fix them.
Best Darts for Heavy Throwers: 25g+ Steel Tip Guide (2026)
Real 25g, 26g and 28g+ steel tip darts compared, with how heavier weight changes trajectory and how to find your perfect set.
Best Darts for Small Hands & Smaller Grips (2026)
Slim-barrel tungsten darts under 6.2mm diameter compared, with why diameter and length matter for a smaller grip.
Grip
Grip Types Explained
Ringed, knurled, pixel, razor, smooth — every grip style offers a different level of traction and release. Discover which grip pattern matches how you hold your dart.
Dart Grip Position: Front, Middle, and Rear Explained
Where you hold the dart on the barrel determines which barrel will feel right. Learn to identify your grip position and what it means for grip area, balance point, and barrel shape selection.
Best Darts for Front Grippers
Torpedo and teardrop barrels suit front grip best — their front-weighted mass aligns with where your fingers contact the dart. Learn which grip area, barrel shape, and weight to prioritise.
Best Darts for Middle Grippers
Middle grip players need texture at the centre of the barrel and a centre-balanced dart. Straight and rear-tapered barrels work best. The grip position used by Michael van Gerwen, explained.
Best Darts for Rear Grippers
Rear grippers need grip texture at the back of the barrel — scalloped shapes and full-length milling work best. Balance point matters less than where the texture sits. Here is what to filter for.
Barrels
Barrel Shapes: Which Suits Your Style?
Straight barrels for consistent grouping, torpedo for front-weighted power, bomb for compact grip zones. A breakdown of every barrel shape and when to use it.
How to Measure Your Ideal Dart Length & Diameter
Your hand size, finger length, and grip position all influence the optimal barrel dimensions. A practical guide to measuring and matching your anatomy to dart specs.
Balance Point: Front, Center, or Rear?
Where the weight sits in the barrel changes your dart's flight arc. Learn how front-weighted, center-balanced, and rear-loaded darts behave differently in the air.
Understanding Tungsten Percentages
What's the real difference between 80%, 90%, and 97% tungsten? We explain density, slimness, durability and value so you can decide how much tungsten you actually need.
Equipment
Dart Flights Explained: Shape, Size, and Material
Larger flights slow the dart and add stability; smaller flights flatten the trajectory. How to match standard, kite, pear, and slim flights to your throw — plus integrated systems like Target K-Flex.
Dart Shafts Explained: Length, Material, and Systems
Shaft length shifts your dart's centre of gravity and changes the board entry angle. Five length categories from extra short to long — with materials, integrated systems, and a diagnostic guide.
Interchangeable Dart Tip Systems Explained
How Target Swiss Point, Harrows Quick Point, and Winmau Switch Point work — mechanisms, cross-compatibility, and honest forum-sourced breakage data. Steel tip only, no soft tip switching.
Steel Tip vs Soft Tip Darts: Which Should You Choose?
Bristle boards need steel tips, electronic boards need soft tips. Weight rules, throwing distances, regional scenes, and how 2BA conversion points let one set play both formats.
Dartboard Setup Guide: Height, Distance & How to Hang
Regulation height (1.73m to the bullseye), steel-tip oche at 2.37m and soft-tip at 2.44m, the diagonal double-check, and how to mount the board so it stays put.
Dartboard & Dart Maintenance: Make Your Gear Last (2026)
Rotate the board, keep modern sisal dry (never soak), deburr points, replace shafts and flights, and know when to swap the board.
Why Do My Darts Bounce Out (and How to Stop It)
The five real causes — wire hits, dull points, flat throws, worn sisal, tight groups — and the exact fix for each. No new darts needed.
Buying Guides
Brands
Best Red Dragon Darts (2026): Range & Buying Guide
Red Dragon's dart range by player profile, with Snakebite, Iceman, Luke Humphries TX3, Javelin and more compared by weight, barrel shape and grip rating.
Best Target Darts (2026): Range & Buying Guide
Target's dart range explained by player profile, with real barrel shape, grip, and weight data plus the Swiss Point interchangeable tip system.
Best Bull's Darts (2026): Range & Buying Guide
The best Bull's darts by player profile: beginner, precision, front grip, and high grip. Real barrel shape, grip, and weight data from our database.
Best Harrows Darts (2026): Range & Buying Guide
The Harrows range explained by player profile, with real weight, barrel shape, grip and Quick Point data, plus a comparison table and FAQ.
Best Winmau Darts (2026): Range & Buying Guide
The best Winmau darts by player profile. Compare real Winmau models by weight, barrel shape and grip, plus the Switch Point system.
Best Unicorn Darts (2026): Range & Buying Guide
The best Unicorn darts by player profile: Gary Anderson Phase 6, James Wade The Machine, Code and Core XL ranges, with real specs from our database.
Best Mission Darts (2026): Range & Buying Guide
Mission's dart range explained by player profile, with real barrel shape, grip, and weight data plus the new R2.5 Rapid interchangeable-tip system.
Best One80 Darts (2026): Range & Buying Guide
The best One80 darts by player profile: beginner, value, front grip, and high grip. Real barrel shape, grip, and weight data from our database.
Best Shot Darts (2026): Range & Buying Guide
Shot's range explained by player profile and themed series: Zen, Birds of Prey, Tribal Weapon, Roman Empire and the new Turbo Point tip system.
Practice & Skills
Dart Practice Routines and Drills: Improve Your Game (2026)
Around the clock, doubles practice, treble 20 grouping, 121 checkouts, and how to build a routine that actually improves your game.
Darts Warm-Up Routine: How Long It Should Take (And When It Backfires)
Darts warm-up guide: what it actually does, how long it should take, and when warming up the wrong way backfires and leaves you worse off than skipping it.
Rules & Scoring
Darts Rules & Popular Games Explained: 501, Cricket & More
How scoring works — doubles, trebles and the bull — plus the rules for 501, 301, Cricket, Around the Clock and other popular games. The complete starting point for new players.
Darts Checkout Chart: Every 2 & 3 Dart Finish
The complete 501 checkout chart from 170 down. Every two- and three-dart finish, the seven bogey numbers, and double-out strategy — every combination math-verified.
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