Beginner's Guide to Choosing Darts

Buying your first proper set of darts shouldn't take a research degree. But walk into any darts shop and you'll face hundreds of options with specifications that mean nothing yet: 90% tungsten, 24g, 50mm barrel, medium shafts, standard flights. This guide cuts through it all and gives you a clear starting point.

The Dart Setup: Four Parts

A dart has four components. You'll often buy them as a complete set, but they're replaceable individually as you develop preferences:

Component	What It Does	Beginner Choice
Point (tip)	Penetrates the board; steel or soft tip depending on board type	Steel tip for bristle boards (standard in pubs/clubs)
Barrel	The part you hold; determines weight, grip, and balance	90% tungsten, 22–24g, medium length
Shaft (stem)	Connects barrel to flight; affects flight arc and stability	Medium length nylon shafts
Flight	Stabilises the dart in flight; shape affects arc and drag	Standard (large) shape flights

Step 1: Steel Tip or Soft Tip?

This is determined by your board, not your preference. Bristle boards (the traditional sisal-fibre boards used in pubs, clubs, and most home setups) require steel-tip darts. Electronic boards (with plastic segmented surfaces and automatic scoring) require soft-tip darts.

For most players who want to play at a club or in a pub league, steel tip is the standard. Soft tip is popular in parts of continental Europe and is common in arcades. If you're unsure, buy steel tip — it's the format professional tournaments use and the format you'll encounter in most venues.

Step 2: Choose Your Barrel Weight

Weight is usually the first thing to think about. Darts typically range from 16g to 32g, with 18–26g covering the vast majority of players.

• Lighter (16–20g) — faster release, higher arc, needs a loose grip. Often recommended for players who naturally throw with very little force.
• Medium (21–25g) — the widest range of players. Forgiving for technique development.
• Heavier (26–32g) — more stable flight, needs more deliberate force. Some players find them easier to control; others find them fatiguing.

Step 3: Choose Your Barrel Material

For beginners, 90% tungsten is the recommendation. It's not the cheapest option (brass sets exist for under €15), but it hits the right balance of barrel slimness, durability, and price.

• Brass darts — wide barrels (9–12mm), poor grouping potential, cheap. Fine for casual games but will limit your development.
• 80% tungsten — reasonable starting point if budget is tight. Barrels around 7–8mm.
• 90% tungsten — recommended. Barrels around 6.5–7.5mm, much better grouping potential, durable.
• 95%+ tungsten — unnecessary at beginner level. Save money here.

Budget: a decent 90% tungsten beginner set costs €30–60. Brands to look at include Winmau Blade (their entry ranges), Harrows, Bulls, and Red Dragon.

Step 4: Grip Style and Barrel Shape

Before you can pick a barrel, you need to know how you naturally hold a dart. Hold a pen and simulate throwing it (gently). Note:

• How many fingers are on the pen — 2, 3, or 4?
• Where on the pen do your fingers sit — front, middle, or rear?
• Is your grip tight (lots of pressure) or loose (minimal pressure)?

For beginners, a straight barrel with medium grip rings is the safest choice. It doesn't force a grip position and works with most natural throwing styles. Avoid heavily textured or aggressively scalloped barrels until you've identified your natural grip — the texture on a premium barrel only helps if it's in the right spot.

Step 5: Shafts and Flights

Shafts and flights are often overlooked, but they affect how the dart flies. Here's the simple version:

Shafts (stems): Shaft length affects the dart's arc. Longer shafts produce a higher arc; shorter shafts produce a flatter trajectory. For beginners, start with medium length nylon shafts — they're the most forgiving and the cheapest to replace when they break.

Flights: Larger flights create more drag and slow the dart's rear down, helping it stabilise. Smaller flights offer less drag and suit harder throwers. For beginners, standard (large) flights are recommended — they stabilise inconsistent throws better and forgive minor release errors.

Building Your First Setup: Step by Step

1. Confirm steel tip or soft tip

   Check what type of board you'll be playing on most. Steel tip for bristle boards, soft tip for electronic boards.

2. Pick a starting weight: 22–24g

   Start in the middle range. You can adjust up or down once you've thrown for a few weeks and have a feel for whether your darts are flying too high or too flat.

3. Choose 90% tungsten, straight barrel

   Medium rings or light knurling. Budget €30–60. Look at Harrows, Winmau, or Bull's Darts entry-level 90% ranges.

4. Use medium nylon shafts + standard flights

   Buy two or three sets of both — they break and wear out. Keep spares in your case.

5. Throw 500 darts before changing anything

   Give the setup a real chance. Most "equipment problems" at beginner level are actually technique problems. Once you can consistently hit the same segment three times in a row, then you've earned the right to experiment with specs.

What to Ignore (For Now)

Marketing language around darts can be overwhelming. These things don't matter for beginners and you can safely ignore them until you're at an intermediate level:

• Nano coatings and surface treatments — minor effect, large price premium
• 95%+ tungsten — meaningful at competition level, irrelevant for beginners
• Carbon fibre or titanium shafts — durable but expensive; nylon does the job
• Shaped flights (kite, slim, pear) — experiment later; start with standard
• Custom-machined scallops and zero-degree knurling — grip texture matters but fancy marketing terms don't