The dart barrel is the heart of the entire dart. A closer look at the market reveals that new dart barrels are appearing every few days. And not without reason, as the number of dart players is constantly growing. For this reason, manufacturers are vying for players' favor with new innovations and manufacturing processes for dart barrels. Many factors come into play when choosing a dart barrel, and until you're sure you've made the right choice, we recommend trying out different dart barrels. In addition to subjective perception, we'd like to explain what you should look for.
Dart Barrels for Beginners
It's relatively difficult for a beginner to even get an idea of all the alternatives. You usually buy a dartboard and a set of darts and that's it. This dart set doesn't necessarily have to be the best for your throwing style. However, there is one basic rule that you should follow as a beginner . Start with a relatively heavy barrel! As a beginner, it makes sense to start with darts weighing 22g and up. This is because heavy barrels are much more stable in the air than lighter ones. Especially at the beginning of your darts career, you'll be honing your throwing style every day, so a stable throw is essential. If you haven't quite got the hang of it yet, lighter dart barrels will be much more unstable in the air, especially at the beginning. Over time, it's common for many players to lighten the weight of the barrels somewhat.
The success factors: shape, length, weight, grip and workmanship
To find the right barrel, however, it's not enough to just look at the weight. There are five key success factors before you can truly speak of the perfect dart barrel for you. Before we delve deeper into the individual components, it's important to briefly list these details:
- Weight
- length
- form
- Grip
- processing
All of these factors must be coordinated to play successfully. Even if just one characteristic doesn't apply to your individual throwing style, it can set you back significantly. After all, what good is the best barrel, for example, if you can't handle the shape and the dart feels uncomfortable in your hand?
The weight of the dart barrel – the foundation
The weight of the barrel serves as the cornerstone. This weight ultimately determines how stable the dart is in the air and where the darts hit the board. For example, if you notice over time that the dart repeatedly lands two centimeters below the triple 20, then you should try using the same dart barrel with one or two grams less weight. Conversely, if the dispersion on the board is too great, you should increase the weight slightly to stabilize the throw. However, everyone has to gain their own experience here and ideally try out both very light and very heavy darts. This is the only way to find out what really suits you.
Players with heavy darts often complain that throwing them becomes tiring over time. The same applies to darts that are too light, requiring a tremendous amount of force to throw. A healthy balance is the solution – at least in general. For steel darts, we recommend starting with a few dart barrels weighing between 21 and 24 grams .
The length of the dart barrel – no general recommendation possible
The length of the dart barrel isn't a true quality indicator, but it's still incredibly important for the feel of the throw. The following recommendation applies to beginners: Longer barrels tend to be more stable in the air than shorter ones. For this reason, it makes sense for beginners to start with longer barrels. We can also give you some additional information. Experienced dart players usually play with long barrels with shorter shafts . In general, however, you'll notice pretty quickly whether you're more comfortable with short or long darts. Therefore, it's entirely possible to base your choice of barrel on this feeling.
The shape of the dart barrel – teardrop, cylinder, wavy or torpedo shape
When we first started playing darts, we noticed that the shape of the barrel is crucial for success. There are four basic shapes of barrel: the teardrop shape, the cylindrical shape, wavy dart barrels, and the torpedo shape . The center of gravity of the dart barrel is always at a different point depending on the shape. The best way to find the right shape is to pick up a dart (no matter what shape) and look closely at where you are gripping it. If, for example, you grip the dart barrel very far to the front, we recommend a teardrop shape. We would recommend a straight barrel if you grip the barrel in the middle or at the back. Our own experience shows that the shape of the barrel often has an even greater influence than its weight.
The grip – smooth or ribbed?
The grip, or more accurately the grip level, is the fourth component for a suitable dart barrel . Players often complain about two situations. The first situation: The player gets stuck on the barrel when releasing the dart. The second situation: The dart repeatedly slips out of the player's hand when releasing the dart. There are two reasons for this. One is that the grip is too low, and the other is that it is too high. After a few throws, you will notice relatively quickly whether you need a dart with a high grip level or a nearly smooth dart barrel. Therefore, you should not underestimate the grip, otherwise you will probably never reach your top level and leave your potential untapped.
The processing – tungsten is the magic word!
Regardless of whether you're using a steel or soft tip dart barrel, there needs to be enough space to fit three darts into the narrow triple 20 segment. Barrels that are too wide make this almost impossible. Particularly inexpensive models on the market often contain a low percentage of tungsten (or tungsten in German) or are made of brass. Tungsten has a particularly high density, enabling the production of heavy yet narrow dart barrels. If the tungsten content in a dart barrel is too low, it will be relatively difficult to hit a narrow triple or double segment three times. There's usually just not enough space left for the last dart. This is precisely why you should pay attention to the packaging, as it usually states the tungsten content. Accordingly, a good dart barrel should contain at least 80% tungsten.
Ready to upgrade your darts game? Discover everything you need to know about the best dart equipment and how it can boost your accuracy:
- Darts for beginners : Get tips for buying darts now! We'll help you buy darts in our dart shop and give you advice – read on!
- Learn more about various dart accessories such as dartboards, dart surrounds, darts, flight protectors, dart crowns and flight punches.
