Buying a dartboard: What should you pay attention to with a steel dartboard?

The game of darts is widely practiced as a professional sport and is primarily about skill and precision. When it comes to darts, a basic distinction is made between two different game types.

Namely soft or machine darts on one hand and steel darts on the other. The different dartboards also differ. With steel darts you play on a dartboard made of sisal fibers, with soft darts on an electronic dartboard.

In this article we will give you an overview of the different dartboards for steel darts.

What is steel darts and how does it differ from machine darts?

Softdarts is characterized by darts that weigh a maximum of 20 grams and can have a maximum length of 16.8 centimeters. The tip of a soft dart is made of plastic, and a machine serves as a dartboard. With steel darts , however, the arrowhead is made of metal. The arrow weighs up to 50 grams and has a maximum length of 30.5 centimeters.

The barrel is also made of a nickel tungsten alloy, just like the soft darts. This ensures a slim arrow body with the same weight. This has a corresponding effect on flight behavior.

The rules of the game: Are there important differences?

With steel darts, it is important that the dart remains stuck in the dartboard until the score is announced. If it falls earlier, the throw cannot be scored.

With e-darts the points are calculated automatically. With steel darts there is a scorer who adds up the results and determines the remaining score. To check, the players should also do their math carefully.

After all, they have to decide which square to target on the next throw. A so-called double hit often ends a steel darts game. We summarized all the other rules for you here a few weeks ago.

I would like to buy a steel dartboard. What should I put attention on?

Every experienced player knows: not all dartboards are the same. For example, an electronic dart board, such as the CB 90 , is extremely unsuitable for steel darts.

The material of the arrowheads was not made for use on a soft dartboard. That's why we help beginners in particular to avoid making annoying mistakes when buying a dartboard.

After all, there are a number of aspects that need to be taken into account when buying a steel dart board. We will explain this to you below. Not only will you save money, but you will also be able to enjoy your personal dartboard for much longer.

Where can I buy a steel dartboard for professionals?

You can now buy dartboards for steel darts almost everywhere. The sport has become so popular. Almost all common department stores have a wide range of dartboards.

The manufacturers have also recognized this. The best known among them are Winmau, Unicorn and Target. The dartboards from these manufacturers are currently of the highest quality.

This is reflected in the price. Basically, you can't go wrong when buying a dartboard made of sisal fibers.

What special features do the different steel dart boards have?

The basic features of the dartboards are always the same. Regardless of whether it is an electronic dartboard or steel darts, the structure is always standardized.

This means that various dimensions must be strictly adhered to. This includes the size and diameter of the dartboard, but also the arrangement of the fields. All of this has to be exactly the same on every dartboard.

A big difference is marked by the price. If you want to buy a dartboard for steel darts, you should spend a little more. Finally, the saying also applies when purchasing a dart board: If you buy cheap, you buy twice!

What is a steel dart board made of?

A dartboard for steel darts is made from special materials. As a rule, the dart board is made of cork or sisal. There are already clear differences here when it comes to the manufacturer and the material.

Unicorn presents its boards at the big PDC Darts World Cup. Nevertheless, the products from Winmau, such as the Blade 5 , have a better reputation.

This is mainly due to the production of the dartboards. The Unicorn dartboard is pressed harder than the Winmau dartboard. This affects the adhesion of the arrows to the dartboard.

Particularly good dartboards are made of sisal fiber, while the cheaper options are made of cork. The latter have the crucial disadvantage that they wear out much more quickly than those made of sisal fiber.

What is special about a steel dartboard made from sisal fibers?

A first-class Winmau dartboard is characterized by many positive properties. The sisal fibers are not pressed quite as tightly here. This makes it easier for the arrows to find their way into the board.

The robust sisal fibers also ensure that the old holes in the board are automatically closed again. This means that the wear and tear is significantly less than with a cork dartboard.

You should definitely pay attention to this if you want to buy a dartboard. A test throwing already provides information about the material quality. Here you can get a feel for how hard the dartboard is and how quickly the old holes close up again.

The differentiated production also ensures a reduction in volume. The impact of the arrow on a Winmau dartboard is significantly quieter than with other brands

The wire – the be-all and end-all if you want to buy a dartboard

The wire is even more important than the density of the sisal fibers. A good wire is characterized by the fact that the darts stay stuck in the steel dart board for a long time. This protects the floor of the dartboard and ensures greater longevity. High-quality steel dartboards usually have a relatively thin wire.

A thick wire ensures that the darts bounce off the board more. The rebounds, in turn, often bounce back more than a meter and usually get stuck in the ground.

If you don't put out blankets or mats for protection, you'll ruin your room in the long run. So pay attention to a thin wire if you want to buy a high-quality steel dart board. The same applies here: cheap is not always better.

It's similar with the walls, even if the wire is less important here than it is personal precision.

Steel darts in particular tend to get stuck in the wall and leave unsightly stains and holes in the plaster or wallpaper.

A surround can help here. The dartboard is expanded to include a protective ring or a dart collecting field. This allows errant arrows to be intercepted.

The number ring: another feature of the professional dartboard

The number ring is an important indication of a good dartboard. In cheaper models, this is permanently attached to the dartboard. If you train diligently with your dartboard every day, you will quickly notice the following.

The lifespan of such a dartboard will be very short. Some surfaces will wear out much faster than others.

This is of course because you prefer certain fields when aiming. However, a high-quality dartboard for steel darts has a removable number ring.

For example, if your 20 segment is “thrown through”, you can simply turn the steel dart board and the number ring. Then you can use a previously rarely used field as a new 20-space segment.

This way you can increase the lifespan of your dartboard to up to five years – with regular use.

Buy a dartboard for steel darts: our tips at a glance

• Pay close attention to the material and the pressing process. An original dartboard made of sisal fibers is just as important for a high-quality steel dartboard as good material density.
• The wire shows high quality. This should be as fine as possible in order to largely avoid ricochet.
• A removable number ring. Thanks to its flexibility, you can use your steel dart board for up to five years.
• Dart Surround : Make sure your walls are well protected. A surround dartboard also catches poorly aimed arrows and thus prevents damage to plaster or wallpaper.
• First-class quality is reflected in the price. It's better to dig a little deeper into your pockets for a high-quality steel dart board. In the long run, you won't save anything with a cheap board. Well-known manufacturers stand for top products when it comes to professional dartboards. We recommend the Blade 5 dartboard as it impresses with a first-class price-performance ratio and meets all of the criteria mentioned above.

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