What I've learned about selecting darts

[Dorian]

Well in truth...very little except that there is no such thing as the perfect dart. It will continue to be a 'Grail' because the only constant is how variable we are eg: look at Phil Taylor's dart evolution.
I have learned to keep it simple though, I have a few sets of darts which I've bought for a variety of reasons. Most have been 'temporarily' favourites as I adjusted pretty much everything about my throw to make them fly right, and  tweaking them accordingly with stems and flights not an efficient use of time in reality...however the tips that I've learned so far are these...

When choosing darts:

a) Make sure their thickness suits your hand..don't think thinnest is best because there's more space in the trebles etc.
b) Make sure they are suitably balanced and the barrel doesn't slip around.
c) Don't mess around with fancy points or stems for the sake of cosmetics.
d) Ask yourself "Are they the easiest to throw?"... meaning do I have to put a lot of effort into throwing them and importantly gripping correctly each time?
e) Watch them in flight do they snake around a lot, what is the trajectory like? For me I think a shallow arc is better with my throw no looping lobs.
f) Do you feel confident with them immediately or does it take you a long time get warmed up with them before the accuracy is OK?


Cheers

PS. A simple test.... have a 5-10 minute warm up then go around the dartboard 1-20 aiming for the large segment only and see how consistent you are and which set was the easiest to find accuracy the quickest.

[brenthahn]

Great post. +1, sir.

[DIRTY G]

AWW SNAP!!
Now I gota start all over again!!!
Thanx alot D

[Milkysunshine]

See... I think the 'pick It up' comfort is extremely important.

At the same time, you can't argue with averages and results.

It does definitely take some time to realize that...

A) you can throw with most any dart similarly (my case)

B) you have a very specific style that works for you.



Either way... it is much more about feel and confidence than anything else.

[guest2]

True! Dart pins must not be gauged by its cost and popularity but suitability in your throw style. Nice post Dorian.

[ChrisTheFish]

Great post Dorian I'd say you pretty well nailed it but how it feels when you pick it up is also a big indicator for me too not how trendy or expensive.Well said Majeek +1 for you both

[Spartan]

I'm finding I can throw alot of different darts equally as good

[ChrisTheFish]

That's because you are a lucky *!+ker blessed with a great action. The rest of us have to work really hard, try to find "the one" and then buy loads n loads of darts anyway LOL
PS Check out my sig !

[Spartan]

That's because you are a lucky *!+ker blessed with a great action. The rest of us have to work really hard, try to find "the one" and then buy loads n loads of darts anyway LOL
PS Check out my sig !

Lmao thanks Chris :p
That x2v is the man awesome Sig

[Getagrip]

Nice post Dorian a +1 from me, I will move this to the darts help section as I think it will be best there

[Nucky]

Excellent post!!

I would also add in that what you see online isn't always what you get. I've ordered barrels that looked different from the photos and also didn't feel anywhere close to what I thought the grip would be. That being said, we are very fortunate that almost every dart online has its dimensions listed and usually more than one photo. My tip would be to get as much information as you can before ordering a set of darts.

[*Saber*]

+ 1 from me

[ChrisTheFish]

Just look for a review

[rich345]

i agree with all of this although one thing i would say is that the darts i have stuck with now for over 2 months felt very alien at first, to the point where i had put them in my drawer after a couple of days with the intention of selling.
i got them back out on a whim and decided to spend a little time getting the set up right. they are now without doubt my favourite set of darts ever and i have no desire to change or even to try any of my other sets. like most on here i have brought so many sets trying to find the ones.
i think it is important, after you buy a set, to spend some time to get used to them. they could well be the ones, but you may need a little time to adjust to them first.

[Beacon_Darts]

Good post. Point D especially. Being able to transfer each dart from the holding hand to the throwing hand and get the same grip over and over without having to think or fiddle or look away from the target, to me, is huge.