Heavier or Lighter Darts?

[Grey Owl]

Which dart is better if the length and width of the barrel are the same.

The lighter one!
The heavier one!


(for example 22g or 25g)

and why?

[Getagrip]

tough to decide but I think I picked the heavier because its in the area where I have used most, but I think either would work well for me, think its more a personal thing.

[CotswoldDave]

Think it's a lot easier to throw a heavier dart without it tailing around everywhere. Also for me has a nicer feel to it.

[Banned]

So.... sort of like what Cosmo darts does with their barrels and Target does with the Phil Taylor barrels? Both of them produce the same exact barrels but in different weights. For example, Phil Taylor's darts are all the same dimensions but offered in 3 different weights. 22g, 24g and 26g. They make them different by drilling the back end out. Same goes with Cosmo darts. ALL of the Cosmo line offers 3 different weights of each dart but the dimensions remain the same.

Which one is better? None is really better then the other. Whatever an individual prefers is best.

[Grey Owl]

What I read is that heavier ones are easier to group and easier to control ... so everything else being the same seems like it's a slam dunk for heavier .... but what am I missing?

[Regulatori]

To me it's more about balance. I like my current 25g darts because they balance so well. One of my old favorites were 14g...again, the Hankey's had such great balance.

I liked my 22g Aden Kirk's too because they were barely drilled out/balanced really well....but my previous 21g Lewis darts were drilled deeper and didn't balance well at all for my throw.

[SlingBlade]

I was throwing with 25G Pirahana's in the late 80's
Then went down to 22G and liked that but lately have really got to feel 25G is the right weight. It might have a lot to do with the feel of these darts though. I'm going to stick with 25G at least through the summer..........unless I find another dart that I try and feels better yet.

[Dmott]

It seems to me like when you are in the zone, your arm has a natural speed it wants to throw at. Heavier darts carry more momentum, so they dont need as high of a throw speed to get to where you want them to go. Light darts carry less, so they need more speed to start.

But... say a light dart with a small flight, now you have less drag. I find 14-16g darts with a slim or some sort of really small flight and a short/tweenie stem throw pretty similar to a 23g dart with a standard flight and medium stem.

Since the question was the same barrel size, shape, grip etc., I think they are both perfect. (I voted for the lighter one because thats the one I would choose myself)

[Banned]

What I read is that heavier ones are easier to group and easier to control ... so everything else being the same seems like it's a slam dunk for heavier .... but what am I missing?

Don't believe anything like that. Any, and I mean ANY, heavy dart/light debate is pure BS.

Some people like heavy darts, others like light darts. It all comes down to personal preference.

Of course there are exceptions to every rule. If a dart gets too heavy you might deal with a size issue. The barrel could be too bulky to score well. I hate to use Phil Taylor as an example because he's an oddity, but he scores well with a huge dart so it can be done. It's not impossible.

On the other hand, people will say a really light dart might fishtail and be less forgiving. There's been 3 people that have won a handful of World Championships with darts 14g or less.

Weight (within reason) means jack squat when discussing darts.

[Spartan]

I've thrown with 14,17,18,19,20,21,22,23,24,25,26 played well with all it comes down too what feels right for you.

[Dartbuggy]

I was throwing 24g but recently stepped down to 22g. I have been trying to stick to a single weight more for consistency, but I have darts from 18 to 26g. The reason I dropped from 24 to 22 is that the 22 promotes a better follow through with my stroke speed. It is also less forgiving, but that provides great feedback for keeping my throw in the correct attitude.

[Jugger]

I find lighter darts, but not too light, like 19-22g fly FAR better for me than heavier darts.

23 is kind of the middle ground, but 24 and up do all kinds of silly things in the air after I throw them

[Quackered1979]

Steel tip my range of preference is 22-24 grams. Soft tip I still haven't found a dart that suited me under 18g and shoot best with 20g.

[*Saber*]

Personal preference is the answer.

[Jugger]

What I read is that heavier ones are easier to group and easier to control ... so everything else being the same seems like it's a slam dunk for heavier .... but what am I missing?

Don't believe anything like that. Any, and I mean ANY, heavy dart/light debate is pure BS.

Some people like heavy darts, others like light darts. It all comes down to personal preference.

Of course there are exceptions to every rule. If a dart gets too heavy you might deal with a size issue. The barrel could be too bulky to score well. I hate to use Phil Taylor as an example because he's an oddity, but he scores well with a huge dart so it can be done. It's not impossible.

On the other hand, people will say a really light dart might fishtail and be less forgiving. There's been 3 people that have won a handful of World Championships with darts 14g or less.

Weight (within reason) means jack squat when discussing darts.

Not necessarily...

A heavier dart will sit in your fingers heavier... This is the reason heavier darts fly crazy on me, they sit in my fingers and stick too much. Sure if I practiced with them for hours like I have with other darts... I would likely adjust, but that's not the point. My preference is a certain amount of weight distribution/grip

The point is if you find a weight/shape/size/grip combination that is comfortable, then the discussion of weight means a lot.