As I'm getting back into darts and am completely new to soft tip, the whole lighter weight thing is also new. I found a great deal on both the Gen 1 Stephen Bunting soft tips, and as they come in 14g and 18g with a shape that is falls in line with what I used to play in steel tips, I can get a feel for both the light end and median for soft tips.
Getagrip did an excellent review of the 23g steel tip version here.
The packaging seems to have gone through a transformation and the lighter darts came in the bigger (older) packaging.
The darts are ever so slightly different between the 14g and 18g.
Per Target, these are the dimensions:
Actual barrel length: 14g - 37.92mm ; 18g - 42.05mm
Maximum barrel diameter: 14g - 6.45mm ; 18g - 6.52mm
To find the balance point, I use a steel rule like this:
Barrel weights are within 0.04g for both sets:
The darts came with Medium Pro Grip black shafts and standard shaped flights. They also come standard with Target Pixel tips. The tips and shaft are perfect fits in that there is no lip on the leading or trailing edge of the dart, contrary to the description photo from Target. All weights are:
The barrels are 90% tungsten and feature what Target call a Nano Grip. Getagrip covered the grip well in his steel tip review so there is no point in going over it again. I don't have sweaty hands, actually they tend to be very dry, so super grippy darts are not a necessity for me. The texture of these barrels feels quite good and fits my grip nicely (I love the Pixel tip for and exact finger placement in my grip):
The throw:
With my soft tip board, I picked up a set of Target Silverback Black Titanium 18g darts. I liked the initial touch of the Silverbacks, but am starting to see there are things in my throw that are not ideally suited to their layout.
In comparison, the Bunting 18g feels a bit better balanced with the Silverback being a bit too rear loaded. The release feels a bit more natural on the Bunting too. This wasn't a big surprise as I've typically liked the feel of tapered barrels over the Silverback's straight layout.
The Nano Grip is surprisingly nice in release. I was concerned it might feel sticky on release, especially when new, but it glides off my fingers easily.
The real surprise is the 14g. I was quite sure that they would feel tight light and overly affected by a standard flight, but I was pleasantly surprised by how well they flew and the touch I seem to have with them around the board.
My initial impression is very good. As a tinkerer I'll be playing a bit with flights and maybe shaft lengths, but I learned a few things about my throw and places to improve the mechanics with comparing the 14g and 18g in back to back practice sessions. But I think I'll be keeping the 14g in my arsenal for a while.
Getagrip did an excellent review of the 23g steel tip version here.
The packaging seems to have gone through a transformation and the lighter darts came in the bigger (older) packaging.
Guests cannot see images in the messages. Please register at the forum by clicking here to see images.
The darts are ever so slightly different between the 14g and 18g.
Guests cannot see images in the messages. Please register at the forum by clicking here to see images.
Per Target, these are the dimensions:
Guests cannot see images in the messages. Please register at the forum by clicking here to see images.
The dimensions of the actual darts are very close.Actual barrel length: 14g - 37.92mm ; 18g - 42.05mm
Maximum barrel diameter: 14g - 6.45mm ; 18g - 6.52mm
To find the balance point, I use a steel rule like this:
Guests cannot see images in the messages. Please register at the forum by clicking here to see images.
And these darts are balanced in the centre of their barrel length:Guests cannot see images in the messages. Please register at the forum by clicking here to see images.
Barrel weights are within 0.04g for both sets:
Guests cannot see images in the messages. Please register at the forum by clicking here to see images.Guests cannot see images in the messages. Please register at the forum by clicking here to see images.
14g Barrels / 18 Barrels
11.75 / 15.77
11.74 / 15.76
11.71 / 15.73
14g Barrels / 18 Barrels
11.75 / 15.77
11.74 / 15.76
11.71 / 15.73
The darts came with Medium Pro Grip black shafts and standard shaped flights. They also come standard with Target Pixel tips. The tips and shaft are perfect fits in that there is no lip on the leading or trailing edge of the dart, contrary to the description photo from Target. All weights are:
Guests cannot see images in the messages. Please register at the forum by clicking here to see images.Guests cannot see images in the messages. Please register at the forum by clicking here to see images.
The barrels are 90% tungsten and feature what Target call a Nano Grip. Getagrip covered the grip well in his steel tip review so there is no point in going over it again. I don't have sweaty hands, actually they tend to be very dry, so super grippy darts are not a necessity for me. The texture of these barrels feels quite good and fits my grip nicely (I love the Pixel tip for and exact finger placement in my grip):
Guests cannot see images in the messages. Please register at the forum by clicking here to see images.Guests cannot see images in the messages. Please register at the forum by clicking here to see images.
The throw:
With my soft tip board, I picked up a set of Target Silverback Black Titanium 18g darts. I liked the initial touch of the Silverbacks, but am starting to see there are things in my throw that are not ideally suited to their layout.
In comparison, the Bunting 18g feels a bit better balanced with the Silverback being a bit too rear loaded. The release feels a bit more natural on the Bunting too. This wasn't a big surprise as I've typically liked the feel of tapered barrels over the Silverback's straight layout.
The Nano Grip is surprisingly nice in release. I was concerned it might feel sticky on release, especially when new, but it glides off my fingers easily.
The real surprise is the 14g. I was quite sure that they would feel tight light and overly affected by a standard flight, but I was pleasantly surprised by how well they flew and the touch I seem to have with them around the board.
My initial impression is very good. As a tinkerer I'll be playing a bit with flights and maybe shaft lengths, but I learned a few things about my throw and places to improve the mechanics with comparing the 14g and 18g in back to back practice sessions. But I think I'll be keeping the 14g in my arsenal for a while.
