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07-20-2015, 06:36 PM
(This post was last modified: 07-20-2015, 06:49 PM by Dmott.)
Browsing this site and seeing everybody's darts, and browsing all the shops online, I started to think I was familiar with most darts. I was looking at trying some darts that were front loaded/tapered to be front loaded, and went to a few of the options I had seen.
Throwing a really fat dart does not sound fun to me, and thats most of what I was finding when I was looking for this tapered style.
I tried to do a search for a thread only about this style of dart, and wasn't successful (I found a thread about a taper the other way, AKA Wolframs), so I figured it might be helpful in the future. I just wanted to post a few that surprised me dimension wise, being front weighted but not too fat.
Whitlocks- These really surprised me because they look to be very tapered, are only 43mm or so long, and only get 7mm at the widest (22 gram)
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Target Silica Challenger- 6.9mm x 48mm (I used to have these but sold them to a friend. I could've sworn they were more like 6.3mm x 50mm but I could be wrong there)
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Winmau Stratos 21g-6.15mm x 50mm- plus it has the dual tungsten thing so its even more front weighted. Anybody know of any darts with this real slightly tapered shape? (I don't want to spend extra for the dual tunsgten stuff, or a black dart if I dont have to)
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Feel free to post examples, they don't need to be thin.
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Those look nice and Simon certainly does well (at times lol) with them. However not for me (yet lol)
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Whitlock is using RD Screaming Eagles now, I think they are making a special version for him but his old version was one of my favourite darts a few years ago and it worked great with my front great and what was a more loopy than it is now throw. My throw is not quite the same now so I cant throw them as good as I did.
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07-20-2015, 06:45 PM
(This post was last modified: 07-20-2015, 06:56 PM by Dmott.)
On a side note and for a comparison, here are Barney darts. Only 21g and straight. 90% tungsten. Everybody notes how little Barneys are drilled out, so they arent losing weight there. Dimensions are 6.4mm x 50.7mm. And the 23g are 6.7mm thick. Guests cannot see images in the messages. Please register at the forum by clicking here to see images.
It is almost so different to me that it makes me think they are different tungsten content %. My 22g Whitlocks 90% as I mentioned are 43mm x 7mm. The Winmau Stratos I mentioned are 50mm x 6.15mm, thats still thinner at the thickest point, not even considering the taper (I know these use 95% and 85% tungsten, but assuming they use equal amounts that still should average 90% tungsten).
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I bought these too, Unicorn Sean White, only comes in 22g. Very slight taper up until the little smooth ring. These are 6.7mm thick and somehow feel way thinner than the Whitlocks.
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Now the Barnies are my type of dart, just saying what I prefer.
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I have never handled them but I've heard that hankey's are tapered to the front. I'm sure somebody with more experience will chime in on that.
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(07-20-2015, 06:55 PM)*Saber* Wrote: Now the Barnies are my type of dart, just saying what I prefer.
Me too actually. I am almost agreeing with Cy about how little the center of gravity has to do with the flight of a dart. I can throw the Whitlocks, Barneys, and Wolframs all as bad as the others! But then if you think of it like a tennis ball in a sock you can understand how it could be more stable.
I guess all the physics stuff makes sense, but doesnt matter/ doesnt have time to matter in the 7 feet or so that the dart travels?
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I just can’t get into the fat-headed darts. On at least a theoretical level it seems they’d be more prone to banging into the tail ends of darts already in the board and thereby causing flight/shaft damage and probably being more subject to deflections. Funny you mentioned the Wolframs... after six months of trying all kinds of different darts, those are the ones I settled on. I use them with Trident cones and they seem to feel and work well for me.
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(07-20-2015, 06:59 PM)Stalker Wrote: I have never handled them but I've heard that hankey's are tapered to the front. I'm sure somebody with more experience will chime in on that.
Nice call, I actually have those and forgot.
heres the 14g.
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I just got the Whitlock's last week and they are tapered, but have a unique feel. It feels like the front 1/4 of the dart is loaded or thicker with a distinct section where it tapers into the last 3/4 of the dart. Where the 2 tapers meet is very nice as a reference point for your grip. That last 3/4 feels and appears to have a very, very gradual taper. I got the 22gr and so far don't really care for them. Right now I am really enjoying my heavier Barney Phase 5's. A consistent, gradual taper to them. Far better results and superior feel for me.
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07-20-2015, 07:05 PM
(This post was last modified: 07-20-2015, 07:07 PM by Dmott.)
(07-20-2015, 07:00 PM)Adams Wrote: I just can’t get into the fat-headed darts. On at least a theoretical level it seems they’d be more prone to banging into the tail ends of darts already in the board and thereby causing flight/shaft damage and probably being more subject to deflections. Funny you mentioned the Wolframs... after six months of trying all kinds of different darts, those are the ones I settled on. I use them with Trident cones and they seem to feel and work well for me.
Yeah I think I might be there with you. I just can't keep myself from playing around. Im like Peter Wright with less than half his average.
My Wolframs:
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And some tapered front heavy darts:
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They all fly just fine for me depending on what day it is.
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(07-20-2015, 07:04 PM)AD18 Wrote: I just got the Whitlock's last week and they are tapered, but have a unique feel. It feels like the front 1/4 of the dart is loaded or thicker with a distinct section where it tapers into the last 3/4 of the dart. Where the 2 tapers meet is very nice as a reference point for your grip. That last 3/4 feels and appears to have a very, very gradual taper. I got the 22gr and so far don't really care for them. Right now I am really enjoying my heavier Barney Phase 5's. A consistent, gradual taper to them. Far better results and superior feel for me.
Did you get the newest Whitlocks available (still not his current darts)? I had those for like two days a year or so ago and ended up letting a friend buy them as soon as I got them. Those definitely had a blocky feel, and the front section did seem distinctly different than the rest. The whole dart to me was blocky, thats the best way I can describe it.
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The ones I bought, one generation older, are more shaped like baseball bats. The taper could be called gradual, but its noticeable to me.
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07-20-2015, 07:23 PM
(This post was last modified: 07-20-2015, 07:24 PM by adavidson.)
Yes, those are the ones I got, plain not gold. I wanted to try a lighter dart, 22gr instead of 25/26gr, to see what happened. I've spent a fair bit of time with them this past weekend, but so far just can't get the knack of them. I do really like the reference on the barrel though. I'm going to fiddle with flight/shaft combos some more and see if I can tune them up. If I can't figure them out probably sell/trade them or store in dart kit for future reference Guests cannot see images in the messages. Please register at the forum by clicking here to see images. Should have stuck with my original choice and got a set of 21-23gr Barney Phase 5's I guess, but wanted to try something different.
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(07-20-2015, 07:23 PM)AD18 Wrote: Yes, those are the ones I got, plain not gold. I wanted to try a lighter dart, 22gr instead of 25/26gr, to see what happened. I've spent a fair bit of time with them this past weekend, but so far just can't get the knack of them. I do really like the reference on the barrel though. I'm going to fiddle with flight/shaft combos some more and see if I can tune them up. If I can't figure them out probably sell/trade them or store in dart kit for future referenceGuests cannot see images in the messages. Please register at the forum by clicking here to see images. Should have stuck with my original choice and got a set of 21-23gr Barney Phase 5's I guess, but wanted to try something different.
Im not sure what setup I like on the Whitlocks either. Tweenie stems and shape flights worked well, but so did medium stems and kite flights. Two very different setups both worked about the same for me.
I like the Barney Phase 5 too, but the 80% tungsten bums me out. Why not make the dart a little thinner with the same weight distribution. I guess Barney likes them a little thick.
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