Video link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iz3pop_vRqo
Here is a review of the New Neon darts from Unicorn from their 2016 range of darts.
These are 90% tungsten with a Titanium DNA and retail for £54. They are available in 22, 24 and 26 gram, there is also a soft tip version. This is the review of the 24g version. You can find more info on the Unicorn site here: Unicorn Neon
CONTENTS AND PACKAGING:
The darts come in a cardboard box with a slide out tray which has a foam insert holding the contents. With the barrels you get a set of short Unicorn Gripper 3 Mirage stems with spring clips, an alloy trident point protector and a set of Neon .75 micron flights:
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PICS OF THE DARTS IN DETAIL:
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CLOSE UP PICS:
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Not sure about you guys but when I first seen the pics of these a few weeks ago I thought that it had a pronounced edge where the Neon logo is on the barrel, I thought the part above it went very thin but after getting them I was pleasantly surprised to see it doesn't and it has a very nice profile and I can see why Barney took a shine to them as they look the sort of shape that suits him. I think they are quite a beautiful dart and I enjoyed photographing them a lot Guests cannot see images in the messages. Please register at the forum by clicking here to see images. The grip at the front is a normal aggressive shark grip but the grip at the rear is a mixture of close spaced knife edged style rings and wider spaced ones but has a sort of elongated scoop through them. It kind of felt a bit like an hexagonal shape in my fingers but a very nice grip indeed, bloody rear grippers are spoilt again!!! Guests cannot see images in the messages. Please register at the forum by clicking here to see images. Grip level is high!
DIMENSIONS:
Length:
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Width:
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Dimensions in detail:
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WEIGHT:
The barrels were a bit mixed in the weight match but like I have said before this is measuring in hundredths of a gram and I doubt most people if any can detect tenths of a gram unless its a big difference, nevertheless on my scales the difference between the lightest and heaviest barrel was 2.5 tenths of a gram, but with so much machining it is not bad at all but I would have liked a closer much really Guests cannot see images in the messages. Please register at the forum by clicking here to see images.
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Weight with the supplied set up:
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BALANCE:
With nothing attached the barrel is slightly front weighted:
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With the supplied set up it move pretty much in the centre:
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Balance with my own medium, short and extra short nylon stems and standard 100 micron flights:
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MY GRIP WITH THESE DARTS:
I first threw the darts holding quite close to the nose but I found the worked best for me with this grip just near the centre:
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Darts landed with my usual upward angle:
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CONCLUSION:
Like I said above I think these are a beautiful looking dart and what I found very pleasing also was the nice profile of the barrel, it is much nice shape than I first thought. The grip on the darts is great especially for people who are rear grippers and the DNA coating really enhances the look of the grip but not sure it adds anything extra to the feel but I think it may help with the wear of the darts to some degree.
When I first threw the darts I just gripped them naturally close to the nose. The shark grip is nice and grippy but I had no issues releasing the dart and it flew in a steady flight save for some slight spiralling I was getting. I suspect it was due to the thinness of the barrel where I was holding it and also the way I release but it still kept a good line.
Moving to a more central grip the dart was a lot better balanced and I had no issues with spiralling and it was a much nicer arc through the air. Also I still had some grip from the kind of scooped notches and a little from the following thin knife edged rings so I think it will work very well for centre grippers.
The dart sits very comfortable in the fingers with a rear grip though and its a really nice part of the barrel for grip. Its got a nice edginess and I'm sure a rear gripper will love the balanced feel too. I actually threw it ok from there which was a nice surprise, oh how I wish I was a natural rear gripper sometimes Guests cannot see images in the messages. Please register at the forum by clicking here to see images.
I suspect this dart will suit rear grippers the best, but its good for centre grippers also, I am not sure about the front, it worked ok for me but I just felt it was that bit better and more stable/balanced with the other positions.
Not sure what I like best about this dart to be honest, I think it looks very nice and has a lovely shape but that grip is very good too Guests cannot see images in the messages. Please register at the forum by clicking here to see images.
NB: As I often get asked by people "how long does it take you to review the darts?" I decided to time myself from start to finish (not finished yet though) but at the point of click the "post thread" button it has taken me 9 and half hours so far, not including the time I spent throwing them after my video to get a feel for them or the time to charge camera batteries, all I need to do now is promote it on the media sites which can take another 20 to 30 mins, so a lot of work for what ends up being a 20 minute or so video and a text based review Guests cannot see images in the messages. Please register at the forum by clicking here to see images.
Summary:
Looks: 9 (quite a lovely looking dart)
Grip: 9 (on a 1 to 10 Scale, 10 been severe grip)
Weight match: 6.5 (could be better)
Quality: 8 (mostly good)
Value: 7 (not cheap but seems to be a trend now, and nice darts)
Suitability for me: 7.5 (may have given 8.5 if I was a more natural centre gripper)
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