Harrows Retina 24g darts review

[Getagrip]

Video link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yt65KHQr9Ys

This is the Harrows Retina darts from Harrows recently released new range of 2016 darts.  The Retina come in 2 designs as you can see on the back of the packaging and this particular design is available in 22g, 24g (these ones in review) and 26g.  They are 96% tungsten and retail around £33.
You can find more info on the Harrows site here: Harrows Retina darts


CONTENTS AND PACKAGING:

Darts are supplied in the usual slim style cardboard boxes with a see through plastic window.  Inside there is the barrels fitted into a point protector inside a hard Harrows plastic case and the barrels are fitted with red Harrows Supergrip medium stems and the rather nice new Retina flights:

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PICS OF THE DARTS IN DETAIL:

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CLOSE UP PICS:

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The darts have a very finely machined grip style, its quite subtle but a little more grippy than it looks.  The front thinly cut rings have some very fine cuts indeed and a very subtle almost imperceptible scallop. The barrel profile is quite sleek and nicely shaped.  I would say overall the grip level is a medium but that front grip felt very close to a high medium for me, I think the rings are so thin that they tended to catch on my fingerprint ridges Guests cannot see images in the messages. Please register at the forum by clicking here to see images.

DIMENSIONS:
Length:

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Width:

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Dimensions in detail:

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WEIGHT:

Barrels were very closely matched, just two hundredths of a gram difference between lightest and heaviest.

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Weight of the full setup as supplied:

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BALANCE:

With nothing attached the barrels are slightly front of centre:

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With the supplied set up the balance moves just about to the centre:

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Balance with my own medium, short and extra short nylon stems and standard flights:

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MY GRIP WITH THESE DARTS:

I actually felt quite happy with that very front grippy area, it felt fairly comfortable but was the best when throwing for me:

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Darts landed pretty much in my usual angle:

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CONCLUSION:


I think these darts have a very nice solid feeling about them, I felt it as soon as I got them out the box.  Its seems a stupid way to describe a dart because of course they are solid Duh! but its the best I can describe it.  I know they are 95% tungsten but I had that seem feel from the Harrows ICE darts, it just feels like the tungsten is very nicely made and dense, that's as close as I can describe it lol Guests cannot see images in the messages. Please register at the forum by clicking here to see images.
Overall they just feel a nicely crafted dart in a very subtle way.  The darts fly quite well with my grip on that grippy front section and it is fairly comfy holding it there although in the fingers it felt a little off balance but having said that a lot of darts feel like that when I grip so near the front.  In spite of that feel though the flight was pretty stable, I just had a little bit of up and down wobble but usually when gripping so close to the front I often get some kind of wobble so I was not too bothered about that.

Moving the grip to the smooth section around the middle the darts felt a better balanced in the grip and were a more stable in flight but on the whole I preferred the feel of the grip at the front section.

Throwing the darts from a rearward grip they felt most comfortable in the fingers and sat well in the grip, and as often happens with me when I try a rear grip I was getting some spin on release but I suspect its just me and not the darts.  They felt like they should suit a natural rear gripper well and flight was quite stable even for me trying at the rear.

Overall I think the most comfortable grip was the rearward one and the best balance was the centre but it could be a dart that works well for all grips although I tend to think front grippers and rear grippers will probably like it best.

The darts felt nice quality, just a very nice solid feel to the tungsten which reminds me of why I like the Harrows ICE so much.  The darts are kind of sleek and understated in their look but on closer inspection they are nicely profiled and machined and not too expensive for 95% tungsten which is nice Guests cannot see images in the messages. Please register at the forum by clicking here to see images.

Summary Ratings:

Looks: 7.5 (quite a sleek look)
Grip: 7 (on a 1 to 10 Scale, 10 been severe grip)
Weight match: 9 (very close)
Quality: 8 (nice quality)
Value: 8 (not bad price for 95%)
Suitability for me: 7.5 (worked well overall)

Best Feature: Nice feel Guests cannot see images in the messages. Please register at the forum by clicking here to see images.

[Titan]

great review bud. I did a review for my 24g Harrows Retina I got in a trade. Forgot if I posted it or if I just uploaded it to Photobucket and forgot about it lol

[Getagrip]

Thanks James, I will be putting these up for a comp or draw when I get round to it Guests cannot see images in the messages. Please register at the forum by clicking here to see images.

[Tormentor]

Great review as always Darren! Your reviews are by far the best out there. I wasn't sure if I liked these darts when they were first released but they have been growing on me the past couple weeks. Your review makes me even more interested. Cheers mate

[Getagrip]

Thanks Shawn, I was not so sure when I first seen them but they feel very nice in the fingers and I was surprised that they flew so well from the front grip section Guests cannot see images in the messages. Please register at the forum by clicking here to see images.

[Crusher17]

Another great review Grip, i know what you mean by solid i get that feeling with Monster Darts they have a different feel

[SlingBlade]

Thanks for posting this review just in time for my morning coffee. Not sure which I like more the coffee or the review? Both are wonderful way to start the day! Your photos have me almost believing I'm part of the barrel. So close and near perfect
I could see myself throwing them, maybe not as well as you but they look like they'd feel good

[Getagrip]

Another great review Grip, i know what you mean by solid i get that feeling with Monster Darts they have a different feel

Cheers! Yeah its something that you can feel but is hard to describe Guests cannot see images in the messages. Please register at the forum by clicking here to see images.

[Getagrip]

Thanks for posting this review just in time for my morning coffee. Not sure which I like more the coffee or the review? Both are wonderful way to start the day! Your photos have me almost believing I'm part of the barrel. So close and near perfect
I could see myself throwing them, maybe not as well as you but they look like they'd feel good

LOL well I prefer tea, Yorkshire Tea Guests cannot see images in the messages. Please register at the forum by clicking here to see images.

Cheers Tom Guests cannot see images in the messages. Please register at the forum by clicking here to see images.

[Omp]

As per my signature, I had a set of these for about 3 weeks before I lost them a couple of weeks back.
I love the look of them and agree that they give plenty of grip despite the non-aggressive look of the grip. The weight and balance was very close to perfect for me but they would land with a very slight left to right angle when I threw them. The only other negative I found was that a barrel hit would result in the dart ending up quite a distance from the dart it hit. I have other darts that seem to gather the 2nd dart into it when the barrels hit.
I miss having them - especially as they were the first darts I used in a league. They retired with a very respectable W5 - L1 record. On my first week without them I lost all 3 games!

[Getagrip]

That's a nightmare, so some Taxi driver has a nice set of Retina darts for free Guests cannot see images in the messages. Please register at the forum by clicking here to see images.

He may have handed them in to the Taxi office lost and found section?

[Omp]

I think it's more likely that the next person in the cab picked them up. The driver is known to a couple of my team mates and thought to be an honest sort of guy.

[Getagrip]

yeah probably so

[JayKay]

Great review Darren. They look great but I'm not sure about that nose, could have done a bit better there I think

[Getagrip]

Thanks John, its ok for me Guests cannot see images in the messages. Please register at the forum by clicking here to see images.