Darts Vader Project Slit No. 5 17.5g darts review

[Getagrip]

Video link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=edF6S3DeMak


Well that's an unusual name for a dart!

But this is a slightly unusual dart so I guess its warranted.  As you will have noticed as I am sure you are just looking at the pics and not reading this first, shame on you, the darts have a slit cut into the front of the barrels hence the name Guests cannot see images in the messages. Please register at the forum by clicking here to see images.

But there is a story behind these darts and I will try to keep it brief Guests cannot see images in the messages. Please register at the forum by clicking here to see images.

First a few details, they are a limited edition set of 300 sets and they are unusually 92% tungsten and weigh 17.5g. They come as barrels only.

The price is $180(£118) but they will be selling them at a special discount for Christmas so will be $120 (£78), if you want a set I can give you the contact email.

Now these darts are branded with the name of the design team from Korea which is Darts Vader and this team is from a group of individuals who work for a parent company called Explo Darts which in turn is a subsidiary of an even bigger company that makes precision military and medical supplies.  The people involved have been carrying out research and development for 3 years and they are made up of highly skilled individuals such as aerospace engineers, mechanical engineers and more as you can see in the pic below.

They have basically come together through their passion and love for darts and as such will be launching a new brand early 2016 called Shot Gear, look out for them as they have some very awesome things planned!

But to show the appreciation for the design teams efforts this Slit No. 5 dart has been produced in a limited run bearing the Darts Vader name.

I hope I got all that right as it was a little complicated lol!

I was told they have some darts coming out that will be great for us front grippers so I cant wait to see that but they wont just stick with soft tip they plan on doing steel tip too.  Also they have some special darts to come soon, so keep your eyes peeled Guests cannot see images in the messages. Please register at the forum by clicking here to see images.

CONTENTS AND PACKAGING:

As I said above it is barrels only but it comes in this very neat tin with the barrels safely nestled in some foam.  Each set is individually inspected and the name of the inspector signs it.  My set is number 17/300.  One thing I do like is the little quote on the back of the box where it says whats included, read it for yourself Guests cannot see images in the messages. Please register at the forum by clicking here to see images.

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PICS OF THE DARTS IN DETAIL:

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CLOSE UP PICS:

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As you can see the darts have a rear grip bias which is to be expected from a lot of the Asian soft tips but its also got a nice little scallop section in the middle area with some diamond shaped cuts in and I found that a comfy spot for my grip.  The front part with the Slits is also slightly concaved and a nice shape to rest your finger.  The rear grip is a combination of styles and kind of difficult to describe as its a mixture of curved rings and and thin rings and thin shark like grip, overall I would say its pretty close to a high level of grip.


DIMENSIONS:

Length:

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Width:

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Dimensions in detail:

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WEIGHT:

Barrels are closely matched, just four hundredths of gram difference between lightest and heaviest:

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For the sake of you soft tip players I weighed it with my medium nylon stems, standard flights and lip point:

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BALANCE:

With a lip point attached the balance is around the small scallop area but I think the shape of the scallop made it a little awkward to get spot on, I think it is just a little to the rear of the scallop itself but hard to balance it there:

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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:

As the barrels are quite short I could get away with a centre grip no problem but I also got used to throwing them from the rear but the grip below is what felt the most natural to me:

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Just for fun I took a few pics to try to get the camera focussing through the slit, I eventually nailed it and got this Guests cannot see images in the messages. Please register at the forum by clicking here to see images.

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CONCLUSION:

Well the point of the slits in the barrel is to effectively shift the balance a little more to the rear but its kind of difficult for me to quantify how effective it is in doing that unless I also had a set exactly the same but without the slits in the front.

But having said that with me being a natural front gripper I may not be the best to judge how it performs from the rear.

I was more than happy with how the darts flew with my grip around the middle on the scallop part, it was fairly comfy there and the curve of the scallop gave me something to push against.  Darts where flying flattish but true and balance was good.

What I have noticed though when trying the rear grip is even though it felt a little awkward at first the grip seem to bite in parts as I was pushing forward and the darts flew a little more flatter but quicker too.  That was a little strange feeling at first but I was getting the hang of it and I think there could be something in the slits theory as it did still have a nice balance from the rear.  I think a natural rear gripper may feel the benefit more than me though but I do think it is definitely one of the better darts I have thrown with a rear grip.

The good thing with a lot of these soft tip darts is they are often a short barrel so its not as awkward for me as a natural front gripper and also you can play around with the set up too to improve it more but I was happy with how they flew with my medium stems and standard flights.

Quality wise the darts are great, very nice indeed and I am looking forward to seeing what else they are bringing to the market soon.

So a limited edition set that may only be the one set to be made with the Darts Vader name before they go into full production with Shot Gear at £118 full price?  Yeah its not cheap but it seems to be in line with a lot of the Asian brands that have specially made sets, but at the discount of around £80 then its a better prospect for collectors and players alike Guests cannot see images in the messages. Please register at the forum by clicking here to see images.

Summary Ratings:

Looks: 9 (nice design)
Grip: 8 (on a 1 to 10 Scale, 10 been severe grip)
Weight match: 8.5 (very close)
Quality: 9 (very nice quality)
Value: 7 (for the discount price and maybe 6 for full)

Suitability for me: 7 (they actually work well from the centre but also getting good with them from the rear too)

Best Feature: Tough to choose but I think the rear grip Guests cannot see images in the messages. Please register at the forum by clicking here to see images.

[Tormentor]

Great review Darren -very cool darts!

[*Saber*]

Nice review again Darren

[Getagrip]

Thanks fellas, these guys are going to make some cool stuff soon Guests cannot see images in the messages. Please register at the forum by clicking here to see images.

[Lurker1]

These definitely look nice.  Looking forward to what they come out with for steel tip.

[guest2]

I wish to hear The D'Artist's comment on the aerodynamic technology used in the design re: air slits.

Does it make a whistling sound when thrown or blown? Or at least make a dog whistle sound?

Seriously, nice review Darren.

[Getagrip]

Thanks Edgar!

[Crusher17]

Very nice darts and you got a good number lol

[Getagrip]

Very nice darts and you got a good number lol

LOL ah yes 17 Guests cannot see images in the messages. Please register at the forum by clicking here to see images.

[Kev]

These Darts looks nice! Great review and pictures Darren Guests cannot see images in the messages. Please register at the forum by clicking here to see images.

[Ancient Darter]

PEEK-A-BOO Darts!  Guests cannot see images in the messages. Please register at the forum by clicking here to see images.

Very, very interesting, and great review Darren. Guests cannot see images in the messages. Please register at the forum by clicking here to see images.  

Can't wait for the rest of their collection, just hope they don't price it out of reach.

[SlingBlade]

I was wondering the same thing about them whistling a tune when thrown. I think they look pretty cool and looking forward to their steelies coming out next year as well. I imagine they'll have to be cleaned out on the inside.
nice review Darren. You certainly have dart connections to get these

[Banned]

Wow!!! Incredible design.

As always, best darts pics on the internet. The last pic is incredible!

[Arkatek]

Great Review! I would love to hear some updates on how you get along with these with more practice with the rear grip.

[Getagrip]

These Darts looks nice! Great review and pictures Darren Guests cannot see images in the messages. Please register at the forum by clicking here to see images.

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

PEEK-A-BOO Darts!  Guests cannot see images in the messages. Please register at the forum by clicking here to see images.

Very, very interesting, and great review Darren. Guests cannot see images in the messages. Please register at the forum by clicking here to see images.  

Can't wait for the rest of their collection, just hope they don't price it out of reach.

Yeah me neither, I think they will all be under the new name Shot Gear

I was wondering the same thing about them whistling a tune when thrown. I think they look pretty cool and looking forward to their steelies coming out next year as well. I imagine they'll have to be cleaned out on the inside.
nice review Darren. You certainly have dart connections to get these

You can hear on the review they dont whistle, lol, would be cool if they did though but annoying too Guests cannot see images in the messages. Please register at the forum by clicking here to see images.

Wow!!! Incredible design.

As always, best darts pics on the internet. The last pic is incredible!

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

Great Review! I would love to hear some updates on how you get along with these with more practice with the rear grip.

Yeah they work great from the rear, still working with them but the last 3 darts I threw in the vid were from rear grip and its got easier the more I try with it but get a few that I threw a bit too eagerly and they go high but on the whole I am impressed with how well I have done with that rear grip as even though the barrels are short its still a bit strange for me Guests cannot see images in the messages. Please register at the forum by clicking here to see images.