Hey people.
So a week ago when I got my Sonics I also got a set of the new Simon Whitlocks in the 24 gram variety, and I have been very very surprised by them.
The only reason I even bought them in the first place was because my first thought upon seeing them was "Wow, they're weird!", and they were only 19.58 pounds! (23.50 inc VAT for the naturals, golds cost more)
I had darts the night I got them, and more as an experiment than anything else I used them all night, won 11 out of 12, hit 3 180s, and at one point hit 5 Double Bulls in a row.
Well I got a brand new 22 gram set in today so I thought I would share. (Not a fan of the golds so went for the naturals)
Nothing special with the packaging, and of course they thrown in a poxy little plastic case, although I won't complain for the price.
Nice little Wizard logo etched in the top.
Random attempt at an artistic arrangement Guests cannot see images in the messages. Please register at the forum by clicking here to see images.
The rear grip behind the scallop is a really rather grippy mini shark grip (I think that's what they call it?)
Forward of the scallop the barrel tapers to practically nothing, with 3 sections of a diamond like ring grip. Its quite a mild grip, not at all aggressive.
For me it's enough, and surprising comfortable.
The scallop sits approx 30.31 mm from the front, which is a little further back than I would have thought was comfortable, but my finger slots straight into it and works very well for me.
The scallop section is approx. 6 mm front to back and at its narrowest point (the bottom of the scallop) the diameter is only 4.92 mm wide.... on one dart.
The other 2 are closer to 4.75mm.
The high point at the back of the scallop is 6.5mm in diameter, and the front of the scallop is where we find the max diameter of the dart, before it starts tapering into nothingness. It's also where I find myself more than a little bit... well lets just say, not happy (for the kiddies sake).
The Winmau website shows the following graphic for the measurements of the 22g version.
My calipers however show the max diameter as... 7.2mm
Now 0.4 mm is not huge, but this is darts (World championships have been won and lost by 0.4mm), and the whole reason I decided to get the 22 gram version is because of that 0.4mm! I really liked the 24g version, (the 24g version has a max diameter of 7.2mm also) but I felt I would like them better if they were a little thinner, which is what the 22 gram version is supposed to be. So yeah on this point, I'm quite disappointed.
Pretty much bang on with the length of the dart 50.88mm long.
The balance point is hard to judge exactly because of the shape, but certainly with the supplied setup (long alu stem and standard Wizard flight) the balance point is right at the scallop.
Weight.
The Winmau website, and the packaging claim these darts are match weighted to +-0.05grams.
OK, if I'm not mistaken that is 0.1 gram difference, which is .05 of a gram outside of their match weighted claim...
Well 2 out of 3 ain't bad I guess.
Despite some inconsistencies in the advertised specs I really do like these darts. I mean I am disappointed that I bought a set of darts based solely on the advertised specs only to find that they were wrong, and in fact the same as what I already had. But despite that I think I'll be using these darts for the foreseeable future. I have ordered a set of the 20g soft tips as well, that's how much I love these darts!
They are definitely not for everyone, not surprising considering they were designed solely for one guy, but at the price I think they are well worth a shot.
I NEVER thought I would throw these darts for more than a few minutes when I ordered them initially, they just looked too awkward to me.
I grip and throw these quite differently to the wizard they were designed for, and for me they go into the board as flat/straight as any dart that I throw reasonably well. This tells me they can probably work for more people than I ever thought they could.
My finger slots straight into the scallop nicely and very comfortably.
Granted I have been throwing the 24g version for a week, but strangely there was no waiting period, or figuring out period before the darts starting landing normally for me. In fact my very first throw with the 24s out of the box was very nearly a 180, wired the 3rd for a 140.
And finally Tornado point users will have to file the tongue of the point down a little bit but then they slot straight perfectly.
24g on the right with Tornado Points fitted.
Anyway, that about enough from me for now so thanks for reading.
And if you have just skipped to the end:
They look weird, but are surprisingly nice to throw, and they're cheap as chips so Give them a go!
So a week ago when I got my Sonics I also got a set of the new Simon Whitlocks in the 24 gram variety, and I have been very very surprised by them.
The only reason I even bought them in the first place was because my first thought upon seeing them was "Wow, they're weird!", and they were only 19.58 pounds! (23.50 inc VAT for the naturals, golds cost more)
I had darts the night I got them, and more as an experiment than anything else I used them all night, won 11 out of 12, hit 3 180s, and at one point hit 5 Double Bulls in a row.
Well I got a brand new 22 gram set in today so I thought I would share. (Not a fan of the golds so went for the naturals)
Nothing special with the packaging, and of course they thrown in a poxy little plastic case, although I won't complain for the price.
Nice little Wizard logo etched in the top.
Random attempt at an artistic arrangement Guests cannot see images in the messages. Please register at the forum by clicking here to see images.
The rear grip behind the scallop is a really rather grippy mini shark grip (I think that's what they call it?)
Forward of the scallop the barrel tapers to practically nothing, with 3 sections of a diamond like ring grip. Its quite a mild grip, not at all aggressive.
For me it's enough, and surprising comfortable.
The scallop sits approx 30.31 mm from the front, which is a little further back than I would have thought was comfortable, but my finger slots straight into it and works very well for me.
The scallop section is approx. 6 mm front to back and at its narrowest point (the bottom of the scallop) the diameter is only 4.92 mm wide.... on one dart.
The other 2 are closer to 4.75mm.
The high point at the back of the scallop is 6.5mm in diameter, and the front of the scallop is where we find the max diameter of the dart, before it starts tapering into nothingness. It's also where I find myself more than a little bit... well lets just say, not happy (for the kiddies sake).
The Winmau website shows the following graphic for the measurements of the 22g version.
My calipers however show the max diameter as... 7.2mm
Now 0.4 mm is not huge, but this is darts (World championships have been won and lost by 0.4mm), and the whole reason I decided to get the 22 gram version is because of that 0.4mm! I really liked the 24g version, (the 24g version has a max diameter of 7.2mm also) but I felt I would like them better if they were a little thinner, which is what the 22 gram version is supposed to be. So yeah on this point, I'm quite disappointed.
Pretty much bang on with the length of the dart 50.88mm long.
The balance point is hard to judge exactly because of the shape, but certainly with the supplied setup (long alu stem and standard Wizard flight) the balance point is right at the scallop.
Weight.
The Winmau website, and the packaging claim these darts are match weighted to +-0.05grams.
OK, if I'm not mistaken that is 0.1 gram difference, which is .05 of a gram outside of their match weighted claim...
Well 2 out of 3 ain't bad I guess.
Despite some inconsistencies in the advertised specs I really do like these darts. I mean I am disappointed that I bought a set of darts based solely on the advertised specs only to find that they were wrong, and in fact the same as what I already had. But despite that I think I'll be using these darts for the foreseeable future. I have ordered a set of the 20g soft tips as well, that's how much I love these darts!
They are definitely not for everyone, not surprising considering they were designed solely for one guy, but at the price I think they are well worth a shot.
I NEVER thought I would throw these darts for more than a few minutes when I ordered them initially, they just looked too awkward to me.
I grip and throw these quite differently to the wizard they were designed for, and for me they go into the board as flat/straight as any dart that I throw reasonably well. This tells me they can probably work for more people than I ever thought they could.
My finger slots straight into the scallop nicely and very comfortably.
Granted I have been throwing the 24g version for a week, but strangely there was no waiting period, or figuring out period before the darts starting landing normally for me. In fact my very first throw with the 24s out of the box was very nearly a 180, wired the 3rd for a 140.
And finally Tornado point users will have to file the tongue of the point down a little bit but then they slot straight perfectly.
24g on the right with Tornado Points fitted.
Anyway, that about enough from me for now so thanks for reading.
And if you have just skipped to the end:
They look weird, but are surprisingly nice to throw, and they're cheap as chips so Give them a go!
There Are No Heroes, Only Warriors
