Target Darts Stephen Bunting 23g darts review

[Getagrip]

I bought these recently from Puredarts.co.uk they cost £22 Click Here Darts were delivered the next day and came with these freebies below, which was nice! Guests cannot see images in the messages. Please register at the forum by clicking here to see images.

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The darts come in Targets usual big box packaging with the darts ready assembled and stuck in the foam insert.

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The darts are 90% tungsten and they have what Target call Nano grip cut into the barrels, looking at the info on the back of the box this grip is very finely machined into the barrel and has curved edges:

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The darts have a very nice sleek shape to them, they are fitted with what looks like inbetween Pro Grip shafts and I think the smaller No: 6 standard shape flights.

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Here is a couple of close ups so you can see the detail of the grip, as you can see it is very fine and uniform:


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The barrels were longer than I thought they were going to be:

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The widest part was near the front, then it gradually gets thinner towards the shaft:

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Detailed pic of the dimensions:

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Barrels were very closely matched only 9 hundredths of a difference between lightest and heaviest:

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The weight of the full setup as it comes:

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The balance point with nothing attached is just front of centre:

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Balance with supplied setup moves it to the centre:

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Balance with my own medium, short and extra short stems with Darts Nutz standard flights(get yours from Infinitidarts.com)

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The barrels are drilled out quite deep from the back, making the dart more front weighted:

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My natural grip with these darts, I was holding around the part where it is widest:

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Darts landed in the board, I think all my darts land like this regardless really Guests cannot see images in the messages. Please register at the forum by clicking here to see images.

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Conclusion:

I was very eager to try this weight of the Buntings ever since I heard they were making a heavier version than his usual 12g. But the thing I was most looking forward to was trying the Nano Grip. I have to say I am really disappointed with the grip, I had heard other people saying it was quite grippy and was thinking it was going to be on a par with micro grip or even a little grippier. For me I just cant feel it, the only time I know its there is if I scrape my nail over it like in the video or if I quickly rub my finger along the barrel I can hear the grip making a noise against my finger print ridges. If anything it felt more smooth and slippy than grippy to me. :s

That initial disappointment quickly subsided upon throwing the darts though, they seem to be balanced very sweetly for my throw and I really like the way they flew through the air. As you can see above they are drilled out almost 25mm from the back so there is a lot of the weight at the front which I figure is good for my front grip and slightly loopy throw, but I think the combination of the tweenie stems and the smaller standard shape flights works in its favour too. I tried some medium stems with larger standards and I think they were getting a little too much air time so for almost every throw they were landing too high, when I went back to the supplied setup they were spot on, as much as you can call my throw as been spot on that is Guests cannot see images in the messages. Please register at the forum by clicking here to see images.

I think I would like to see these in a silica coating, something that enhances the grip really, as the Nano grip for me is virtually worthless.


Summary Ratings:

Looks: 7 (they have a pleasing shape but not much else)
Grip: 1 (on a 1 to 10 Scale, 10 been severe grip) disappointing for me.
Weight match: 8 (very close)
Quality: 8 (quality seems fine)
Value: 8 (the darts on their own are 8, good value but you get no case, 10 if getting the same deal from Puredarts)
Suitability for me: 8 (great balance for me)

Best Feature: The lovely balance



P.S. See if you can guess the 2 themes I added to the start and end of the video Guests cannot see images in the messages. Please register at the forum by clicking here to see images.

[*Saber*]

not for me the slippery little devils- nice review as always- Darren.

[brenthahn]

Great review, as usual. Love the shape of them. If they did them in copper tungsten I'd buy some for sure.

[Getagrip]

Great review, as usual. Love the shape of them. If they did them in copper tungsten I'd buy some for sure.

A copper T set would be nice Guests cannot see images in the messages. Please register at the forum by clicking here to see images.

[mento's]

Like the look of these alot. Good deal from puredarts. I ordered a set of whitlocks and got nothing free. It says on the site you get free stuff from harrows, winmau, unicorn. Guests cannot see images in the messages. Please register at the forum by clicking here to see images.

[brenthahn]

Like the look of these alot. Good deal from puredarts. I ordered a set of whitlocks and got nothing free. It says on the site you get free stuff from harrows, winmau, unicorn. Guests cannot see images in the messages. Please register at the forum by clicking here to see images.

How odd! Among my dart mates I've never seen anyone not get heaps of extra goodies from Pure.

[Getagrip]

Like the look of these alot. Good deal from puredarts. I ordered a set of whitlocks and got nothing free. It says on the site you get free stuff from harrows, winmau, unicorn. Guests cannot see images in the messages. Please register at the forum by clicking here to see images.

Well in spite of what you may think they are a small mostly family run firm, and they are very busy this time of year so they may have missed it by mistake. Try letting them know and they should help you out.

[brenthahn]

Not to derail the thread, but I'd never heard of Stephen Bunting so I looked at a few Youtube vids of him, and the darts he's throwing don't look anything like these. They're more prominently front-heavy and ringed. So how does this kind of endorsement thing work? Does he design the darts himself? Does Target think up a few new designs and say, "Here, Stephen, pick one?" Does he have to (or want to) use them in tournaments? Does anyone really care that his name's on them? Just wondering.

[Getagrip]

He only signed with Target quite recently and the darts he throws are 12g but he was using different ones before.

[brenthahn]

He only signed with Target quite recently and the darts he throws are 12g but he was using different ones before.

So was he using 12g before he signed with Target? The darts in his online videos don't look especially small.

[ElusiveDouble85]

Quite relieved to hear that the grip isn't as good as you expected grip as I may have been tempted into a set if it had been on a par with micro grip! Phew!

[Getagrip]

He only signed with Target quite recently and the darts he throws are 12g but he was using different ones before.

So was he using 12g before he signed with Target? The darts in his online videos don't look especially small.

I think he was using 13g and I was told at one point he tried 11g but not 100% sure if thats right.

Quite relieved to hear that the grip isn't as good as you expected grip as I may have been tempted into a set if it had been on a par with micro grip! Phew!

Well I have no problems with my grip, but I do like some kind of grip and micro grip is usually one that I like, so I thought this may be better but it wasn't for me, they are still a very nice dart to throw though.

[mento's]

The darts you were watching him throw were a180 15.5 gram darts. He then went to 12 gram phase 2 a180s with the invisible grip. Then signed with target and is using these in 12 or 14 grams. Search for bunting 2013 wimau world masters and i think you will see he is using these.

[brenthahn]

Search for bunting 2013 wimau world masters and i think you will see he is using these.

I did, and he is. Thanks! Also noticed he likes to stand way to the right. Won't be a Sight Right endorser, I guess.

[Tormentor]

I have the 17 g ones. Not slippery at all quite grippy I think. Dont thi.k it will last long though, its so fine