This is a review of the new Black coated King darts, for a review of the gold version see here: https://www.dartsnutz.net/showthread.php?tid=2148
Much of what I said in the review of the Gold version still applies but for the sake of this review I will carry on as normal Guests cannot see images in the messages. Please register at the forum by clicking here to see images.
These darts are supplied in the usual Winmau packaging with medium red alloy stems, standard shape King flights, point protector and plastic case. No rubber "O" rings are fitted to the alloy stems which is a little annoying as alloy stems never stay tight without the "O" ring so its something I feel should be added if darts are going to be supplied with such stems. But as must people will use their own stems any way its not such a big problem, but if these are your first set of darts it will be annoying when they work loose.
They are 90% tungsten and are coated with a black PVD coating and come in 22, 24 and 26 grams. They retail for £27.90.
Guests cannot see images in the messages. Please register at the forum by clicking here to see images.
Guests cannot see images in the messages. Please register at the forum by clicking here to see images.
Guests cannot see images in the messages. Please register at the forum by clicking here to see images.
As I said before the barrels remind me of bamboo with the shape of the them, the scallops are kind of sectioned with the grooves on the knuckles just like a bamboo cane, they look very nice in the black PVD coating though:
Guests cannot see images in the messages. Please register at the forum by clicking here to see images.
Guests cannot see images in the messages. Please register at the forum by clicking here to see images.
Guests cannot see images in the messages. Please register at the forum by clicking here to see images.
Guests cannot see images in the messages. Please register at the forum by clicking here to see images.
Guests cannot see images in the messages. Please register at the forum by clicking here to see images.
Guests cannot see images in the messages. Please register at the forum by clicking here to see images.
Guests cannot see images in the messages. Please register at the forum by clicking here to see images.
Guests cannot see images in the messages. Please register at the forum by clicking here to see images.
Guests cannot see images in the messages. Please register at the forum by clicking here to see images.
Guests cannot see images in the messages. Please register at the forum by clicking here to see images.
Guests cannot see images in the messages. Please register at the forum by clicking here to see images.
Guests cannot see images in the messages. Please register at the forum by clicking here to see images.
Guests cannot see images in the messages. Please register at the forum by clicking here to see images.
Guests cannot see images in the messages. Please register at the forum by clicking here to see images.
Guests cannot see images in the messages. Please register at the forum by clicking here to see images.
Guests cannot see images in the messages. Please register at the forum by clicking here to see images.
Guests cannot see images in the messages. Please register at the forum by clicking here to see images.
Guests cannot see images in the messages. Please register at the forum by clicking here to see images.
Guests cannot see images in the messages. Please register at the forum by clicking here to see images.
Guests cannot see images in the messages. Please register at the forum by clicking here to see images.
Guests cannot see images in the messages. Please register at the forum by clicking here to see images.
As you can see above the there is some small rings after the third scallop and the rest of the barrel is smooth. Apart from the affect of the scallop providing some grip the coating was surprisingly grippy too and I thought it would be slippy, but it had a nice feel to it and I think I actually like the feel better than the gold ti version.
Dimensions:
Length:
Guests cannot see images in the messages. Please register at the forum by clicking here to see images.
Width:
Guests cannot see images in the messages. Please register at the forum by clicking here to see images.
Full dimensions of the barrel:
Guests cannot see images in the messages. Please register at the forum by clicking here to see images.
Weight:
Two of the barrels were closely matched at within 2 100ths of a gram and the third was 16 100ths more than the lightest barrel:
Guests cannot see images in the messages. Please register at the forum by clicking here to see images.
Guests cannot see images in the messages. Please register at the forum by clicking here to see images.
Guests cannot see images in the messages. Please register at the forum by clicking here to see images.
Guests cannot see images in the messages. Please register at the forum by clicking here to see images.
Guests cannot see images in the messages. Please register at the forum by clicking here to see images.
Weight of full setup as supplied:
Guests cannot see images in the messages. Please register at the forum by clicking here to see images.
Balance of the barrels is hard to gauge because of the scallop but it was just a little front of centre with nothing attached:
Guests cannot see images in the messages. Please register at the forum by clicking here to see images.
Then moves closer to centre with the supplied set up:
Guests cannot see images in the messages. Please register at the forum by clicking here to see images.
Balance with nylon medium, short and extra short stems and standard flights:
Guests cannot see images in the messages. Please register at the forum by clicking here to see images.
Not sure why I took a pic of my grip like this below, as it was not how I held it when I threw the darts but only while I was sat doing the video review, but it felt nicely balanced around that point but when it came to throw them my normal grip was just around the knuckle so I moved it just above the first knuckle and more on the scallop.
Guests cannot see images in the messages. Please register at the forum by clicking here to see images.
Darts landed in the board fairly flat, for me any way Guests cannot see images in the messages. Please register at the forum by clicking here to see images.
Guests cannot see images in the messages. Please register at the forum by clicking here to see images.
Conclusion:
As with the gold version I find the darts very comfy to hold and throw, and they fly much better than you would imagine in spite of the strange bamboo style shape. I do think if your grip falls naturally on one of the knuckles that you may need to alter it slightly, unless you have a very steady grip and super clean release you may find holding the knuckle cause the dart to rock a little.
The black PVD coating on these felt better as my fingers and the darts warmed up and it had its own grippiness really. It may react differently with other people I don't really know but for me it was a pleasant surprise and I really liked the feel of it. It also gives the darts a very sexy look! Guests cannot see images in the messages. Please register at the forum by clicking here to see images.
These are great darts and the value is good, the shape of the barrels may not be to everyone's taste but they are well worth a try.
Summary Rating:
Looks = 9/10 (I think they look cool and sexy! )
Grip = 7 (difficult one to judge but I think 7 is close enough on a 1 to 10 scale or level)
Weight match = 7 (close - ish)
Quality = 9/10 (very nice!)
Value = 8/10 (Nice value )
Suitability for me = 8/10 (very nice and comfy to throw)
Best Feature: PVD coating
