Lighter or heavier darts?

CUCINA

I'm not a serious darts player but enjoy practicing at home (usually takes me an average of 80 visits or about 25 minutes to go round the board in doubles).

I throw quite lightly so the darts often just hang in there. (When playing on the same board with others, you'd almost need a claw hammer to take out their darts!).

So would it be an advantage to use heavier rather than lighter darts, to give the throw more momentum? Is it therefore a case of the heavier the better? Currently using either 24 or 26 gram darts.
Thanks in advance for any replies that might be forthcoming...

gramar

I wouldn't say it's the heavier the better just whatever you throw best with.
A few pro's like Bunting and Hankey use very light darts; about 14 or 16g I think but most use darts in the 20- 26g range.

Another thing is the board. If it's a few years old it might have hardened up a bit and if you have a light throw you'll have a few only barely hanging on.

RainMaker

I think it's a combination of factors rather than just the weight alone...

Most of my darts are 24g, but some of them just seem to suit me more than others!

For example, if I use 24g Harrows Wolframs, they end up hanging out of the board like you described and at times it feels as though I am throwing straws into a wind tunnel! If I was to use Taylor/Barney Phase 2s they land nicely, no issues with throw or staying in the board, etc

What darts are you using at the moment OP?

CUCINA

What darts are you using at the moment OP?[/QUOTE]

Don't know to be honest, all I know is that they are 80% tungsten with long barrel.

Many moons ago, I used to be a fairly decent player and I used 28g bomb-shaped darts. Had a look the Darts Corner website and I was surprised by the variety and range of just barrels alone.

So maybe I'll go for 30g, barrel shaped and see if it makes any difference.

One other point, in relation to the dartboard. I have two bristle boards, a Eclipse Pro and a Winmau. One is a bit more receptive than the other, but I read somewhere (maybe on Boards) that if you apply a generous amount of babyoil it would extend the life of the board. Have you heard of this or a similar way to soften the board?

buster180

CUCINA wrote: »

What darts are you using at the moment OP?

One other point, in relation to the dartboard. I have two bristle boards, a Eclipse Pro and a Winmau. One is a bit more receptive than the other, but I read somewhere (maybe on Boards) that if you apply a generous amount of babyoil it would extend the life of the board. Have you heard of this or a similar way to soften the board?[/QUOTE]

Don't put ANYTHING onto the dartboard it will destroy it and you will have the oil all over your hands when you are trying to throw.

Boards are cheap enough and last a decent amount of time so you get value for money out of them.

gramar

CUCINA wrote: »

What darts are you using at the moment OP?

[/QUOTE]
Don't know to be honest, all I know is that they are 80% tungsten with long barrel.

Many moons ago, I used to be a fairly decent player and I used 28g bomb-shaped darts. Had a look the Darts Corner website and I was surprised by the variety and range of just barrels alone.

So maybe I'll go for 30g, barrel shaped and see if it makes any difference.

One other point, in relation to the dartboard. I have two bristle boards, a Eclipse Pro and a Winmau. One is a bit more receptive than the other, but I read somewhere (maybe on Boards) that if you apply a generous amount of babyoil it would extend the life of the board. Have you heard of this or a similar way to soften the board?[/QUOTE]


I've heard of a few cures for hard boards but never tried one and most people seem to be against. I'd go with Buster and get a new one if it's a problem. Nothing like hearing the sound of darts thudding into a new board.

If you can try darts before you buy them, do so. Sometimes what you think will be the right darts for you mightn't be the case.

leroythelegend

It may be worth while looking at your points, from my experience the black points go into the board much better than the silver ones. It only costs a few euros to get points replaced.

stylie

Roughen up the point tips with sand paper, it will give them better grip on the bristles.


Step 3
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZn4RDLOGmI#t=170

CUCINA

Thanks again to everyone for their replies...definitely some useful tips there.