Top 7 Best Dartboards to Consider (Legit Choices Only) – June 2023

When choosing a high-quality dartboard, it really comes down to your needs. Are you using it for professional practice? Do you buy it for family members or for your kids? Are you new to darts? Does the aesthetics matter? What is your budget? Electronic or bristle?

Don’t panic! We’re here to help! We researched dozens of boards and experienced first-hand the high-quality ones. So, we understand which options are the most ideal for which user needs. 

Special thanks to all the players offering us the chance to experience their beautiful boards!

Keep on reading as we’ll guide you on how to choose the best dartboard for your needs and give you a reference of our top-rated dartboards.

Our List of Top Rated Dartboards

Here’s a short summary of our top suggestions:

• If you want to practice professionally, go for Winmau Blade 6 Triple Core since it is used for PDC professional tournaments.
• If you are a beginner, consider the popular and quality Winmau Blade 6 Dual Core.
• If you want an option for your home and convenience, going for an electronic dartboard would be a great choice. We suggest Arachnid Cricket Pro 800 or Gran Board 3s, since it’s safe, convenient, and fun for anyone to play with.

1. Winmau Blade 6 Triple Core – Best Professional Dartboard

In case you miss the news, the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) has made a big deal with Winmau in early 2022. The Winmau Blade 6 Triple Core dartboard will be exclusively used for PDC events all the way to 2027 (Link here). If you’re looking for a dartboard for professional practice, go for this model.

The quality of the board is top-notch. With the triple layers of sisal, it grips darts extremely well. The fiber density is super, the self-healing works excellently. During our plays, we didn’t experience a lot of bounce-outs, due to the thin and staple-free spider. Feel like the pros.

The color is bright, easy to see from a far distance. Together with a new modern-looking anti-glare number ring, it’s easily the most beautiful dartboard we’ve ever seen!

And with the Rota Lock, you can easily install the board on any surface and keep it stable during playtime. The only downside is it’s rather expensive due to the fact that it’s the latest and most advanced model.

2. Winmau Blade 6 Dual Core – Best Dartboard for Beginners

Winmau boards indeed have top-tier quality on the market. Now that they have stopped producing the Blade 5 models (including the Blade 5 Dual Core), the Blade 6 Dual Core is the best option in line after the Triple Core. If you’re a beginner and don’t know which dartboard to bring home, we highly suggest the Dual Core board.

It has two sisal layers: a highly-compressed inner layer and a lower-compressed outer layer. The outer layer is softer for easier dart penetration while the inner layer increases the resistance for improved durability. This board has the right firmness, not too soft, not too firm, and can last for years.

The self-healing is excellent. The spider is thin and staple-free. The Blade 6 models are also claimed to have a 25% smaller bullseye due to the technology called Density Control.

Compared to the latest model Winmau Blade 6 Triple Core, the Blade 6 Dual Core saves you some money but still delivers top-tier quality.

3. One80 Gladiator 3+ – Underrated Dartboard

If there’s a board that can go toe-to-toe with Winmau boards, it has to be the One80 Gladiator 3+. What Winmau boards can do in terms of durability and playability, Gladiator can do the same. It offers a thin, staple-free spider, excellent self-healing, and a clean vein-free surface. It also has a removable ring which makes it convenient to rotate the board.

For the price, the Gladiator 3+ is cheaper than the Blade 6 models. One distinctive difference of the Gladiator, compared to others, is that it’s a firm board. A firm board normally means great durability. If you throw darts with a lot of force, Gladiator 3+ can be an excellent choice. But if you are a light thrower, it might not be for you.

4. Gran Board 3s – Best Dartboard for Home

When taking the best option for your home, there are many things to consider based on your needs. But the Gran Board 3s electronic dartboard is our recommendation (unless you prefer a bristle board for a more traditional playing experience).

First of all, this board uses soft-tip darts, safe for your home especially if there are kids around. An electronic dartboard is super easy and convenient to use. It’s a perfect choice if you want to introduce darts to family members.

Second, you can connect this board to your device via Bluetooth and play with others online via the Gran Board app. Now, staying at home is no longer boring! There are a lot of active online players using this app, so you don’t have to wait long for games.

Want to practice by yourself? Solo mode got your back! Tons of built-in games, playing against a computer with different levels, and even data analytics to show how you’re performing.

The LED light ring is another plus. You can adjust the colors via the app. It will fit easily into your game room.

This board, however, is not cheap. But we think it’s worth the investment for your home. Just make sure your devices are connectable to the board.

5. Arachnid Cricket Pro 800 – Our Top Rated Electronic Dartboard

Arachnid Cricket Pro 800 is another option that has everything you look for in an all-in-one electronic dartboard. With 40 built-in games and 100+ variations, you and your friends will never get bored. 

What we really like is that it supports multiple players (up to 8) with 4 extra large score displays and Cricket displays. It also shows how many points you get for each throw. Score tracking becomes so much easier.

All the buttons and sound effects work great. The NylonTough segments promise to improve playability and durability. This board also gives insights into your average points per dart and has a feature called Heckler mode. This feature will add more fun to your games with friends as it verbally harasses players for bad throws and praises them for impressive scores. You can turn it on or off at any time.

We experience bounce-outs during our plays, but only a few. Also, the sound is a bit louder than traditional bristle boards.

6. Doinkit Darts – Magnetic Dartboard for Kids

If you want to inspire your kids or grandkids to play darts, this dartboard is perfect for them to begin with. It’s safe since magnetic darts don’t have a sharp tip. What we really like about this board, compared to other magnetic options, is the darts really stick to the board. They are sturdy and have really strong magnets.

The board itself is also large enough, strong, and durable. The colors are nice and very kid-friendly. If you’re planning a gift for your children on their birthday or Christmas, this board should be your top choice.

7. Barrington Collection – Best Dartboard Cabinet

If you’re looking for an option that makes friends and others go “wow, what’s a good-looking dartboard you have there,” consider Barrington Collection. The collection has several models with different styles, you can pick the one that fits your game room.

Overall, the wood cabinet offers a very classic look, nice colors, a painting finish, plus red flannelette cloth to protect the board from scratches. It also has built-in scoreboards, LED lights (for some options), and dart holders.

The set comes pre-assembled. You only need to hang it up and secure the board to start playing. 6 darts are included in the purchase.

The quality of the dartboard itself, however, is only at an acceptable level. Holes are still there when darts are collected and heal slowly. The same goes for the darts, only usable for a while.

How to Choose the Best Dartboard: Our Advice

What’s important needs to be repeated. The best dartboard really depends on what you need. But here’s our advice to find a high-quality board.

Know the Type of Dartboard You Want

There are many types of dartboards. From our experience and research, bristle and electronic dartboards are the most popular. If you’re leaning more toward the traditional playing experience or professional practice, then bristle boards.

But if you want convenience, you can go for an electronic board. This type has tons of built-in games and features that will improve your playing experience and reduce your efforts for calculation. It’s also safer to play with since it uses soft-tip darts.

Other types include cork, wooden, and magnetic dartboards. If you want an option for your young children or grandkids, go for the last one since they’re very safe. The rest we don’t recommend since they don’t have good self-healing, not good for regular plays.

Сhoose a Large-enough Playing Surface

A small playing surface means it’s harder to hit the right targets, which is frustrating, especially for the triple ring and bullseye. We recommend 18 inches for bristle dartboards (tournament size) and 15 inches for electronic options.

Choose Thin Wiring

Bounce-outs are the worst! Cheap dartboards usually have a thick spider which results in a lot of bounce-outs. Choose thin wiring to improve your chance of scoring and keep your game enjoyable. Particularly for bristle boards, go for a staple-free design.
Consider How It Looks

A dartboard or a dartboard set (including a cabinet and stuff) can offer a modern or classic look and feel. Especially for electronic dartboards, they have many colors, built-in LED displays, and lighting. For example, the Gran Board 3s electronic dartboard has a LED lighting ring that allows you to customize the color display. Consider how the board can fit into your game room.

Go for Reputable Brands

Reputable brands mean they have a reputation for making good products. Many people have bought from them. So, more reviews for you to evaluate. Their customer service is also likely to be better.

Consider Other Features

For bristle dartboards, choose one that has good to excellent self-healing (high fiber density) so that holes don’t stay on the surface. A removable number ring is a plus since you can adjust it to help different segments get even hits, extending the board’s life.

Electronic dartboards, on the other hand, can have a lot of different built-in features, including performance metrics, multiple-player score displays, voice effects, playing-against-a-computer mode, and even online plays. Consider what you need to choose the best-fit option.

Mounting and power sources (particularly for electronic boards) are also factors to take into account.

Frequently Asked Questions for the Best Dartboards

Q1. What is the best quality dartboard?

A: There’s no one best quality dartboard. It really depends on your particular needs. But overall, it should be durable (great self-healing for bristle boards), has a large playing surface, thin wires to reduce bounce-outs, and offers the features you need (particularly for electronic boards).

Q2. What should I look for in a dart board?

A: You should look for great self-healing (particularly for a bristle board), big-enough size (18 inches for bristle and 15 inches for electronic boards), and thin wiring to minimize bounce-outs. If you choose an electronic dartboard, list down the features you need and pick the one that has those. Some other factors to consider include the mounting, colors, included accessories, and the popularity of the product.

Q3. Should I go for a bristle dartboard or an electronic dartboard?

A: Each has pros and cons. For the price, bristle dartboards are cheaper than electronic options. But if you’re more of a traditional player, “thud thud thud”, or want to practice professionally, bristle dartboard should be your choice. You can choose electronic dartboards if you want:

• Convenience (they have tons of features to help you reduce playing efforts like calculation)
• Safety (most of them use soft-tip darts)
• Multiple-player support
• Online plays

Q4. How much does a good dart board cost?

A: A bristle dartboard can range from $20 to more than $100. An electronic dartboard can range from $30 to more than $300. For each market segment, there are several options that are much better than the rest. But we can say a high-quality bristle board is around $50 and above. For electronic dartboards, it’s starting from $100.

Q5. How long does a dartboard last?

A: It depends on how regularly you play. You can expect several years for causal plays. If you play darts daily, then maybe 12 months.

Q6. What dartboards do professionals use?

A: Most professionals prefer a traditional bristle dartboard and steel-tip darts. More and more players are using the Winmau Blade 6 triple-core model since it’s the new standard for PDC events, until 2027. Some other options include Winmau Blade 5 and Unicorn Eclipse Pro.

Q7. Do I need to maintain a dartboard?

A: Maintenance is required if you want your board to last longer. Clean it regularly. Don’t leave it outside. No board would survive if left outside all the time. Use the right darts to play. Don’t abuse the board with heavy plays. These are some of the tips for maintenance.

Conclusion and More of Our Review Lists

There you have it! Our list of the best dartboards in 2023 and our reviews and advice. We hope that you will be able to choose the right one for your needs.

If you want to explore more high-quality options, particularly for bristle or electronic dartboards, here are our recommendations:

• Our list of best bristle dartboards
• Our list of best electronic dartboards

Cheers!