How to Choose a Dartboard (Buying Guide) | Tips to Pick the Best One

There are many dartboards out there. Choosing one can be pretty hard, especially for beginners. That’s why we are here to guide you on how to choose a dartboard and give you our experience to help you pick the best one on the market. Let’s jump right into it!

How to Choose a Dartboard

Here are the basics you should consider to pick a high-quality dartboard and our shared experience.

1. Choose the right material

There are many types of dartboards which are made of different materials. The two most common types are bristle and electronic dartboard. The latter is more convenient with tons of modern features, but the former offers a more traditional playing experience, a much cheaper price, and better durability.

If you don’t want to go for an electronic board, which is normally made of plastic, then always go for a dartboard that is made from sisal fiber. This is because tightly-packed sisal can be very durable and offers self-healing ability which is a very important factor if you want your board to last for a long time.

2. Go for a board with excellent self-healing

Then you throw darts, they will penetrate the board, leaving holes when you pull the darts out. Without self-healing, these holes will remain and eventually make the board unplayable.

As said earlier, a sisal dartboard has an excellent self-healing ability. When darts are pulled out, the dense and packed fiber will quickly come close together, healing the holes. Self-healing, together with regular maintenance, can make a dartboard very durable and last for years.

3. Select a thin and staple-free wireframe

On the board, there is a wireframe that looks like a web and divides the board into different segments. This is usually called the spider.

There’s nothing that a dart player hates more than bounce-outs, which is when a dart hits the spider and falls to the ground. There are three major reasons for this: bad aiming, thick wiring, and staples (which are to hold the spider on the board). Let’s count bad aiming out since it can be fixed by practicing.

Many older-model boards have thick wiring and even many staples on them. To get the best playing experience and minimize bounce-outs, you should go for a dartboard with an as-thin-as-possible and staple-free spider.

4. Pick a removable number ring

This is often overlooked by many players. To maintain a dartboard, you should regularly rotate it. This is to ensure different segments on the board get even hits, expanding its lifespan. And to make it more convenient to rotate and clean the board, you should choose a number ring that is removable. Simply remove the ring, rotate your board, and put it back in. Easy peasy.

5. Consider your budget

Surely you have set a budget to buy a dartboard. A high-quality bristle dartboard ranges from $80 to $130.

Remember it’s totally worth an investment for a high-quality board. One can last for years, depending on your play frequency. If you play darts casually, let’s say 1-2 times a week, a high-quality board can last you for around 4-5 years. If the board is $100, that means it would cost only $25 or less per year.

6. Always go for a well-recognized brand

A brand is well-known for good reasons. They usually make good products. People buy a lot from them. That’s why they are well recognized. Also, the customer service is likely to be better than other unknown brands.

Some very reputable brands include (but are not limited to) Winmau, ONE80, Viper, Mission, and Unicorn.

7. Read the buyer reviews

It’s always good to go over the buyers’ reviews to see how the product actually is and performs. Just one piece of advice here, don’t jump to a conclusion too soon just because of one or two negative comments or bad reviews due to minor mistakes and the impatience of buyers.

8. Consider other factors that matter to you

There are surely other factors to consider, in addition to the significant ones we have mentioned. Some other factors for choosing a dartboard may include:

Playing purpose: if you practice professionally to compete, then a high-quality board may not be enough. You should get whatever board the professionals are playing with, such as the latest Winmau Blade 6 triple core, exclusively used for many PDC tournaments.

Board size: You shouldn’t go below the official size for many big tournaments. It’s around 18 inches. A small board is very hard to hit, which can be quite annoying to play with, especially for beginners.

Mounting: It’s always better to choose a board that is easy to hang on the wall. Some boards even have a mounting system that can level the board on uneven surfaces (like the Winmau rota lock system).

The look of the board: Different boards have different looks, including the logos, the ink colors of different segments, and the number ring design. Some boards may seem brighter or more modern than others.

And there you have it! How to choose a dartboard and our experience to select a high-quality one. Happy darting!