Winmau Blade 5 vs Unicorn Eclipse Pro 2: Review and Advice

Both Winmau and Unicorn are well-known brands for darts equipment. Many of their dartboards have been used in large global tournaments. In this blog, we will compare two of their very popular products, the Winmau Blade 5 and Unicorn Eclipse Pro 2, and give you our advice on which to buy.

• Spoiler alert: We prefer the Winmau Blade 5. Keep on reading to find out why.
• Updated 2023: As of this year, Winmau has discontinued the production of the Winmau Blade 5 boards. We recommend considering the Winmau Blade 6 as a suitable replacement. For more details, you can review our comparison of Winmau Blade 5 vs. Blade 6.

	Winmau Blade 5	Unicorn Eclipse Pro 2
L×W×H dimensions	17.75 x 17.75 x 1.5	18.11 x 18.11 x 1.97 inches
Weight	12 Pounds (5.5 kg)	11.25 Pounds (5.1 kg)
Great self-healing	Yes	Yes
Staple-free thin wire	Yes	Yes
Look	Great	Great and neat
Removable ring	Yes	Yes
Stable setup against any surface	Yes	No
Durability	Lasting for years	Lasting within months
Our rating	8/10	6.5/10
	CHECK IT OUT	CHECK IT OUT

Winmau Blade 5 vs Unicorn Eclipse Pro 2: The Similarities

Being the candidates for our top list bristle dartboards, these two products offer excellent playability when we tried them for the first time. They share a lot in common, including the tournament size, great self-healing, staple-free thin wire, and removable ring.

1. Tournament Size

Both products have been used in many big and small tournaments. So certainly they are made with a tournament size.

The size of the Unicorn Eclipse Pro 2 is slightly bigger due to the bigger non-scoring black area.

2. Staple-free and Thin Wiring

We are very satisfied with the spider of both boards. We hardly had bounce-outs during our playtime, even in the bullseye zone.

For the look, we have to give an extra compliment to the Unicorn Eclipse Pro 2. No extra leg of wire sticks out of the thin spider. Beautiful, neat, and clean.

3. Self-healing and Removable Ring

Both boards have great self-healing. Holes heal quickly after darts get pulled out.

The number ring of both products has a traditional look and is removable. This allows the boards to extend their lifespan if you rotate the ring regularly.

Winmau Blade 5 vs Unicorn Eclipse Pro 2: The Differences

Although both products offer excellent playing experience when we first tried them, Winmau Blade 5 is better in terms of durability in a long run, compared to the Unicorn Eclipse Pro 2. This is why we favor the Winmau product and recommend it over the Unicorn board.

1. Durability in the Long Run

The Unicorn Eclipse Pro 2, after 3 – 6 months of regular plays, the quality went downhill fast. We noted certain areas got swollen and then the spider slowly fell off. As a result, we gave the board away.

Not only us but many players we know and others in online communities also have the same issue. Unicorn boards (this model and other previous models as well) seem to do very well at the start but cannot hold the quality in a long run.

The Winmau Blade 5, on the hand, remained the nearly same quality after 3 – 6 months. We only noticed some very small holes on the surface. The rest still looked freshly new.

2. Rota Lock System

Winmau Blade 5 has a Rota Lock System, which helps you level and keeps the board stable against any surface. Many players love this, us included.

3. Price

The price of the Winmau Blade 5 is slightly higher than the Unicorn Eclipse Pro 2 on Amazon. But we think the quality of the Blade 5 is totally worth the price gap if you’re looking for a high-quality and long-lasting dartboard.

Winmau Blade 5 vs Unicorn Eclipse Pro 2: Which You Should Buy

We have made it clear throughout this blog. If you ask us which one you should buy, we recommend going for the Winmau Blade 5, based on our own experience and research.

It offers excellent quality and can last for a long time. Not just us but many other players, both online and offline, have approved this board.

	The Winner – Winmau Blade 5
Why you should buy	– Great self-healing – Thin and staple-free wiring – Removable ring – Stable setup against any surface with the Rota lock – Great durability in a long run (which Unicorn Eclipse Pro 2 lacks)
Our rating	8/10
	BUY NOW