What are the best darts to buy?

Mar 20, 202311 min read

The best darts to buy are the darts your throw can repeat: for most new steel-tip players, start with a 22g to 24g tungsten set, a straight or slightly tapered barrel, and a medium grip. More experienced players should choose by grip position, barrel shape, balance point and grouping evidence, not by hype or a professional player’s name alone.

Last reviewed: 23 August 2026. This buying guide is for steel-tip darts. Soft-tip players should check machine and league weight limits before buying.

Quick answer

If you are buying your first serious set, look for 80 to 90 percent tungsten, 22g to 24g, a straight barrel and a grip that feels secure without being sharp. If you already have darts, do not replace everything at once. Work out whether the problem is weight, shape, grip, stems, flights or technique.

The best darts are not automatically the most expensive. A £30 to £60 tungsten set that suits your grip is better than a premium signature set that forces your hand into the wrong place.

Use fit before brand. Weight, barrel shape, grip and balance decide whether the dart repeats cleanly.

Best darts to buy by player type

Player	Best starting point	Avoid
First steel-tip set	22g to 24g, straight barrel, medium grip.	Extreme shapes or very smooth barrels.
Improving player	80 to 90 percent tungsten with clearer grip reference.	Buying only because a pro uses it.
Tight grouping goal	Slimmer tungsten barrel and stable flight setup.	Changing weight, shape and flights together.
Grip tension problem	Secure grip that does not make you squeeze.	Aggressive grip that catches the fingers.
Budget upgrade	Darts plus spare flights, stems and points.	Spending the whole budget on barrels only.

Why tungsten is usually worth it

Tungsten is dense, so it allows a slimmer barrel at the same weight. A slimmer barrel can help grouping because darts have more room in the treble bed. Dartshopper’s beginner guide notes that 70 to 80 percent tungsten can be affordable and suitable for beginners, while higher tungsten percentages make barrels slimmer and more expensive.

You do not need the highest tungsten percentage immediately. For many players, 80 or 90 percent tungsten is a strong balance of feel, durability and price. Brass can be fine for casual use, but it is bulkier, so many players outgrow it once grouping improves.

Weight: where most players should start

Most beginner recommendations sit in the low-to-mid twenties. Dartshopper’s 2026 beginner advice suggests 22g to 24g with an all-round grip and straight or slightly tapered barrel. ArrowHeadz also recommends 22g or 23g as a common beginner starting point. Red Dragon notes that bestselling weights often fall between 22g and 26g.

Those ranges do not mean 24g is magic. They mean it is a sensible testing zone. If your darts feel twitchy, try slightly heavier. If they drop low or feel forced, try slightly lighter. For more detail, read whether heavier darts go straighter and what weight beginners should use.

Barrel shape: straight, tapered or torpedo?

Straight barrels suit many players because they give several grip positions. That matters for beginners because your grip may still change as your throw settles. A tapered or torpedo barrel can feel more guided, but it may also force the hand into a specific position.

If you grip near the front, a front-weighted or tapered barrel may feel natural. If you grip centrally, a straight barrel is usually easier to test. If you grip near the rear, check that the grip pattern actually reaches the rear of the barrel. A dart with great front grip may be poor for a rear-grip player.

Grip level: secure beats aggressive

A common buying mistake is choosing the grippiest dart possible. More grip can help, but too much grip can make release sticky. If the dart catches on the fingers, you may start pulling or pushing it offline.

For most players, medium ring grip or an all-round grip is safer than a very aggressive cut. The dart should feel secure when held lightly. If it only feels controlled when you squeeze, the grip is not solving the problem.

Match the barrel to your grip position

Before buying, notice where your fingers naturally sit on the barrel. Front-grip players usually need useful texture near the point end. Centre-grip players often suit a straight barrel because the middle section is easy to find. Rear-grip players need grip closer to the stem end, otherwise the dart may feel like it wants to slip forward.

This is why two good darts can feel completely different. A front-loaded torpedo shape may be excellent for one player and awkward for another. A long straight barrel may feel stable for a centre-grip player but too vague for someone who wants a clear rear reference.

If you do not know your grip yet, choose a simple barrel with grip across most of the length. That gives your hand room to settle before you commit to a more specialised shape.

Steel-tip versus soft-tip buying

Steel-tip darts are used on bristle dartboards. Soft-tip darts are used on electronic boards and usually have lighter weight limits set by the board, venue or competition. Do not buy a steel-tip set for a soft-tip board unless the barrels are convertible and the total weight is allowed.

For home steel-tip play, prioritise a quality bristle board and suitable points. For soft-tip, check compatibility first. A dart can be well made and still wrong for the format you play.

When accessories are the better upgrade

Not every problem needs new barrels. If the dart wobbles, lands at a strange angle or feels inconsistent in the air, flights and stems may be the cheaper first test. Fresh flights can stabilise the dart. A different stem length can change how the dart sits in the board.

Replace barrels when the weight, shape or grip genuinely does not suit you. Tune accessories when the barrel feels good in the hand but the flight path needs refining.

When the board is the real problem

A poor board can make good darts feel bad. Worn trebles, hard segments, loose mounting and frequent bounce-outs all distort feedback. If you are testing new darts on a tired board, you may blame the dart for a problem caused by the playing surface.

Rotate the board regularly and replace it when segments stop recovering. A reliable board makes buying decisions cleaner because the dart result reflects the throw, not a failing target.

Do not ignore flights and stems

Flights and stems are cheap compared with barrels, but they change stability and entry angle. A great barrel with damaged flights will not perform properly. A short stem can make the dart behave differently from a medium stem. A larger flight can add stability, while a smaller flight can feel faster.

Before replacing your whole set, test fresh flights and stems. Browse darts accessories if the barrels feel close but the flight path is inconsistent.

Budget: what should you spend?

For a first proper steel-tip set, spend enough to get a reliable tungsten dart, but keep money for spares. A sensible starter budget includes darts, spare flights, spare stems and a way to protect the wall or floor. If the board is poor, fix the board before blaming the darts.

Use dart sets for complete options, darts under £50 for budget-led comparisons, darts for broader filtering, and dartboards if the playing surface itself is the weak point.

The 30-dart buying test

When you test a new set, throw 30 darts at big 20, 30 at treble 20 area and 30 at doubles. Record group size, comfort and entry angle. Do not judge by the best dart. Judge by the normal group.

Change one thing at a time. If you buy new barrels and also change stem length, flight shape and point type, you will not know which change helped. Good buying decisions come from clean tests.

First set, upgrade set or replacement set?

First set: choose forgiving and neutral. You want a dart that lets you learn your grip, not a dart that forces an advanced preference. Straight barrel, medium grip and a sensible midweight are usually the safest route.

Upgrade set: solve a known problem. If your current darts are too bulky, choose slimmer tungsten. If they slip, choose a clearer grip. If they drop low, test a slightly lighter setup or a different flight and stem combination before assuming the barrel is wrong.

Replacement set: match what already works. If you like your current shape but need more grip, buy close to the same dimensions. If you like the weight but not the balance, keep the weight stable and test shape. Replacing a good set should be controlled, not random.

How long should you test new darts?

Give a new set at least three sessions before judging it. Session one often feels strange because your hand is learning the barrel. Session two reveals whether the grip and balance are natural. Session three shows whether the novelty has worn off and the grouping still holds.

Include doubles in the test. A dart that scores well at treble 20 may feel different on double 16 or bull. The best darts to buy are the ones that work across the targets you actually need in a leg.

What a good purchase should change

A good purchase should make one of three things easier: cleaner release, tighter grouping or more confident setup. If the dart only looks better, it is not necessarily a better dart. If it makes the throw simpler, it probably is.

Keep your old set for comparison. After a week with the new darts, throw one short test with the old darts. If the new set still groups better and feels more natural, the upgrade is real. If the old set immediately feels easier, you may have bought excitement rather than improvement.

Common buying mistakes

Buying by player name only: pro darts are designed around that player’s grip and throw.
Going too heavy too soon: heavier can feel steady but may drop low or cause fatigue.
Choosing extreme grip: grip that feels impressive in the packet can stick on release.
Ignoring spares: flights and stems wear quickly, so budget for replacements.
Changing too often: constant equipment changes make improvement hard to measure.

Sources used

Bottom line

The best darts to buy are not the flashiest set. Most new steel-tip players should start with a 22g to 24g tungsten dart, straight or slightly tapered barrel and medium grip. Then test one change at a time and choose the setup that gives the tightest repeatable group with the least tension.