Darts is a trendy game in the world. The traditional steel tip darts have long been essential in homes and recreational spaces. However, a newer variant has gained popularity, which is soft tip darts. Many people have a lot of interest in these darts.
This in-depth guide will show you parts of the darts, the benefits of the darts, and which are the latest and best soft tip darts that are now on the market.
What are Soft Tip Darts?
These types of darts are usually made of plastic components and designed for use with electronic dartboards. When a dart is thrown to the plastic tip dart boards or electronic dart board, it automatically tracks scores from the inside sensors of the boards and offers a variety of game modes. It’s making it easier for players to focus on their game. Players of all ages utilize these darts because of their safe plastic tips, and this is excellent for introducing the game to new players.
Components of the Soft Tip Darts
Soft tip darts are designed for use on electronic dartboards, and their components are slightly different from those used in steel tip darts. Here are the primary components of soft tip darts:
Barrel
The barrel is the main body of the soft tip dart and plays a crucial role in determining the dart weight balance and overall feel. Basically, it is part of the player’s grip when throwing. Barrels are typically made from materials like brass nickel-silver or tungsten. Tungsten darts are very popular for their density, allowing for slimmer barrels that maintain a higher weight.
Tip
The tip of a soft-tip dart is a plastic point designed to penetrate holes in an electronic dartboard without causing damage. Unlike steel-tip darts, which have metal points, soft tip darts use these plastic tips to ensure safety and compatibility with electronic boards.
The tips are typically threaded. This allows them to be easily screwed into the dart’s barrel and replaced when they become worn or damaged. They are designed to be flexible yet durable. They bend slightly upon impact to reduce breakage. The length and thickness of the tip can vary. This affects the dart’s penetration and stability on board.
Shaft
The part of a soft tip dart that links the barrel to the flight is called the shaft. It plays a key role in keeping the dart balanced and steady as it flies. Usually, shafts are made from materials like plastic, aluminum, or carbon fiber. They are of different lengths and styles, which lets players customize their darts to perform their best. The shaft affects the dart’s airflow, which affects how it moves and how accurate it is.
Flight
The flight of a soft tip darts is the fin-like part at the back of the dart. It aims to keep the dart steady as it flies. Flights come in many shapes, sizes, and materials. You’ll find them made of plastic or nylon. Each type changes how the dart moves through the air.
The main job of the flight is to create drag. This drag helps the dart stay on a steady path to the target. Different flight shapes can change how stable and fast the dart is. These shapes include standard, slim, and kite.
Benefits of the using of these darts
Using soft tip darts offers several benefits, making them a popular choice for both casual and competitive players:
Safety First
One of the main advantages of soft tip darts is their higher safety. Whereas steel tips have sharp metal points, soft tips have blunt and plastic tips. It significantly reduces your risk of injury. It’s making an excellent choice for families, children, and beginners. It guarantees less damage to your walls, floors, or furniture; that’s why it creates a safer gaming environment for everyone involved.
Electronic Scoring Systems
In most cases, electronic dart boards are used with soft-tipped darts, which help in calculating and showing you scores due to the sensors on the dartboards. With this feature, the game is made more convenient and entertaining due to the absence of manual calculating. Similarly, the electronic scoring system has provisions for several game modes, such as solo practice sessions, multiplayer games, or even an online mode.
Enhanced Gameplay Experience
Electronic dartboards that are made for soft tip darts come with many game modes, like Cricket, Round the Clock, 301, or 501. On top of that, they will also automatically record your scores, so you don’t have to keep your score manually. In a competitive setting, this is crucial, as you want to be as accurate and as fast as possible. A large selection of games and modes also makes it feel new and fun, so you’ll want to play more.
Less Wear and Tear on Dartboards
The soft tip darts do less damage to the dartboards than the steel-tip darts. These plastic tips never dig deep into the board; the board remains in good condition for a much longer time. It literally saves money in the long run because you don’t have to replace boards that often from wear and tear.
Beginner-Friendly
If you are beginner to the game of darts, soft tip darts will provide an excellent entry point. You can easily control them due to their lightweight. The electronic scoring means that you don’t get the added pressure of learning how to manually score. Thus, you can enjoy the precision of the game and focus on improving without thinking of the complex rules and potential injuries as a beginner.
Travel-Friendly
Soft tip darts are generally lighter and more portable than steel tips. Whether you’re heading to a friend’s house, party, or vacation, a soft-tipped bow and portable electronic dart board can be easily packed and taken with you, allowing you to enjoy the game from anywhere. Even if you travel with it by air, it doesn’t have to fall under any complicated rules.
Practice Opportunities
For dedicated players, soft tip darts present distinct opportunities for practice. Many electronic dartboards come with solo practice modes and numerical tracking, allowing you to analyze your performance over time. This data can be invaluable for those looking to improve their skills and compete at higher levels.
Key Features Consider When Best Darts to Buy
When choosing the best darts to buy set, consider several key features. Here’s how to select the best soft tip darts for your needs:
Weight
One of the first things about soft tip darts is that you should consider weight. Typically, their weight is lighter than that of metal-tipped darts, which may range from 14 to 20 grams. When it comes to throwing technique and soundness, the weight of the dart can affect your throwing control.
Lighter darts are easier to throw, but the wind resistance factors can cause your throwing to drift. On the other hand, heavy darts are very stable and are not affected much by air resistance. But it requires a very precise throwing technique. You should choose the right weight of darts that you feel most comfortable with or that you can control easily.
Barrel materials and Design
It is one of the components of soft tip darts. When you throw a dart, the barrel may be the part that contributes to your performance the most. For instance, dart barrels with soft tips are usually made of different materials, like brass, nickel-silver, or tungsten. Beginners often choose brass barrels because they are affordable. They are made from a soft metal that can wear out faster after regular usage.
In comparison to brass, nickel-silver barrels have greater longevity but are still one of the cheapest on the market, which makes them a good choice for beginner dart players.
Tungsten barrels are dense and durable. Darts comprising tungsten barrels tend to cost more but perform better than others, making them more preferred by experienced players.
In addition to the material, consider the design and grip of the barrel. The different barrel shapes (straight, torpedo, or bomb) can be textured in such a way that they may feel smooth, knurled, or grooved. You should consider the right dart barrel and the combination in which you feel comfortable catching and throwing.
Tip Durability
The tip is the most important part of a soft tip dart, as it is the part that touches the dartboard. Soft dart tip sizes typically come in 2BA, around 20-25mm long, with a 4.5mm. Soft tips are usually made from plastic, whose quality varies.
In choosing soft tip darts check on the quality and replacement ability of the tips. A high-quality tip will last longer and avoid breaking even when used often. Also, it is necessary to have easily replaceable tips because they will wear out or break with time.
Shaft Material and Length
You need check another essential part of the soft tip darts, which is the shaft. Commonly, shafts are made of plastic, nylon, aluminum, or carbon fiber.
Plastic or Nylon shafts are lightweight, which can help stabilize the dart in flight. Aluminum shafts are more durable and give a more rigid flight path, which can help improve accuracy. Carbon fiber shafts are indeed light in weight and have the toughness of steel, being the best of both worlds but at a higher price.
This is also true in the dart world, where shaft length has a great impact on the performance of a dart. With a shorter shaft, it is easier to throw fast and direct darts, while longer shafts offer more stable flight. Considering all the above, you will understand which one will be best for you.
Flight Shape and Material
The flights are the final part of the darts. Flights can be found in many different shapes and materials. Each has its effects on how the dart flies through the air. The most popular are standard, slim, and pear-shaped flights.
Among these options, standard flights appear to be the most prevalent, and they also serve to ensure maximum stability, making them suitable for those less experienced players who don’t throw harder. On the other hand, slim flights have low resistance, hence favoring swift throws, which mostly apply to professionals as compared to others who require straight flight patterns. Pear-shaped flights are a hybrid between standard and slim flights, offering a balance of stability and speed.
So it can be said that you should consider all factors and choose the one in which you will always feel comfortable and convenient.
Customizability
One of the best things about soft tip darts is that they’re customizable. Many players like to mix and match different barrels, shafts, and flights to create a dart that perfectly suits their style. Therefore, look for darts that come with easily interchangeable parts so you can change them frequently until you find out what you really prefer.
Price
Finally, make sure to keep an eye on your wallet. There are numerous types of soft tip darts available; some are cheap for starters, while others are very expensive for professionals. You can attempt to go for the cheapest option. But remember that investing in a higher-quality professional soft tip darts set can improve your game and offer better durability and performance.
Some of the of the Latest Best Soft Tip Darts
If you’re looking to upgrade your dart set, here’s a roundup of some of the latest and best soft tip darts available on the market today.
Viper Diamond 90% Tungsten Soft Tip Darts
Taken as a whole, the Viper Diamond 90% Tungsten Soft Tip Darts are considered excellent darts for professional use. These darts are made from 90% tungsten, which gives them a slim profile to ensure that groups of darts are tightly packed on the board.
The slim-diamond-cut aluminum shafts enhance strength and stability while also limiting bounce-outs. These darts also come with knurled barrels for enhanced grip to ensure that players achieve precise throws.
Carrera V-Stream Tungsten Soft Tip Darts
Carrera V-stream is another excellent option in case you want to get the best of the best. These darts are made of 90% tungsten material, but they are very balanced in terms of size and weight.
The barrels incorporate innovative Pixel Grip, which provides superior handling. The darts are balanced, which makes it easier for any size of player. These are the best darts for beginners and professional players.
Red Dragon Luke Humphries Cool Hand Brass Soft Tip Darts
The Red Dragon Luke Humphries “Cool Hand” Brass Soft Tip Darts are designed for precision and style, perfect for both beginners and experienced players. Made of brass, the darts are tough but have an ergonomic design that ensures your hand does not slip off easily. Barrel profiling is well developed, and the sleek shape trims it down, thereby improving the power and accuracy of the release.
These are also typical for Humphries fans, where the darts are designed to look like the player as usual. It arrives with Red Dragon flights and shafts for getting the best result on soft tip dart boards and hence for recreation and official games.
Harrows Control Parallel 80% Soft Tip Darts
The Harrows Control Parallel 80% Soft Tip Darts are expertly crafted for enhanced performance and consistency. These darts are made of 80% pure tungsten, making them slim and parallel barrels to provide a good grip while enhancing grouping on the dartboard. The counter-sunk knurling pattern and the ring-like grip pattern also offer much control for an even toss.
With soft tips designed for long-lasting use, they are suitable to be used with electronic dartboards. The dart set also consists of a set of flights and shafts of equal quality, which provides steady stretch and accuracy whether for a casual or professional player.
Winmau Sabotage 85% Tungsten Soft Tip Darts
Winmau is one of the leading brands in darts, and their Sabotage 85% Tungsten Soft Tip Darts are no exception. These darts are made of 85% tungsten blend, which is quite appropriate for darts in terms of thickness and heaviness.
The barrels are also designed with a ringed grip, so the throw feels the same every time and achieves the right arc. The darts are also provided with nylon shafts and standard flights to ensure that the customer gets a long-lasting and effective product.
CUESOUL 85% Tungsten 16g Soft Tip Darts
If you are really want the best of the best, and then the CUESOOL 85% Tungsten 16g Soft Tip Darts are perfect. This dart glasses have 85% tungsten content, and the barrels are exceptionally thin to provide the highest level of accuracy.
These darts shaft system enhances balance and minimizes shaking during playing. The classy outlook and unmatched efficiency make these darts a favorite among professional gamers.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the risk of darts?
Sometimes, people standing nearby or just watching might get hit by the darts, which can cause anything from small scratches to very serious injuries, even harming the eyes. This is especially dangerous if a child is in a crowded area or left alone without anyone watching.
Additionally, putting the dartboard in the wrong spot can lead to falls or slips when trying to pick up darts. Repeatedly throwing darts can also strain some muscles in the wrist, elbow, or shoulder over time.
How safe are soft tip darts?
Soft Tip Darts are considered more safer than steel tip darts because their flexible plastic tips cause less injury if hit on someone. Designed for use with electronic dartboards that are now found in most homes, bars, and many other settings.
Although they are safe in that you cannot get a puncture wound or something into your eye if thrown carelessly—or even worse—if there is a crowd near by. Without proper supervision, a safe distance maintained away from the smart board and a sensible play approach would minimize the remaining safety risks with soft tip darts.
What is a soft tip in darts?
Soft tip in darts, which use a soft plastic pointed tip to throw at a soft-tip dartboard, it’s constructed from heavy-duty plastic. These darts are used by all categories of players due to the fact that the plastic tips are safer and more appropriate for children to learn about darts.
Which darts do professionals use?
Most professional players use steel-tip professional darts for international competitions. It is important to note that the majority of professional players in the big leagues prefer discs weighing about 22 grams. Former Scottish world champion Peter Wright prefers to throw the 22-gram dart, whereas Gerwyn Price uses the 24-gram dart.
However, at the highest levels of competition, this range remains the most utilized, though some exceptions include Stephen Bunting, who employs darts that are as lightweight as 12 grams, and Ryan Searle, who uses darts that weigh about 32 grams.
How long do soft tip darts last?
Soft tip darts are consumables so they can easily wear out depending on how frequently they are used, the quality of the material they are made from, or how they are treated. In general, soft tip darts which are frequently used and regularly maintained should be able to serve a player for several years.
Nevertheless, the tip size may get as thin as required, but after some time the tips may wear out or may get damaged hence can be replaced. The main thing is to check your darts from time to time and replace the worn-out parts when needed to achieve the best results.
Why call the plastic darts soft tip darts?
Soft tip darts, also known as plastic darts, use soft plastic tips, unlike steel darts that use needles at their tips. Soft tips are supposedly safer and are exclusively meant for use in electronic dartboards; these have tiny holes to envelope the soft tips upon contact.
The body of the dart is made up of plastic. Due to the excellent plastic features, the darts can penetrate the board without scratching the same, and this makes the soft tip darts perfect for electronic boards and can be used by all players, beginners, or professionals.