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Darts sets: steel-tip and soft-tip darts
The first choice is the tip. Steel-tip darts are for bristle boards, soft-tip darts with plastic points are for electronic boards. After that it comes down to weight and grip, and to having spare flights and tips ready when the first ones wear out.
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Soft-tip darts, set of 12 with spare flights and tips
12 darts Soft tip 30 spare flights 100 spare tips
£14.00
Steel tip or soft tip?
The tip has to match the board. Steel-tip darts are for bristle boards made of compressed sisal. Soft-tip darts have plastic points and are made for electronic boards, where the points stick into small holes in the segments. Steel points can crack the plastic segments of an electronic board, and soft tips tend to bounce out of bristle. Our guide Electronic or bristle dartboard? explains both kinds of board.
Weight
Darts are sold by weight in grams, usually given for one complete dart. Under World Darts Federation rules a steel-tip dart can weigh up to 50 g, but most sets are far lighter. There is no correct weight: pick a set, stay with it for a while so your throw can settle, and change only if it does not feel right.
Spares
Flights, shafts and tips wear out. Soft tips break when they hit the edge of a segment, and flights split after a few direct hits from your own darts. That is why our set of 12 soft-tip darts comes with 100 spare tips and 30 spare flights.
Where to throw from
Steel-tip darts are thrown from 2.37 m, measured from the face of the board. Many soft-tip boards and leagues use about 2.44 m instead. The board height is the same for both: 1.73 m to the centre of the bull. See Dartboard height and oche distance.
Guides on this topic
Buying advice
Dart flights and stems: shapes, lengths and how to choose
What dart flights and stems do, flight shapes and thicknesses, stem lengths and materials, and how to choose, fit and replace them to suit your throw.
Rules
Dart games to play at home: Killer, Shanghai, Golf and more
Rules for classic dart games to play at home: Around the Clock, Killer, Shanghai, Halve-It, Bob's 27, Baseball and Golf, for two players or a group.
Gift ideas
Darts gifts: Christmas ideas for every player and budget
Darts gifts from £12 to £39: steel-tip and soft-tip darts and a compact electronic dartboard, matched to the player, with what to check and when to order.
Frequently asked questions
Which darts do I need for an electronic dartboard?
Soft-tip darts with plastic points. Steel points damage the segments and the sensors behind them. Our 12 inch electronic dartboard comes with 6 soft-tip darts, and the spare sets in this category fit it too.
Can I use soft-tip darts on a bristle board?
You can, but soft tips are blunt and tend to bounce out or hang badly in sisal. For a bristle board, use steel-tip darts.
What does the weight of a dart mean?
It is normally the weight of one complete dart in grams: barrel, shaft, flight and point together. Our 22 g steel-tip set, for example, has darts of 22 g in total with a barrel of about 20 g.