Darts gifts: Christmas ideas for every player and budget

Darts make a good Christmas gift: they are small, easy to wrap and get used the same day. The catch is that darts must match the board. Steel-tip darts are for bristle boards, soft-tip darts are for electronic boards, and the wrong kind is no use at all. This guide covers that first, then goes through our darts gifts by budget and by the kind of player, and ends with when to order.

Our range is small: four gifts from £12 to £39. Prices were correct when we wrote this guide in November 2026, and the product page always shows the current price.

First, steel tip or soft tip?

Look at the board they throw at, or ask someone who has seen it.

• Bristle board: a surface of tightly packed fibres, usually sisal, with thin metal wires between the numbers. It needs steel-tip darts. Soft tips are blunt and tend to bounce out.
• Electronic board: a plastic surface full of small holes, usually with a score display. It needs soft-tip darts. A steel point can crack the plastic segments in one throw.

If they play at a pub or in a league, the same rule applies to the board there. The darts they already carry usually give it away too: plastic points mean soft tip. Our guide to electronic or bristle dartboards explains the differences in more detail.

Darts gifts at a glance

Darts gifts under £15

Soft-tip darts, set of 3 in a hard case, £12

A set of three soft-tip darts with black grooved barrels and purple shafts and flights, in a slim hard case of 14.5 x 4.8 x 2 cm. The case fits a coat pocket, and that is the point of this gift. It suits someone who plays on electronic boards at the pub, at a club or at a friend's house and is tired of throwing whatever darts are lying around. The supplier does not give the weight of one dart. The whole set with its case weighs about 80 g.

Soft-tip darts, set of 12, £14

Twelve soft-tip darts, ready to throw, with 30 spare flights, 100 spare plastic tips and a cloth bag. That is enough for four players with three darts each. Soft tips snap and flights split on a busy board, so the spares matter more than they sound. It makes a good gift for a household that already has an electronic board, or to go with one. The supplier marks them as not suitable for children under 14, so younger players should only play with an adult.

Darts gifts under £20

22 g steel-tip darts, set of 6, £17

Six steel-tip darts of 22 g in a red presentation box. The box looks like a present before you wrap it, and six darts make two sets of three, so two people can play from one box. The barrels are straight stainless steel, 9 mm across, with grip rings, and the shafts are aluminium.

Is 22 g the right weight? It sits in the range many makers suggest as a starting point, which makes it a sensible first set. Our guide what weight darts should I use? explains more. One honest note: these are stainless steel, not tungsten. Tungsten barrels are slimmer for the same weight and cost more, and a player who already throws tungsten is unlikely to switch. For them, this set works best as a spare or a set for guests.

Darts gifts under £40

12 inch electronic dartboard, £39

A compact electronic dartboard that keeps the score on an LCD display, with six soft-tip darts and an English manual. It measures 37 x 31 x 3 cm, weighs about 1 kg and runs on 3 AA batteries, so there is no cable to the wall. That makes it easy to hang in a bedroom, a games room, a shed or a caravan.

Be clear about what it is. The target is smaller than a full-size soft-tip board, so this is a board for fun and family games, not for league practice. And the batteries are not in the box, so buy three AA batteries with it, or Christmas morning will be quiet.

Gifts by type of player

• The family that wants a game at Christmas: the electronic dartboard with the set of 12 soft-tip darts. With the six darts from the board and twelve more, nobody waits for a set, and the spare tips and flights keep the game going.
• The pub or league player on soft tip: the set of three in its hard case.
• Someone with a new bristle board: the 22 g steel-tip set.
• A teenager of 14 or over: the electronic dartboard. It keeps the score, so they learn the numbers by playing.
• The serious player with their own tungsten darts: players choose darts by feel, so a new set for them is a gamble. If you still want to give darts, the 22 g set makes a useful spare set for the garage or for visitors.
• The person who plays both kinds: the set of three soft-tip darts and the 22 g steel-tip set together come to £29 and cover both boards.

Get it ready for Christmas Day

• Batteries. The electronic dartboard needs 3 AA batteries, which are not included.
• Height. Hang any board with the centre of the bull 1.73 m above the floor. For a bristle board the throw line is 2.37 m from the face of the board. For an electronic board, use the distance in its manual. Our guide on how to set up a dartboard has the steps.
• Space and safety. Keep the area in front of the board clear, and keep children and pets out of the way while someone is throwing.
• The right darts. Keep steel-tip darts away from the electronic board. One throw can damage it.

When to order for Christmas

Our darts and boards come from our supplier's warehouse in China, and delivery takes 7 to 12 working days after we confirm your order by email. December is the busiest month for carriers, so order as early as you can, ideally by the end of November. We cannot promise delivery by a set date.

• Send it straight to them. Enter their name and address as the delivery address at checkout. We do not offer gift wrapping or gift messages.
• Customs. Orders of £135 or less have no customs charges or import VAT to pay, and every darts gift here is well under that. Our delivery page has the details.
• Returns. The 14 days to change your mind start on the day of delivery, so if you order early, check the item when it arrives. See our returns page.

All our steel-tip and soft-tip sets are on our darts page.