Darts: Finding Your Weight

Atlantic Spas and Billiards offers the largest selection of darts in the triangle area. But with so much to choose from, it can be difficult to make the right choice for you. The first question you must answer when deciding on which darts to buy is, “what weight do I like?”

When it comes to tungsten darts, the most common dart weight for a beginner is 22-24 grams. The lower the weight, the harder you will have to throw. If you like to throw with a lot of force, a lighter dart may be the way to go. If you have a more relaxed style of throwing, heavier is probably better. If your dart is going higher than your intended aim, try a heavier dart. Th heavier dart will drop the trajectory down a bit, putting it closer to where you want it. The opposite is also true. If your dart is going lower than where you’re aiming, it might be best to try out a lighter dart. Darts range from 18 grams to 50 grams, but you’ll rarely see a player with a dart heavier than 35 grams.

It’s also important to see how the dart is weighted. Lighter darts will be weighted equally throughout the barrell, but heavier darts can fluctuate with some being front loaded while others distribute the weight towards the back of the barrell.

Speaking from experience, I used to throw a 24 gram Kick Ass dart. It was my first set of darts and they worked pretty well for me. I’m not a pro by any means, but the darts felt comfortable in my hand and they got the job done. After experimenting with a couple of different options, I ended up switching to a 32 gram Hammer Head dart. 8 grams is a huge jump in weight and the difference was immediately noticeable. I had much more control over the 32 gram dart, putting it where I wanted to 9/10 times. Most players don’t throw over 30 grams and the heaviest they’ll go is 28 grams. So 32 grams is definitely on the high side and not recommended for everyone. It’s certainly a personal preference.

Whenever a dart novice walks into the start and is looking for a new set, I always start them off with a 24 gram dart. That is a good base weight that will determine whether or not you should go heavier, lighter, or stay the same.

At Atlantic Spas and Billiards you can try any dart before you buy it. We want to make sure you’re 100% satisfied with your choice before you take it home or to the bar and start throwing it. You are welcome to spend as much time as necessary throwing any dart of your choice on our practice board. We offer darts from Bottelsen and Winmau. If you’re looking for a certain dart, call ahead to check for availability.