Soft Tip Darts

Soft Tip Darts

The game of darts is a professional sport as well as a favorite past time at bars and pubs in countries across the world, including Britain, Ireland, Germany, and the United States. The classic game is played with steel-tip darts and with a dartboard made of cork or sisal fibers. The game of soft-tip darts was introduced in the 1970s when an electric dartboard made of plastic and latex was designed.

How do you play a game with soft-tip darts?

Playing with soft-tip darts is similar to playing with regular ones. The dartboard is hung at the same height and is laid out in the same way. It has a double bullseye, a single bullseye, wedges labeled 1 to 20, a double ring, and a triple ring. These boards are filled with hundreds of small holes for the soft-tip dart to enter and stick in. Soft-tip darts can be played similarly to the classic version of the game, but the electronic scorekeeping built into the dartboard often comes programmed with up to 100 different games. The entertainment options are nearly endless.

What are soft-tip darts made of?

These projectiles are made up of four parts, and each part can be composed of differing materials. The parts of a dart are:

  • The tip: The tip of a soft-tip dart is composed of plastic, allowing it to stick into the board easily without causing any damage. The many holes in the dartboard are beveled to allow the tip to more easily enter.
  • The barrel: The barrel is the section that the soft tip attaches into. The barrel can be made of brass, nickel, or tungsten. Brass and nickel are the lighter of the three, and tungsten is the heaviest. Tungsten has a density nearly three times the density of the other two materials. That makes it ideal for use in darts since the dart’s barrel can be smaller while still maintaining the same overall weight.
  • The shaft: The shaft of a soft-tip dart is generally made out of plastic, but it can also be made out of nylon, aluminum, or titanium. A longer shaft creates more stability, but it also requires more throwing power for improved accuracy.
  • The flight: The flights on a soft-tip dart are there to produce drag, preventing the rear of the projectile from flipping up past its tip. Flights are typically made of plastic, nylon, or foil. Larger flights allow for increased stability, but when aiming for a close grouping, large flights can get in the way of your other throws.
How much do soft-tip darts typically weigh?

Soft-tip darts usually have overall weights of 16 or 18 grams, but some may weigh up to 24 grams. They weigh less than their steel-tip counterparts, which can weigh up to 40 grams.

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