Darts is a great game, yes, it's a great game. Why? It's easy to get into it. A new board and a set of reasonably good darts will clock in at less than €50, give hours of fun and years of value. It's not that hard to play either for beginners, it's pretty easy to play BUT, and it's a very big BIG BUT, it's hard to get great at. That's why you have to practice, practice, practice! But that's the challenge, that's the fun. To see how far you can get in this very addictive and exciting game.
I grew up in the 70s when darts was very big, every pub had a dartboard, my dad was in a local team, the team won all around them. He would go on tournaments to other towns. I remember him saying many a time "See that mantlepiece? There will be a big trophy on it when you wake up tomorrow morning". And there it woud be. I used to be amazed, I thought he was some kind of superman, confident in dragging home enough marble to build a castle over the years. He was a good thrower and enjoyed his dart life down the pub.
My first set of arrows: Sportrite 180 Tungsten 24 gram
I still have these but I don't know much about them or where they were made.
Me, I never followed in his footsteps for various reasons, but in my early 20s after spending the week before Christmas in the boozer playing with a few mates, I decided to by a Nodor board for the home along with a set of Sportrite 180 Tungsten arrows. It was a lot of fun and I ran with it for a while. That's very much it really, darts made a bit of a comeback in the
early 90s but I had no interst then.
I grew up in the 70s when darts was very big, every pub had a dartboard, my dad was in a local team, the team won all around them. He would go on tournaments to other towns. I remember him saying many a time "See that mantlepiece? There will be a big trophy on it when you wake up tomorrow morning". And there it woud be. I used to be amazed, I thought he was some kind of superman, confident in dragging home enough marble to build a castle over the years. He was a good thrower and enjoyed his dart life down the pub.
My first set of arrows: Sportrite 180 Tungsten 24 gram
I still have these but I don't know much about them or where they were made.
Me, I never followed in his footsteps for various reasons, but in my early 20s after spending the week before Christmas in the boozer playing with a few mates, I decided to by a Nodor board for the home along with a set of Sportrite 180 Tungsten arrows. It was a lot of fun and I ran with it for a while. That's very much it really, darts made a bit of a comeback in the
early 90s but I had no interst then.
My Winmau Blade 4
In early 2014 I was bitten again by the bug and headed to Argos. I pulled the plug on the Winmau Blade 4 for the simple reason, I didn't want a cheap board but I didn't want a very expensive one, and when I saw it was staple free I was more attracted to it. It's a fine board and now if I was buying another, I would again go for a blade type. The normal stapled boards seem to have very thick wire in comparison to these.
Winmau Navigator 2 90% Tungsten 26 gram (Argos Special)
When I bought the Blade 4 I also bought this set of Navigators, a nice dart with two extra sets of nylon shafts and two sets of flights all for a very good price.
Winmau Commando Nickel Silver 23 gram
Recently I got back into the game of arrows and I have begun to take it more seriously putting in at least 90 minutes a day in solo practice as well as throwing two nights a week in my local. I bought these Commandos for practice. A practice session may start by hitting all the doubles around the board with a 15 minute limit on a stopwatch, the first session clockwise then the next anti-clockwise and so on. The Commandos are well made even if the barrels are a little chunky, but the nylon shafts supplied are pretty flexible and soft, and I don't really facy them at all. One they've broken or worn out I'll be popping alloy shafts on these great value daggers.
Harrows Assassin Plus 24 gram 80% Tungsten
The super sleek Assassins for the more serious battles!
Now that I'm obsessed again, I decided to go for a high quality 80% Tungsten set of Assassin Plus by Harrows. These are very nice, superb quality for the price and it's nice to buy a set of arrows that are made in England and not China! It might be pure luck or sheer bravado but after a few throws with these I sored 180, my ego will run wild now down the pub!
Unicorn Maestro Tune-Up Kit
This great value kit is a must for the serious arrow man or woman! It's packed with all kinds of flights and shafts to keep most throwers happy, there's even a dart sharpener thrown in!
