Bristle Dartboards

Look at the wire first, then the sisal. The wire, called the spider, divides the scoring segments, and the thinner it is, the fewer darts bounce off it.

• Round wire with staples: entry level. Thick wire and staples on the face mean more bounce-outs.
• Triangular wire: angled sides steer darts into a segment, though it is usually still stapled.
• Blade wire: the thinnest, usually staple-free, with the most scoring area.

The Winmau Blade 6 shows what to look for: ultra-thin 60 degree angled wire, East African sisal and a build to World Darts Federation specifications. Electronic boards are a different product for soft tip play; see electronic dartboards.

Most bounce-outs come from dull points, wire or worn fibers. Work through them in that order:

• Points: a blunt or burred point pushes fibers aside instead of sliding between them. Reshape it with a point sharpener, keeping the tip slightly rounded.
• Wire: blade wire leaves less metal to hit than round wire, and a staple-free bullseye, like the one on the Winmau Tournament Dartboard, clears metal from the center.
• Worn fibers: the segments you hit most wear first, and rotating the board spreads that wear.
• Moveable points: the point slides back on impact to cut bounce-outs off the wires. Laserdarts supports that system with MP replacement points.

There is no set lifespan. A board can last months or years, depending on how much you throw, whether you rotate it, how sharp your points are and how dry the room is.

Rotation makes the biggest difference. Take off the number ring, turn the board so fresh sisal sits under your most-thrown numbers, then refit the ring with the 20 back at the top. If you play several hours a day, rotate weekly. A Viper QuickFit bracket lets you slide a board off the wall and remount it without new hardware.

No. Water weakens what binds the sisal together and can make the board swell, warp or grow mold.

Keep the board out of damp rooms and direct sunlight. Pull darts out with a slight twist instead of yanking them, and don't store darts in the board. In a garage or basement, a waterproof vinyl Dartboard Cover keeps dust and moisture off between games. It fits any regulation bristle board and is made in the USA.

Now and then, yes, but it is not a good habit. Plastic tips are made to catch in the holes of an electronic board, not to part sisal fibers, and regular soft tip play wears a bristle board.

If you throw soft tip darts and want to practice on bristle, swap in steel points instead. Many soft tip barrels take 2BA conversion points like the Brass 2BA Conversion Points, a set of 3; check that your barrel is 2BA first. Convertible darts are built for it: the Double Play #16 is 80% tungsten with conversion points included. For regular bristle play, a dedicated set of steel tip darts is heavier and throws better.

A regulation bristle dartboard is about 17¾ in (451 mm) across, sold as 18 in, with the 20 in a dark segment at the top. The key measurements under World Darts Federation rules:

Surrounds are sized to match: the Viper Wall Defender II fits 17.75 in regulation boards.

Yes, if you already own a standard board and want harder practice. Narrow doubles and trebles punish a loose throw, so the rings on your regular board feel wider when you switch back.

The Winmau Blade 5 Champions Choice Dual Core has half-width double and treble rings on a staple-free playing area. Expect more misses at first, and keep a standard board for match practice so your eye stays calibrated to regulation rings.

Players on the PDC tour throw at Winmau. Winmau is the official dartboard supplier to the PDC, its official board is the Blade X, and the Blade line has been made for more than 20 years.

At home, the technology matters more than the exact model. The Winmau Blade 6 is professional tournament approved and has a fully hardened bullseye and outer bull that are 25% thinner than earlier Blade boards, which leaves more scoring area. Keep it rotated and your points sharp.