Pentathlon

Start with standard, the shape most Pentathlon flights use and the most stable choice for most throws. Smaller cuts suit players with a harder, flatter throw.

• Standard: wide, flat panels that catch air evenly, like Pentathlon Black (X801).
• Slim: less surface area and less drag for a flatter trajectory, like the Pentathlon Slim in aqua shimmer.
• Mini: a scaled-down flight with the same attachment, like the Pentathlon Mini (X904).

Yes, if your shaft takes a standard flight. Pentathlon flights slide into a standard flight slot on steel tip or soft tip shafts with no adapter, and the Mini attaches the same way.

They will not fit systems that need their own flights, such as Cosmo Fit Shafts or one-piece Condor units. If flights work loose, a metal slot lock ring keeps them seated, and on nylon shafts Champagne Rings cap the shaft and prevent robin-hooding.

Pentathlon runs from plain solids to scenic prints, so choose by how easily you want to spot your darts and how you like them to look.

• Solid and neon: bright single colors, like Neon Yellow (X807).
• Matte: an understated finish, like Matte Black (X070) with a matte black tribal graphic.
• Dimpled: a textured surface you can feel when sorting darts by touch, like Blue (X517).
• Shimmer: slim flights with a shimmer finish, in aqua, yellow and purple.
• Clear and printed: see-through designs like Clear Stars, plus carbon, camo, chrome rivets and US landmark prints such as the Grand Canyon and Old Faithful.

Like any flight, they wear with play, and a split flight is the most common reason a dart suddenly flies wrong, so keep a spare set handy. Pentathlon listings do not give a micron rating. If durability matters more than price, choose a flight with a stated thickness:

• Rock Hard Flights: 100 micron film in standard or slim.
• 150 Micron Flights: rated at 150 micron.
• Hard Poly Flights: a stiffer poly that resists bending and cracking.

Buy Pentathlon if you want a choice of cuts, and Ruthless if you like one standard shape in bold colors and prints. Both slide into any shaft with a standard flight slot, and neither lists a micron rating.

• Pentathlon: standard, slim and mini cuts, with matte, dimpled, shimmer and scenic print finishes.
• Ruthless: every flight in our range is the Amazon standard shape, in neon, see-through tints, embossed clear film, skull and snake prints, or two-tone silver, like Neon Yellow (X114).

If you throw a slim or mini flight, Pentathlon is the one to stock. If you throw standard, pick whichever design you like best.

Pentathlon's darts are 90% tungsten barrels with classic ringed or cut grips.

The Royal barrels are 6.3mm (about ¼ in) in diameter.

Yes. Pentathlon's barrels are 90% tungsten, which keeps them slimmer than brass at the same weight, and several weights sit where most new players start.

• Steel tip: 22 to 25 grams suits most players starting out, so the British Beefeater at 23g is a natural first pick, with 21g and 25g if you want to go lighter or heavier. The Windsor at 19g or 21g suits a lighter, quicker throw.
• Soft tip: most soft tip players throw 16 to 20 grams, the range the Royal darts cover. NDA events cap a complete dart at 20g, including shaft, flight and tip, so check the total before a tournament.

Both use 90% tungsten, so choose on grip, shape and support. Pentathlon suits players who like a classic ringed or ghost-ring grip. Laserdarts are designed and machined by Horizon Darts in Kansas City and carry a lifetime barrel guarantee, and US players can try up to two sets through the Dart Lending Library before buying. If you like a ringed grip, start with the Silver Widow Ringed.