Soft Tip Darts

Most players throw 16 to 20 grams, and 20 grams is the ceiling for National Dart Association play. That limit counts the whole dart, barrel, shaft, flight and tip together, so weigh the assembled dart if you throw near the limit.

Local leagues are run by operators who can set their own limits, so check yours before buying heavier.

Stand behind a line 8 ft (96 in, 244 cm) from the face of the board, with the center of the bullseye 5 ft 8 in (173 cm) off the floor. Under NDA rules the 8 ft is measured to the front edge of the line, the edge nearest the board, within ½ in.

That is not the steel tip distance, which is a shorter 7 ft 9¼ in, so don't practice soft tip from a steel tip mark. The Voks Toe Line Checker comes in a soft tip version, and the Vinyl Dart Mat has soft tip and steel tip lines printed on it.

No, the tip has to match the barrel's thread, and most modern soft tip darts take 2BA tips. The larger 1/4 in thread is an older standard found mainly on bar and house darts. The two are not interchangeable, so check before you order, and never force a tip that will not thread in easily.

• 2BA, standard length: Condor 2BA Soft Tip Points, in 12 colors.
• 2BA, short: Key Stubbie Style, 3/4 in long with a slotted base.
• 1/4 in: 1/4 in Soft Tip Points, 50 count.

A few darts use their own point systems. Voks Soft-Steel darts, for example, need matching Voks replacement tips.

Replace a tip as soon as it is bent, cracked or snapped. Tips break most often when they strike the raised dividers between segments or a dart already in the board, and a bent tip is more likely to snap on the next throw.

There is no fixed schedule, so keep spares in your case. Players who go through tips quickly often buy in bulk, like the 1,000-count box of Micro Point tips, just under ¾ in (18 mm) before the thread. If a tip breaks off inside a segment, pull it out with a Tip Removal Tool #2 instead of digging at the board with a knife.

Yes. Unscrew the plastic tip, thread in a steel conversion point of the same size, and throw that dart only at a bristle board. Steel points damage electronic boards.

• 2BA barrels: Gun Metal 2BA Conversion Points, a set of 3 with a slotted key base.
• 1/4 in barrels: Fluted 1/4 in Conversion Points, a set of 3.
• Built to switch: the Voks Soft Steel Convertible #05, 18g and front-weighted.

A converted dart stays light by steel tip standards, where most players throw 22 to 26 grams. Treat it as a way to play both games, not a replacement for a dedicated steel tip set.

Yes, once you play regularly. Tungsten is more than twice as dense as brass, so a tungsten barrel is much slimmer at the same weight and leaves more room for the next dart in a crowded treble or bull.

• Brass is the budget choice for new players and house sets, like the Spinning Bees #1 (16g) with its spinning top.
• 80% tungsten is a solid first upgrade, like the Messenger #1 in 18g or 20g.
• 90% tungsten goes slimmer again: the Laserdart Black Widow #2 Knurled is just over ¼ in (6.73 mm) wide.
• 97% tungsten is the top end, as in the Harrows Wolfram.

Look for a slim or compact tungsten barrel you throw consistently, with an assembled weight that stays at or under your league's limit. Barrel weight is not the whole dart: points, shafts and flights add to it.

• Check the dressed weight: the Laserdart Disco Fever barrel weighs 18g and comes to about 20g fully dressed, right at the NDA limit.
• Compact for crowded segments: the Laserdart KC Black #1 is a compact, front-weighted 90% tungsten barrel with deep-cut grooves, in 16g, 18g or 20g.
• Slim for tight groups: the Laserdart Irukandji is super slim and center-balanced, 6.35 mm (about ¼ in) wide at 18g.

Under National Dart Association rules, a soft tip dart is legal when it passes three checks:

• Weight: 20 grams or less for the complete dart.
• Length: 8 in (20.3 cm) or less from the tip to the end of the flight.
• Tips: plastic, factory standard and unbroken.

The NDA raised its tournament limit from 18 to 20 grams in 2015, and local league operators still set their own rules, so ask yours. To find a legal set that suits your throw, US customers can borrow up to two sets of Laserdarts or select Horizon Darts models for 10 business days through the Dart Lending Library.