8 Best Dart Boards – Review & Buyer’s Guide 🎯

It feels horrible when every dart you throw bounces off or doesn’t stick well to the board. Well, this could happen if you pick a dartboard randomly and start playing. The quality, size, design, and skill level really matters. Considering these features while buying a dartboard makes a huge difference in giving you an authentic experience. Dartboards are made with different materials and are available in various sizes and designs.

So before buying a new dartboard, it is critical to understand what you are looking for and what a particular product is offering. Seems a bit confusing? No worries, we’ve made it simple for you. Here is a review of the eight best dartboards you can buy today. Plus, a buying guide, in the end, will help you choose the best product on the list.

List of Best Dart Boards

1 Barrington Bristle Dartboard – Quality Dart Boards

While testing dozens of dart boards around the market, we found out that nothing can beat the quality of Barrington Bristle Dartboard. This dartboard lends itself to professional tournaments but also is a great choice for regular indoor play. What sets this dartboard apart from others is its custom cabinet case that hangs easily to the wall.

The custom cabinet comes with lockable doors to prevent door slamming during the gameplay. Also, the doors prevent your walls from miss dart shots. The cabinet features basswood veneer construction giving you a lightweight yet durable structure. What we loved most about this board is its A-grade sisal material construction. This material is impressively denser, and the dart sticks very well into it.

Plus, it has an amazing healing power giving you a perfect experience for a longer duration. Additionally, with a staple-free bullseye and thin yet sturdy number ring, the Barrington Bristle dartboard promises durability and long-term performance.

Since it is a premium option, it includes everything you would need to start the game. You will get 6 steel tip darts with 6 flights and a dry erase marker for the scoreboard. However, it doesn’t include all the accessories required for hanging, and you may need to buy them separately.

Barrington Bristle dartboard is undoubtedly the finest quality dartboard you can find today. With a premium construction quality and innovative cabinet style, this dartboard will definitely take your gaming experience to the next level.

2WINMAU Blade 5 Bristle Dartboard – Top Rated Dart Boards

Winmau Blade 5 bristle Dartboard is another popular choice these days. It is the upgraded version of the previous Blade 5 dartboard and offers better quality and scoring potential—Plus with a vibrant multi-color finish, this dartboard offers beautiful aesthetics for any wall or pub room.

The board has an increased surface area and 14% thinner high-tech wire lettuce than its predecessors. These features enhance the scoring potential of the board and decrease the bounce-outs. Additionally, there is a 30% cut down in the cut angle, which results in reduced deflection and lets you guide the dart into the board in a better way.

In addition to improved design, Blade, 5 dartboard features exceptional construction quality. It comes with an A-grade sisal core that offers amazing density for battery dart sticking and incredible healing power. Moreover, the carbon diffusion technology used in bullseye further enhances the dart bord’s reliability.

In addition to impressive quality, this dartboard will impress you with its no-fuss lock and mount system. It comes with a wheel lock and level system, and it took us around 120 minutes to install this board. However, it doesn’t come with pred-rilled holes, which might cost you extra effort and time while outing the board for the first time.

Approved by World Darts Federation and endorsed by the British darts organization, this dartboard is a great choice for amateurs, professionals, and players of all ages. Finally, this product is surprisingly very affordable, considering the quality and gaming experience it offers.

3Viper Shot King Sisal/Bristle Dart Board

Next on our list is a Viper Shot King Bristle dartboard. This is one of the very few inexpensive dartboards offering quality construction, high scoring potential, and tournament size board surface. Unlike other dartboards available in this price range, it comes with A-grade sisal bristles and a staple-free bullseye. The sisal core is highly dense, and darts stick so well to it.

Plus, we noticed that it fixes itself very quickly, giving you the best gaming experience ever. What makes this board perfect for professional games and tournaments is its high-scoring potential. It features ultra-thin spider wire dividers to reduce deflection. Moreover, the staple-free bull’s eye allows you to guide the dart to the board in a perfect way.

Plus, its vibrant multi-color pattern, easy-to-read number ring, and equally divided scoring section make it perfect for all professional games like cricket, shanghai, and around-the-clock. The board does not include gaming accessories like darts and flights. However, it comes with complete hanging hardware and gaming instructions.

Viper Shot King Bristle dartboard is one of the most economical options you can find for professional use. With an easy to interpret design and vibrant multi-color scheme, the board is a perfect choice for players of all ages.

4 Viper Hudson All-in-One Dart Center

Cabinet-style dartboards are popular for clubs and pub rooms since they offer a more professional look and long-term performance. So next on our list is Viber Hudson, a tournament-size board with a custom cabinet design. A complete package dartboard offers quality construction and high-scoring potential for a real professional-grade gaming experience.

The cabinet features solid pine construction with bronze hinges. The doors are also lockable to prevent accidental dropping. The core of the board is made with highly compressed sisal multiple layers. These layers form a dense structure that heals quickly when used with steel-tip darts. Also, the darts stick so well, offering maximum chances of scoring.

The board comes in standard 18-inch diameter with staple-free bullseye making it one of the best dart-boards under $100. The only issue we found out with this board is that spider wire dividers are relatively thick, increasing the chances of defection. Moreover, this board comes with a dry-erase board and marker and score chart, giving you a professional gaming experience at home and in pub rooms.

You will get ample storage space for dart strange and also a flip cricket scoring table for a well-organized game. The cabinet does not come with predrilled holes which might require extra effort while hanging the board for the first time. However, it includes all the mounting hardware and is pretty easy to install on any wall.

Viper Hudson All-in-one dart center is a complete package for the pub rooms and professional players that is so nicely priced. Its denser core with quick fixing ability, staple-free bullseye, dart-storage space, and custom cabinet style are its amazing features you would rarely find for this price.

5Viper Razorback Official Competition Bristle Steel Tip Dartboard

Viper Razorback is an incredibly cheap option for the value you are getting and is the perfect pick for amateurs for beginners. Despite a very affordable price, this board promises quality and fits all the tournament and professional gaming requirements. It features a premium-grade sisal board offering incredible self-healing properties.

The core is made highly dense so that the darts stick well, and there are few chances of bounce-outs. Furthermore, its sections are divided with ultra-thin spider wire, and the chances of deflection are almost zero- not only this, a staple-free bullseye coupled with a standard tournament size board further enhances its scoring potential.

It comes in any easy-to-read number ring and is painted in a vibrant multi-color scheme. Therefore it is great for people of all ages. Plus, this board lets you play all your favorite games like cricket and around-the-clock on the go. The board is made sturdy; however, it requires regular maintenance for a long-term experience. Also, you will get all the hanging hardware with the board, and we found it pretty easy to hang.

Viper Razorback Bristle DartBoard comes in official tournament size for an authentic experience at a very affordable price. With impressive construction quality and staple-free bulls-eye, this board is the perfect choice for beginners and occasional gaming.

6Viper 800 Electronic Soft Tip Dartboard

Electronic dartboards are great for big parties and social gatherings since they can involve multiple players in the game. So our next option on the list is the Viper 800, an electronic soft board. This dartboard comes with more than 50 built-in games and can involve up to 16 players in one game.

It features a regulation-size target face and precisely engineered concave holes for an authentic tournament feel. The automatic scoring system eliminates the guesswork and track-keeping hassle. The board comes with an AC adapter, one throw line, throw line measuring tape, and 6 soft-tip darts with 24 additional tips.

The razor-sharp spider dividers minimize the deflection and bounce-offs and increase the scoring potential of the dartboard. You will also get a miss dart catch ring protecting your walls from damage.

Finally, this electronic dartboard comes with vibrant colors and an eye-catching design that adds more fun to your parties. Finally, it is a highly portable dartboard with a direct mounting mechanism and is pretty easy to shift from one wall to another.

With more than 50 games and upto 16-player support, this board will definitely add much more fun and joy to your social gatherings. Plus, it doesn’t follow strict mounting criteria and can be placed on any flat surface, making it a great choice for trips and outdoor adventures.

7 Alien Competition Bristle Dartboard

Everyone loves the fewer bounce-outs and maximum accuracy while playing dartboard games. Alien Competition is one of the few dartboards under $100, offering everything you might expect from a tournament-quality dartboard. Made with premium quality materials and featuring an official tournament size, this board really offers an authentic gaming experience without spending much.

What we found most impressive about the board are its razor-thin wires and staple-free bulls-eye. Both these features significantly reduced the bounce-outs and enhanced the scoring potential of the game. Another problem that comes with inexpensive dartboards is that they wear out quickly.

Thankfully Alien Competition Bristle dartboard features a premium-grade sisal core that fixes itself quickly and gives you long-term performance with a little maintenance. The Board offers a custom wall mount for effortless mounting and dismounting. The board supports both soft-tip and steel-tip darts, but it doesn’t come with any gaming accessory.

With a little maintenance and care from time to time, Alien competition Bristle Dartboard gives you a long-lasting and authentic gaming experience. The dartboard is designed for basic dart games and comes in official tournament size, making it a perfect choice for beginners and fun-loving families.

8Doinkit Darts Kid-Safe Indoor Magnetic Dart Board

Doinkit DartBoard is the only magnetic dartboard on the list. This dartboard is designed to provide a full-of-fun and safe gaming experience to the kids and dart-loving families. It is a high-quality dartboard with unique magnetic darts and a solid core offering everything that you can expect from a bristle or electronic dartboard.

Since the board is made with kids-safety in mind, it is cloured with vibrant bright colors. Plus, the number ring is easy to read, and sections division is pretty clear, making it easier for young players to score maximum. Unlike soft-tip or steel-tip darts, magnetic darts are absolutely safe for kids. Flights are lightweight and durable to minimize deflection and increase scoring potential.

Also, high-quality magnets arrows stick so well, making your game free of doubts and full of fun. Also, the magnetic darts won’t put a hole in your wall, giving your kids the freedom to play the way they want. In addition to incredible design, this dartboard offers simple and quick hanging mechanisms. It has a hook at the back and does not require any holes. You can easily shift it from one wall to another since it’s a lightweight structure.

16-inch Doinkit Dart Board with magnetic scoring face, well-balanced neodymium magnets, and six magnetic darts offer a full-of-fun and authentic experience for the kids. The dartboard is lightweight, portable, and absolutely safe, making it a great choice for ages 6 and up.

Buyer’s Guide

While looking for dartboard for your pub-room or indoor family gaming, you must consider some key features to get the best experience. Dart Boards are available in a variety of sizes, materials, and designs, making them perfect for different situations and players. Let’s take a look at the key features to find the best dartboard for you.

Depth and Density

Depth and density is probably the most important factor you should consider while buying a dartboard. The small depth and low density increase the chances of bounce-outs, decreasing the scoring potential, and eventually ruins your experience. It is advised to get the board with good depth and density so that the darts stick well, and you get flawless gaming.

Wiring or Spider

Every dartboard comes with the wiring that is used to divide the point segments. In the past, dart-boards used regularly rounded wires to separate the point segments. These thick wires increase the chances of bounce-outs and lower the scoring chances.

However, modern dartboards come with razor-thin or ultra-thin spider wires to minimize deflection and bounce-outs. It is a critical factor, and you must look for ultra-thin spider wiring in a dartboard.

Size

Dart Boards are available in different sizes, but the official tournament size dartboard has a diameter of 17-18 inches. If you want the most realistic and authentic experience, getting the official tournament size dartboard is recommended.

Remember you must hand this dartboard with the bullseye exactly 6-feet high from the ground. For an authentic gaming experience, you need to throw a dart from a distance of exactly 7.9 feet. For kids, you can choose smaller sizes like 14-inch and 16-inches.

Mounting

Mounting or hanging mechanism is another critical factor to look for. Bulky dart boards with wooden frames or cabinets usually come with a complex hanging process. You may need to drill holes before hanging them to the walls. However, if you go with lightweight regular dartboards, you must look for a quick hanging hook or straightforward mounting mechanism.

Such dartboards are also pretty easy to shift from one place to another. Also, it is critical to ensure that your dartboard comes with all the required mounting accessories like hooks and brackets. If not, you may face compatibility issues later on.

Number Ring

The number ring of the dartboard should be easy to read so that you can guide the dart easily to the maximum scoring segments. The removable number ring is helpful with a rotating dartboard. The dartboards should be rotated so that different segments get sufficient time to heal, resulting in even wear. This is only possible when you have a removable number ring.

Healing Power

Self-healing power is another critical feature that decides the life of your dartboard. Dartboard Core is either made with wood, cork, or sisal. After being hit with steel-tip darts, these cores heal automatically. Bristle boards quickly heal and fix themselves, giving you a fresh surface for every new game. You should look for denser and flexible core material for a long-term experience.

FAQs

What type of dartboard is the best?
A bristle dartboard made with premium Sisal or Hemp material is best for both hobbyists and professionals. Bristle boards have impressive self-healing properties, darts stick so well to them, and they come with the least maintenance requirements.

What dartboard do professionals use?
The Barrington Collection and Winmau Blade 5 series are very famous among professionals. These are bristle dartboards featuring A-grade sisal construction and razor-thin spider wiring. These dartboards are known for impressive healing abilities and maximum scoring potential.

How long do dartboards last?
Well, this depends upon the quality and usage of the dartboard. A high-quality bristle board under regular use lasts for 2-3 years. However, if it is used for only occasional gaming, you can expect it to last for 4-5 years.

Final Thoughts

Now that you have seen all the features, pros, and cons of each product, you are in a better position to decide which dartboard is going to be your perfect match. Our list comprises the eight best dartboards you can buy in 2022, and we can safely recommend all these products for an authentic and long-lasting experience.

Our top-three picks on the list are

• Barrington Bristle Dartboard for its dense A-grade sisal core, custom veneer wood cabinet, professional-grade steel-tip darts, and impressive scoring potential
• Alien Competition Bristle Dartboard for its official tournament size, affordable price, ultra-thin spider wires, and premium sisal-construction
• Viper 800 Electronic Soft Tip Dartboard for its automated scoring, less guesswork, portability, and premium-sisal construction

Finally, I would recommend you spend some extra dollars on getting the best quality possible home. Keep in mind that a poor quality board will not only wear out quality, but its low-scoring potential will completely ruin your experience.