Collection: Steel Tip Darts

A classic pub game, steel tip darts is a great pastime and a welcome addition to any game room. While finding the right dartboard is the first step, finding the right set of darts for you is also important. Many steel tip dart boards come with a set of starter darts designed to be low cost and easily replaced, just so you can get playing right out of the box. If you want to get serious about darts, one of the first things you'll want to do is upgrade your steel tip dart set.

There are lots of options to choose from for new steel tip dart sets - so many that finding the right one may seem like a daunting task, but worry not! Here we are going to go over the different kinds of darts, as well as what to look for based on your throwing style, so you can find the best darts for you.

Dart Types

Before you buy just any set of darts online, you will first need to determine if you need soft tip darts or steel tip darts. One type isn’t necessarily better than the other type, but the type is going to determine, or depend on, the kind of dartboard you have or play on regularly.

Steel tip darts are designed to be used with paper or sisal dartboards and they are going to be the more traditional option for darts. They have metal dart points to stick into the natural fibers of the dart board. They can’t be used on electronic dart boards because they will cause damage to the electronics.

Soft tip darts, on the other hand, are made especially for electronic dartboards. Since soft tip darts have removable dart tips, it is also possible to use metal conversion tips to turn them into steel tip darts.

Dart Barrel Material

When browsing around to buy steel tip darts online, you’ll likely see many different materials in the dart names. You've probably seen brass, nickel silver, tungsten, plated silver, and more, and you might be asking yourself, why does any of this matter?

Well, it actually matters more than you might think, and knowing what to look out for will assist you greatly in choosing the right dart for you.

One thing to take into consideration regarding dart materials is that different materials are better at resisting corrosion and wear and tear, so some will last longer than others. This is especially important to think about for dart players who play regularly. Another consideration to factor in is how dense the material is. Denser darts have the ability to be thin while keeping their weight. This is a huge consideration for professional dart players because it makes it easier to group darts together on the dart board. It can make your grip on the dart more comfortable depending on how you hold it. 

Brass Dart Barrel Material
First we'll talk about brass darts, because they are generally considered to be for beginners and entry-level dart players. This is because brass is relatively inexpensive and machining it isn’t very difficult. While brass does resist corroding, it isn’t going as durable as the more pricey darts available. Brass is also one of the least dense materials darts are made of. Because of this, brass barrels are thicker and are more likely to bounce off of each other if you're going for a tight grouping. 

All that being said, brass darts have one benefit everyone can appreciate: they are very affordable. This makes them great entry-level darts. There are a great deal of different styles available, so if you're still figuring out what grip style suits you, brass darts are a great way to try several different grips at an affordable price. For those looking to find cheap steel tip darts, brass is going to be the best material for you.

Nickel Silver Dart Barrel Material
Next we'll talk about nickel silver darts. Despite what their name suggests, these darts don’t actually have any silver in them. Instead, the silver refers to their silver-like appearance. Similar to brass darts, they are resistant to corrosion. However, they are denser and longer-lasting, which is why they are pricier.

Nickel silver darts make great entry-level and intermediate darts, perfect for new or casual players. This is because while they are still reasonably priced, they are also durable, and corrosion-resistant. Most importantly, their density makes them slimmer than brass darts. 

Tungsten Dart Barrel Material
For anyone who is more serious about darts tungsten is the way to go. Tungsten steel tip darts are the best material you can get. For reference, pretty much every professional dart player throws with tungsten darts. They come with a higher price tag but for it's for a good reason. A high tungsten content in your dart barrel like 90% or 95% means you're looking at the level of professional steel tip darts: the best of the best.

Tungsten is incredibly dense, durable, and you may have even heard before that it has the highest melting point of any metal. It can withstand temperatures of up to 6,000 degrees Fahrenheit. The point is, you won’t need to replace tungsten darts if you take care of them.

Since they are so dense, tungsten can make very slim darts which makes them great for tight groupings on the dartboard. A good indication of how slim a tungsten dart will be is by looking at the tungsten percentage. A higher percentage means more tungsten. There are no 100% tungsten darts because it would make the barrel too brittle.

Dart Barrel Grip

There are several different types of barrel grips out there for steel tip darts and each one will feel a little different and respond differently based on how you hold and throw your darts. If you use less fingers to hold the dart, you might benefit from a barrel with more grip, while if you use more fingers you’ll probably do better with less grip. This is because you need to be able to hold your dart steadily in place while throwing, but your release also needs to be smooth so your dart flies straight where you're aiming. So what kind of grips are available? 

Smooth Dart Barrel Grip
The first kind of grip to cover is no grip at all! This is also called a smooth grip. That’s right, you can get a completely smooth dart that has no grip. This type of barrel isn't as popular as other types, so you may have never seen it before. Smooth barrels won’t assist you at all in the steps of your throw up to the release, but since there is nothing to get caught on, they are easy to release smoothly. 

Knurled Dart Barrel Grip
The next grip to cover is a knurled grip. Knurling is very popular on darts. It consists of horizontal or crossing lines on the surface of the dart. Knurled grips provide a good amount of grip and most darts will have it somewhere on the barrel. 

Ringed Dart Barrel Grip
Ringed grips are also pretty common. Rings are often incorporated along with knurled bands to create a knurled-ringed barrel. These rings are going to be deeper grooves that are easier to hold and they will typically provide more grip than knurled bands alone. 

Razor/Shark Fin Dart Barrel Grip
Finally you have razor/shark fin grips. These are deep, angled grooves that provide a lot of grip. If you want a barrel that is really easy to keep hold of, then shark fin will be your best bet.

There are a few more grip styles out there, some of which are a bit more specialized, but these are the most common you will come across. It's important to remember that there isn’t a “best” grip and anyone who tells you so is probably trying to sell you something. It all comes down to personal preference and finding what works best for you. 

Dart Barrel Shape

The last thing to emphasize is the barrel shape. Like grip, shape is going to be dependent on the specific way you hold your darts. 

Straight/Pencil Dart Barrel Shape
Straight or pencil shaped dart barrels are pretty straight-forward darts. These barrels have a consistent width throughout and are one of the most prevalent barrel shapes you'll see. They are slim and easy to group together on the board, making them a great choice for all types of dart throwers.

Bomb Dart Barrel Shape
Bomb dart barrels are shorter and fatter than straight barrels, which makes them ideal for players who want to use their first dart as a way to guide other darts to where they need to be. 

Torpedo Dart Barrel Shape
Torpedo dart barrels are also shorter and fatter than straight barrels. The are also front-weighted, which means the front of the barrel is heavier than the tail end. This lets them hit the board with more force, which means they are less likely to fall out. Torpedo barrels are good for people who like to hold closer to the front of the barrel. 

Scallop Dart Barrel Shape
Scalloped dart barrels can come in various shapes. They can even be incorporated into other barrel types. Scalloped barrels feature curved edges that help keep a consistent grip because of their pronounced shape. These barrels will usually have a lot more grip than others. 

Tapered Dart Barrel Shape
Tapered dart barrels start out straight at the front of them, the same as a straight/pencil barrel, but the ends near the shaft taper down to get thinner. These are very versatile darts and can be held and thrown in a wide variety of ways to suit many different types of players. 

Shafts and Flights

The last two aspects to consider are the flights and shafts, which are at the tail end of the dart. We're putting these last because they are easy to replace and switch around with different materials and styles. For that reason, when you buy a set of darts, it's most important to buy the kind of barrel that suits you best. The flights and shafts, while usually the most colorful part of the dart, are easily changed out.

When looking at flights and shafts, the most important thing to be aware of is that longer shafts and wider flights will create more drag, which is good for arching your throws. This is more useful in steel tip darts since having darts stick into the board at an angle gives you more room for your other darts. On the other side, shorter shafts and slimmer flights are good for straight and hard throws. This combination is popular in soft tip darts since angling your throws too much on an electronic board will just lead to bounce outs. Thankfully these are the easiest and cheapest parts of a dart to swap out so feel free to experiment and figure out which style works the best for you! 

Finding the Best Darts for You

GLD Products has your back when it comes to all things darts. Whether you're casually playing in your living room or competing in a professional dart tournament, we have tons of steel tip darts for sale on our site to choose from.

When you're looking for where to buy steel tip darts online, we want to make sure you can find what you're looking for. Browse our darts by type, weight, or barrel material to find the best dart set for you. And with a Lifetime Barrel Guarantee included with every Viper steel tip dart and Fat Cat steel tip dart, you can rest assured you'll have quality darts for years to come.