I have played on most bristle dart boards over the years, but which one is the best and for what?
Bristle dart boards have been around for years and little has changed in their construction except for the wiring. League rules state only officially approved dart boards can be used; so what is an official board?
Firstly there are the dimensions of the board:
Official Dart Board Dimensions as per the BDO
'Double' and 'Treble' rings inside width
=
8.0 mm. +/- 0.2 mm.
'Bull' inside diameter
=
12.7 mm. +/- 0.2 mm.
'25' ring inside diameter
=
32.0 mm. +/- 0.2 mm.
Outside edge of ‘Double’ wire to Centre Bull
=
170.0 mm. +/- 0.2 mm.
Outside edge of ‘Treble’ wire to Centre Bull
=
107.0 mm. +/- 0.2 mm.
Outside edge of ‘Double’ wire to outside edge
=
340.0 mm. +/- 0.5 mm.
Overall dartboard diameter
=
451.0 mm. +/- 3.0 mm
Wiring Systems
Wire types can be round, triangular or diamond-shaped in section maximum 1.85mm or 1.27mm minimum.
Inner bull rings, if not made of wire, to have a wall thickness of 1.60 mm +/- 0.2 mm and to have sharpened edges.
Strip blade materials should be not less than 0.7mm and not more than 1.85 mm in wall thickness and have a sharpened edge to form an apex.
All segmental materials shall either be affixed to the face of the board in such a manner that they lie flat on the face of the dartboard or alternatively strip materials be embedded into the surface of the board
If you are playing in the BDO they also state the type of wiring system to be used during their competitions. The boards they now use in their world championship are the Winmau Blade III. The PDC also use an official board of a different wiring construction for their world championships; they use the Unicorn Eclipse Pro. But apart from world championship boards what about the rest?
Bristle dart boards vary in price from £12.00 - £45.00 depending on type and where you purchase them.
Round wire construction
At the lower end of the price spectrum you can buy a board with a round wiring
system. This is pinned to the board using large staples. Different manufactures
use different pinning methods to sure the wire frame to the board.
Here are two examples:
Double pinning
Single pinning
The first one shows the pinning of the wire either side of the treble and double. The reason for this is to reduce the possibility of bounce outs from the high scoring target areas. The second one shows the pinning of the wiring system directly into the treble and double.
Round wiring systems generally give more bounce outs than any other board type. These boards are some time referred to as entry boards i.e. they are cheap and if you what a board for home or general play they are fine.
From this brief example you may initially think that the board that has it’s pining system external to the trebles and doubles would be a better choice of board and for some it is, but having played on both which one wears better?
When considering dart board wear you first need to know how to look after the board. I have seen many dart boards that I hang up and not turned during their life time, causing one area to deteriorate, noticeably the ‘20’. Dart boards should be regularly turned, changing the 20 segment to a new surface playing area. All good dart boards have an external numbering system that is loosely fitted to allow you to move the numbers easily when you turn the board. For a board that is receiving regular use turn it once per week. This will ensure even wear.
Wiring systems that are pinned using staples are inclined to become lose. Every time a dart hits the board the bristles around it are displaced, eventually causing the pins to become lose and the wiring system can, at this point, become disfigured. By regularly inspecting the board you can push / hammer back the pins to prolong the boards’ life. Many boards become unplayable well before they should purely because of poor maintance.
Once last thing which affects all bristle boards is the room temperature. If the board is situated above a radiator or left in a hot environment you may find the bristle dries and becomes brittle causing the board to wear faster. The same board in two different environments will wear at different rates even if they are maintained the same and receive the same amount of play on them.
Back to the board pinning, on round wire boards there is little to choose between them if they are maintained correctly but I would opt for the system that has its pinning into the treble. The reason for this is when the wire gets hit by the darts it moves. When the pinning system is external to the trebles the only way the wire moves is into the treble causing a reduced high scoring hitting area. This may not be everyone’s view as there is an argument that says having the pins in the treble also reduces the scoring area. But this is a personal view and should you wish to comment then please feel free to add your comments onto the darts forum.
Triangular or diamond-shaped construction
Moving slightly up market are the diamond wire cut or angled cut wiring systems. These boards also tend to have a staple free bull. The pinning arrangements are the same as the round wire but the wire is angled to reduce the dreaded bounce out. One flattened wire surface is placed onto the board while the pointed surface points to you. When playing on these boards you find less bounce outs that is for sure. But if these boards are not well maintained then they can turn into the worst boards. If you do not maintain the pinning in these boards the wire eventually moves round showing a flat face towards you. When this happens bounce outs increase and the bounce outs can also be dramatic i.e. returning a dart directly back to you at an average 30-40mph! Most pubs and clubs opt to use this type of boards and if well maintained it is a good board.
These boards if looked after are general better than round wire. The reduced bounce outs makes it well worth paying a few pounds more.
Strip blade materials construction
Recently we have seen a new development in dart board wiring systems. Gone are the pins a new board has arrived! They use what is known as blade dividers: Strips of metal that are cut straight into the board. In fact this method is not new at all, the old log end boards have used this construction for years but it is comparatively new for bristle boards.
There are several variations of this board on the market and they all vary in my opinion in their performance.
The first board of this type I used was made by Riley and was called the Eliminator - Bandit. The board it self was without doubt the best looking board I have ever played on. The blade dividers were coloured white and had no leading edge if anything slightly rounded. The blades were less than a 1/3rd of the size of normal wire boards and the blade was flush with playing surface. This was in my initial opinion the best board on the market, but how did it wear?
Blade construction boards wear differently to pinned wiring systems and like the pins eventually pushing their way out of the board so does the blade system, but in this case you can not push the blades back in. Although the white blades added to its visual effect it also added to its demise. The painted blade surfaces had not much grip on the bristle so from the centre of the board out the blades gradually protruded from the playing surface to an extent the board became unplayable. But to virtually eliminate bounce outs this was the board to use.
Sadly you can no longer buy the Riley board but it's manufactures 'Puma Sports' still make and supply make the board under different name brands; Bulls (EU) / DMI (USA) under the names the Advantage / The Bandit.
The Winmau Blade II uses a different construction. The Blade II is the BDO choice of board used in the Lakeside BDO world darts championship. This board uses a construction of blade metal strips for number segment dividers and hovering rings to separate the trebles and doubles. The ringed wire is of thin diamond wire construction. The wires are of natural construction i.e. unpainted and therefore holds to the board better. This board does wear well, the only down side is when the treble ring is hit forcibly by a dart, bending the wire which is difficult to repair. This board will last as long as any wire board that sees regular play, but it will deteriorate as per any blade construction. I.e. the blades will eventually push their way out of the board.
Winmau Blade II Board
Winmau Blade II Board close up
(New version is now used Blade III similar construction)
Lastly the Unicorn Eclipse Board used by the PDC in all their major darts championships including the Ladbrokes world darts championship. This board is of very similar construction to the Riley board I first mentioned. The blades are cut directly into this board, including the doubles and trebles. There is very little leading edge to the blades thus maximising the scoring surface. The blades are kept natural and in my opinion helps to prolong its life. Because all blades are cut into the board and not hovering there is no chance of the wires bending out of shape. This board also lasts longer again in my opinion than other blade construction types, mainly for two reasons. One, the blade is left unpainted and, secondly, all the blades are cut into the surface of the board which hold it firm.
Unicorn Eclipse
Unicorn Eclipse Board close up
(New version is now used Eclipse Pro similar construction)
So what should you buy? Well if you are new to the game and only see yourself playing once per week, buy a round / diamond style cut board. If you are buying for a pub consider the blade or diamond cut boards, please leave the round wire dart boards for the home practise boards.
Without doubt most regular players prefer to play on the blade construction boards as they increase scoring and reduce bounce outs. They might wear differently and when the blades start to push out there is nothing you can do, but if you are buying a team board / club board or want to play on a quality board buy one of these. Darts is a relatively an inexpensive game so a good board should always be a priority - and keeps your punters happy!
The Blade Board test - Read my full evaluation on the main blade boards on the market tested under social play and league dart conditions! clicking here.
