Store
| Boards Electronic Dart Boards Traditonal Dart Boards Darts Soft Tips Accudart Bottelsen Halex Piranha Unicorn Viper Steel Tips Accudart Bottelsen Halex Nodor Piranha Unicorn Viper Widdy Flights Other |
Dartboards.com
HomeDartsDart BoardsCabinetsDart Board PackagesBackboardsDart Supplies
|
Bristle dartboards have been around for a very long time; and when most people think of a dart board, this is the type of board they picture. Many years ago bristle boards were made out of hog's hair (and this is where the term bristle comes from) or cork. Nowadays, most bristle boards are made out of material named 'Sisal' which is also what rope is made out of. The advantage sisal has is that it is self-healing. When a dart strikes a board made out of sisal the dart wedges itself between the fibers instead of poking a hole in the material. This extends the life of the dartboard tremendously. There are cheaper boards made out of paper, cork, or other porous materials available; but I suggest keeping away from them and paying a little extra for a good quality bristle style board or electronic board. When shopping for a bristle dart board make sure that it has a moveable ring (also called a spider); this can greatly increase the life span of a dart board.
Electronic dart boards are configured exactly like a traditional dart board. They have the same numbers, configuration, and dimensions; but instead of being made out of sisal or another organic material, they are made out of plastic or nylon. The surface of the dart board has hundreds of tiny holes in it. When you throw a soft-tip dart at an electronic dart board, the internal electronics can read where your dart hit the board and will automatically keep your score for you. Electronic boards have a couple of advantages over traditional bristle boards. For one thing, they can automatically keep score for you and most have dozens of games built into them. They are also safer since they use soft-tip darts. On almost all electronic dart boards you cannot use steel-tip darts, but this is starting to change with electronic boards that can use either steel-tip or soft-tip darts. When shopping for an electronic dart board, consider the display, make sure that it is bright and clearly legible from a distance. Some also offer "X" and "O" displays for cricket style games which is nice. Most electronic dart boards need a power supply (they don't run off batteries), so take that into account when planning your purchase.
