The 9 Best Soft Tip Darts For a Guaranteed Bulls-Eye in Your Next Game [Reviewed]

The best quality darts don’t become one without a mix of different elements. To see if the dart you’re eyeing is of high quality, check out our list of features below.

The Right Weight

You can find a wide range of darts with different weights. Normally, the standard starting point for dart weights is 18 grams.

For steel tips, the point and barrel make up the weight. For soft tips, we include the point, barrel, shaft, and flight.

Steel tips are much heavier, but the weight can vary with the material. Tungsten barrels can go up to 26 grams, while those made of brass go up to 23. Meanwhile, soft tips go up to 20 grams.

Truthfully, the “right” weight for a player is a personal call.

It may be wise to try out different weight options before shopping for darts. Borrow a friend’s or see if you can try out some before you commit to a specific weight.

However, there is a general rule. You can choose the weight of your darts based on your skill level and throwing style. Heavier darts may be harder to manage, so make sure to keep that in mind.

When you do direct and straight throws, heavier darts can be more stable. Indirect, arc-like throws fit lighter darts better.

Experiment with different weight options, throwing styles, and materials.

Grips

Smooth grips can slip out of your hands easily. Ideally, a player should get a grip that is uniquely comfortable to them. So, if smooth grips are fine for you, nothing stops you from having them!

Still, many players prefer knurled grips. There’s a lot of etching and grooves with knurled grips.

If you look back on our list, you may see that many of our soft tip darts have knurled grips! Get deep grooves for easier handling when it comes to games.

However, there are other types of grips available everywhere. Dimplex grips include protruding dimples on the darts, while razor types have cuts you can control easily as well.

Other common grips include stone and shark fin.

Flights

Flights are one of the most essential elements in your darts. In a way, they can steer the trajectory of your dart on its way to the dart board.

There are several shapes to choose from, and each one of them can direct how the darts will stick. You can choose your preferred shape and design when you get your own soft tip darts.

However, the most common flight types are standard and slim. You may find them more often than other shapes.

Standard flights, in general, can help you with stability. Larger dart flights can help with drag.

Slim flights, however, are good for hard throwers. Players who prefer to reduce the drag of their soft-tip darts can opt for slim flights.

Whatever shape or design you choose, consider whether you want smooth or textured flights. The latter can drag more, and the smooth flights much less.

If you’re a beginner, you also want to make sure you spread your flights before using them. Don’t forget to do this! You want to make the most use out of your darts.

Dart Shafts

Like flights, there are a number of shafts out there. To choose a dart shaft, factor in the length and material.

Like all merchandise, dart shafts come in three standard lengths: short, medium, and long.

The length can shift the weight and center of gravity of the dart. Short shafts shift the center of gravity to the front, but long ones shift it to the rear.

You might think that a medium length is a perfect balance, but it’s actually ideal to get a short shaft instead. Slim, short shafts can be the ideal pick.

When it comes to material, plastic can easily break. However, they do have the advantage when the shafts bend. Plastic shafts are also much cheaper, so you can consider getting a more durable plastic material.

Aluminum shafts are much more reliable. Once bent, however, they may be useless. Most of our recommendations have aluminum shafts, so take that into consideration!

Other materials include nylon and carbon-fiber. It’s somewhat still experimental, but manufacturers are trying to find the perfect material that leads to less breakage.

However, it should still supply flexibility.

Try out short shafts first. You can play around with the different materials dart shafts can have. If plastic breaks, go for aluminum. If you can’t get the hang of that, go for nylon or carbon-fiber. See what sticks! Your throwing and playing style matters, too.

If you don’t have the budget, stick to aluminum shafts for durability. They’re reliable enough, so don’t worry!

Tips

Darts usually come in either soft tips or steel tips. Let’s break each type down below.

Steel

Steel tip darts were first! They’re considered to be the standard darts in the sport. They’re heavier, but they have a lot more accuracy.

However, some players may have a hard time with heavy darts, especially if they’re steel tip darts. It may be harder if you’re a beginner.

Still, it’s much more durable. If you want something that will last you long as a dart player, consider steel tip darts.

Plastic

Soft tip darts are also called plastic tip darts. They’re a much newer innovation compared to steel tip darts, but they match in popularity!

If you have electronic dart boards, invest in a plastic tip or soft tip dart set.

However, unlike steel tip darts, plastic tip ones are much less durable.

They can get damaged easily, so if you get a soft tip dart, make sure the set has accessories and spare parts. Plus, bounce outs are more probable with soft tips.

This isn’t to discourage you from buying soft tip darts! They’re great in a game. Just make sure you buy something durable and high-quality. Get one of the best that you can for yourself, and you will be just fine.

Material

When you get your own darts, there are several materials you’ll encounter. Let’s compare materials for both steel tip darts and soft tip darts!

Brass

Brass barrel darts are the cheapest darts you can get. If you’re only starting out, brass darts are great beginner-level material.

There are some considerations to remember if you choose a brass dart. These darts are usually heavier and can take up more room once the dart tip sticks to the board.

They’re quite cost-effective, and players won’t go wrong when choosing this material. Start out with brass darts with aluminum shafts. Consider the weight, how much you have, and try out a game or two.

Experiment with different flights, designs, and weights.

Tungsten

Tungsten barrels are quite common, and they’re very durable! If you’re looking for the best, high-quality darts, go for tungsten.

It’s a dense metal that you can always rely on. Both soft tip and steel tip darts have them! The material also gives you added control.

The higher the tungsten percentage is in a dart, the more high-quality it is.

Most of the time, you get tungsten alloys. Whatever percentage the tungsten material doesn’t cover, nickel does, instead. So, for example, you get a soft tip darts set at 80% tungsten. The other 10% is nickel!

You may have noticed that most of our recommended darts above are tungsten. A note of caution, however: some may find tungsten to be a bit hard to control!