The Best Dart Flights, According to Professional Throwers
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The earliest darts weren’t much to behold: chopped-down arrows, with sharpened tips, thrown at circular stumps. The origins of most niche hobbies are humble and refined over years by diehard enthusiasts, and the design of the dart flight is no different.
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Modern dart flights — the finned part of the back of the dart that keeps it flying straight — are made out of everything from stiff paper to plastic, with the vast majority being some blended material done up in garish colors and design. They’re fully replaceable and come in packs, which is a good thing because they’re also fragile. Any serious player needs to have a whole lot of spares on hand.
Having a cheap bag of classic pattern spares will get players through any casual night in the garage, but serious players may want to upgrade to a specific type or brand. To decipher the best dart flights SPY consulted a team of experts.
What the Experts Say
Justin Dodd is an amateur darts player based in Brooklyn. He’s not on the pro tour, but he’s a regular in local competitions and plays at his local watering hole. Alongside Dodd, SPY also chatted with professional darts reviewer Darren Watson, who has been working and playing in the industry for decades.
Dodd says that flights are the way that a lot of players add flair and style to their tools, as the shafts won’t change much with high-quality darts. Dodd said there are two main shapes for dart flights: a traditional diamond shape and a more streamlined, slim cut. There’s also a more aggressive, thicker “combat flight” shape, but most high-level players use the traditional or slim varieties.
Watson’s flight preferences have been honed over his years competing, along with his throw. “I really think the best thing to do is to try a range of shapes and stem lengths if you are new to the game,” Watson said. “Start with nylon stems and poly flights, and then as you improve try some others like molded flights and all-in-one stem and flights.”
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“Flights are the one fun thing you get to do with darts since it’s almost 97% aesthetic-based,” Dodd says. To that end, he’s a fan of the Red Dragon series, specifically professional player Peter Wright’s “Snakebite” series. The highly reflective twin cobras on the flights speak for themselves and look pretty mean piercing the air. Dodd has a more arced toss, which means he sticks with a standard shape for his flights.
BEST SLIM DART FLIGHT
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Made For: Laser-shot snipers. Dodd says slimline flights work much better on players with a fast, direct throw that doesn’t arc as much in the air. If that’s how you toss, slims could be for you.
ROI: $11.99 for five sets of three is a pretty good deal for top-of-the-line flights.
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Two-for-One: This flight shaft combination is more expensive, but makes for a more streamlined user experience. “In the last few years, I have switched to all-in-ones like the Condor Axe,” Watson said, citing the number of options on the market now and their convenience.
Size Up: Watson notes that there are a variety of shaft lengths in these combination models, so once you find the right metal blend for the grip and barrel of the dart, you should also experiment with shaft lengths to see which one flies the best for you.
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Go Metal Free: These are lighter than the many aluminum varieties online and will help certain throws fly faster.
Durability Factor: These lighter plastic ones can snap more easily, so if durability is a key factor get used to shooting metal. Dodd says he usually keeps a set of replacement shafts knocking around, especially as replacing a broken one that’s stuck into a metal shaft is a particularly annoying task.
Frequently Asked Questions About Dart Flights
Why Do Darts Need Flights?
Like the fletching on an arrow, flights stabilize the dart’s path through the air. The weight of the metal barrel of the flight drags it forward, point first, while the flights stop it from flipping end-over-end or turning in the air. This keeps the dart as close to the thrower’s intended path as possible.
How Do I Find the Right Dart Flights for Me?
Examine how you throw the dart. Are you shooting lasers or throwing graceful arcs? This matters. “It’s not as easy as ‘one type suits a specific player,’ as there are too many other factors involved,” Watson said. That’s where the science experiment comes in. He recommends trying a variety of styles if you’re searching for the perfect toss.
Do All Flights Fit Onto All Darts?
If your darts are using a standard shaft, and don’t have an integrated flight and shaft system, any flights will fit. You can swap them out almost on the fly.
Does Anyone Mix and Match Dart Flights?
If you’re wild enough to have multiple flight shapes in one hand of darts, well, I bet your Corvette in the parking lot has cobras all over it too.
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