Dartboards

Dartboards  are a fixture in bars and pubs across the nation, but you don't have to get out to your local pub to find a good game. Today's boards are high quality, inexpensive, and easy to install. Also, advances in electronic boards  make the game more fun than ever before.

Bristle Dartboards

  • The term 'bristle' dates back to the days when dartboards were made of hogs hair.
  • Today, bristle boards are made out of a fiber called "sisal."
  • The advantage of using sisal over a material like cork is that it is self-healing.
  • Darts  penetrate the board surface, and wedge themselves between the fibers instead of poking a hole in the material.
  • This lengthens the life of the board tremendously.

Spider

  • The spider  refers to the thin metal wires that divide a dartboard into segments.
  • Many bristle boards feature a spider on top of the playing surface.
  • High-end bristle boards feature an imbedded spider, which are preferable because they are razor thin, cutting down dramatically on bounce-outs (when the point of the dart hits the spider and literally bounces off the board).

Movable Number Ring

  • A movable number ring  is a common bristle board feature allows the numbers around the circumference of the target area to be rotated.
  • This keeps more commonly used areas of the board from wearing out.

Size

  • Almost all bristle boards are 18 inches in diameter with a 13.5 inch target area.

Backboards

  • Backboard  or cabinets  help to keep errant throws from leaving holes in the wall surrounding the board.
  • Backboards cover the wall around your bristle board and are made of materials that darts can stick in safely.
  • Cabinets serve the same function, but in addition they have doors that can be closed to hide your dartboard when not in use.
  • Many cabinets have nice wood finishes or designs on the doors to enhance your décor.
  • Many also provide scoreboards on the insides of the doors, and some even have dart holders for easy storage.

Electronic Dartboards

Cricket Display

  • Many electronic boards with Cricket feature an LED display that shows the status of each player's position in the game.
  • Some boards display this as a number; others use a series of bars that light up, and higher end boards display a series of Xs and Os for each player.

Darts for Electronic Dartboards 

  • Most electronic dartboards use soft-tip darts  only.
  • Some advanced electronic dartboards have target areas made out of material that can accept both soft and steel tip darts.
  • Halex  makes several electronic dartboards that feature a BristleTech target area that can accept both types of darts.

Features

  • Target area size can range from 13 inches to 15.5 inches (regulation size).
  • Number of games and game variations.
  • LED displays are colorful and vibrant, LCDs are muted and more difficult to read from a distance.
  • Some electronic boards offer simple number displays that change for each player; some offer multiple player displays that allow you to easily compare your score against others.
  • Some boards accept soft-tip darts only, or both soft and steel tip.
  • Some boards offer special sound effects, voice recording options, or a heckler feature that actually makes fun of bad throws.

Arcade Style Dartboard

  • Arcade style dartboards consist of an electronic board mounted in a full size, freestanding cabinet just like an arcade game.
  • These cabinets often have storage for darts and accessories.

Dartboard Manufacturers

▼ Advertisement ▼