If you are considering buying a dartboard for your home gameroom or basement, you need to consider what type of darts you plan on using. You can choose between steel tip darts, or plastic tip darts. Which should you choose?
What's the Point?
Sorry, pun intended. The first thing you need to consider is what is the point of you buying your own dartboard. Understanding this may make the decision completely for you, or may help direct you through the other considerations. If you are in a league, or thinking of joining a steel tip dart league, and want a home dartboard to practice on, you will most likely need a steel tip dartboard. This way, you can practice with the darts and actual weight you will be using in the league. It wouldn't make too much sense to practice with 15 gram soft-tip dart when you paly with a 22 gram steel-tip dart. Likewise, if you are joing a soft-tip league, you will most likely wnat a soft-tip dartboard at home.
Who Will Be Playing?
Another consideration is who will be using the dartboard in your home? If it will just be for you, and you are fairly consistent, you shouldn't be afraid of hanging a steel-tip bristle board on the wall, possibly in a cabinet for a little protection from errant shots. If the board will be used by friends, you need to consider how likely is it for them to miss the board, and whether you have enough protection to keep you walls from turning into pegboard.
Of course, if children will be playing with the board, safety becomes a consideration. Even soft-tip darts are dangerous for small children, but steel-tip darts can be very dangerous.
Do You Need Electronic Scoring?
One of the advanteages of most soft-tip dartboards is the availability of an electronic scoring system. The boards are typically made of plastic with many holes in them to direct the dart onto a pressure-sensitive plate that records the score. This setup is great for friendly games in a home gameroom environment when you just want to have some fun and don't want to be hassled with keeping score by yourself.
Have Your Cake and Eat It Too...
Some of the newer boards out there can do both. There is a growing selection of electronic bristle dart boards out there that can be used with either steel tip or soft tip darts, while still providing electronic scoring. This is the best of both worlds. These boards can be a bit more expensive, but are typically worth the additional cost for the flexibility they offer unless you have a very specific purpose for the dartboard in your home. The boards are made of bristle, much like a standard steel-tip dartboard, but have a pressure sensitive plate that can record the score.
Just Have Fun!
The whole point is to have fun. Just look for what is right for you, and enjoy it. You can go for an exotic electronic bristle board with a full cabinet and variety of games, or y ou can go with a simple plastic board that is used on occasion. It really comes down to what you want the board for. The nicer electronic boards are great for family and friend get-togethers, and fun. The cheaper, basic boards are just fine for hardcore practice.
