What's the Point?
Modern Darts Points
Dart points have grabbed headlines recently with the advent of so many custom fit variations, that you could easily be forgiven for asking; What really is the point?
Specialist dart players, following the example of their TV pro heroes, have engaged in breathtaking technical changes in the seemingly simple area of the point to specifically suit each player’s individual demands.
We take a very close look at exactly why and “What is really the point?”
Historically, new points started to appear on the market in response to home-made prototypes that top players were to starting to use. This was to gain traction in the dartboard, the fingers and in the hand, due to the fact that dart points have been roughed up with an emery cloth and point sharpeners for years.
How have dart points changed?
The early fashioned custom-made points tended to be geared on providing grip right where the barrel and the point met. This gives an easy repeatable reference point for many players that have one finger touching this part of the dart.
From these early models, demand for many points rapidly out-stripped the ability of key-line manufacturers to keep up with this seemingly ignored category. Points are usually made in such huge volumes, making short run specialist versions was very hard to fashion.
Fast forward just a few years and there now exists literally hundreds of point options ready to suit whatever dart players demand at the point. In assessing what point could help your game, it is vital that you understand exactly how you want your points to perform.
What are the best dart points?
There are multiple variables that need to be taken into account and the answer will be different for each dart player. The real question is, what are the best dart points for YOU?
The key areas that all specialist points fulfil are:
- Finger grip placement
- Dartboard retention
- Reduce dart-on-dart deflections
- Reduce dart-on-wire deflections
Once you understand exactly why you can benefit from non-standard points, you can then look into the depth of options to help you gain the most advantage. We asked our World Champion and World Number 2, Peter Wright and Gerwyn Price to give us some guidelines.
2020 PDC World Champion - Peter “Snakebite” Wright
“So, what’s the point Peter!?”
“Very good question as my points can change relative to the set of darts and the set-up that I’m using, not to mention exactly where and under which conditions I’m playing.
Peter went on to say; “Sometimes I’ll need a shorter point so that it counter-acts the longer and lighter barrel of a dart I may be using as shorter points fly straighter, but the trade-off is less board retention and treble area to aim at”. Peter has used the Raptor point, as it enables him to get as many impact advantages as possible whilst allowing him to flight his darts exactly as he sees, but always subject to change depending on the exact conditions.
Peter changes his own points all the time using a twin point puller and also helps his fellow pros out on a regular basis. "I'm often helping several of the guys on tour try new points, as I'm always ready to tweak my gear for the day that I'm playing as so many things can change - and you see it so regularly now at every event".
2020 World Grand Prix Winner - Gerwyn “Iceman” Price
“What’s the point Gezzy!?”
“I've never changed my type points in the last five years since being custom-fit at Red Dragon, and I’ve never had any issues with grip or bounce-outs of any kind so I can consider myself very lucky that It’s just a standard point for me, but there are loads of players around that have so many variations it’s hard to know what’s best for you without some decent trial and error”
So, with points seemingly being the hottest topic in darts right now, it leaves YOU the option to consider if a point change can help your game and answer:
- What’s the best dart points for me AND
- How do I select the best dart points?
You can check out our extensive range of points here.