Why you need a dartboard.
Darts is one of the greatest pleasures I have in my life.
The game is so simple to play and is perfect for a night in with the family or out with your friends.
But I’m not here to throw my money away on anything that doesn’t fill me with joy.
I am looking for a cost effective and well designed dartboard.
This is not the blade 6.
Winmau 6 blade dartboard
Why is the Winmau 6 blade dartboard so hyped ?
As its name suggests the blade 6 contains 6th generation blade technology. This comprises a triple core.
The outer surface of the board has low compression which allegedly reduces surface resistance and allows point penetration two mean fewer bounce outs.
The inner core has a higher compression which, the advertising blurb, says absorbs excess kinetic energy from the Darts and allows for Greater durability.
The third core is the base layer which is reinforced with carbon fibre supporting the two outer cores.
Even the dartboard wire design is said to be the Pinnacle and its generation.
The profile is meant to direct the sisal fibres outside the critical scoring zones and optimise density. This again has the dual objectives of increasing retention and improving durability.
It’s not just the makeup of the board that has new technology. Even the number ring has a patent pending for the stylish laser cut which again is said to improve focus (however that works, a number is a number isn’t it???).
So with all this amazing technology design and thought that has gone into the blade 6 it must be unbeatable right?
Well I like to do my research and here is what I found out when I dug a little deeper:
These quotes come from various forums I am a member of and online reviews:
“Wires raised, fibres coming out… it’s just utter garbage”.
“5 days on more bounce outs than ever experienced..”
“I’ll use the board, however at the price, it is a sloppy product out of the box. I also had a perfectly thrown bull just fail to penetrate the sisal, and fall to the floor”.
“The numbers don’t fit around the boards exactly, and there are patches where the sisal is missing”.
Now don’t get me wrong I’m not saying that all Blade 6’s will have fault issues.
But I will say that if I can find so many unhappy buyers without spending much time doing it then I’m simply not going to take the risk.
So all Winmau dartboards are rubbish right? Well, actually no. and here’s why!
To be fair, as I had read those reviews of the Blade 6 before taking the plunge on buying, I knew I needed a different dartboard.
So what did I go for? Well it was actually the Winmau diamond plus board…
Why go for Winmau when the blade 6 reviews I’d seen weren’t great?
Well put simply, I’d had them before and knew they were quality!
I’d almost been taken in by the Blade 6 hype but they weren’t for me. Even though I’m sure there are thousands of happy Blade 6 customers out there.
Winmau Diamond Plus Dartboard
So here I am unboxing my diamond plus and my initial reactions on the quality of the board are here.
Here are my main takeaways from first sight and then use of the Winmau Diamond Plus Dartboard:
1. I like the sisal fibres! They are forgiving enough to allow good penetration and let the darts stay in but aren’t too firm meaning there are bunce outs.
2. The (wires on the board) look and feel nice and slim, but they are held in place with staples. This, so far, has not caused me to have any greater number of bounce outs. And contrary to some blade 6 comments I saw, the spider stays in place on the diamond plus really well. It certainly isn’t “rising” out of the board like on the 6.
3. Fitting kit is often overlooked and despite being a simple set up, the mounting clips and bracket etc are simple and straightforward to use. See my post on How To Hang A Dartboard At The Correct Height for more details.
4. Dartboard Colouring is vibrant!
