I am toying with the idea of switching darts again, since swapping my 23g Barney Triple B's that I used for 18months to 23g Lewis' about 2 and a half years ago I'm wondering if its time to have a change.

I started with 23g Unicorn Maestro Gold Lewis' and when he signed for Target got the Silica's in the same weight. Then I moved to the Gold stone Target darts, again in 23g and had limited success with those (basically found they were slightly thicker barrel due to compensating the light stone content) so reverted back to the silica's.

This season I have equaled my best with the silica's, 14 dart leg in league but have also been beaten in 25+ on a few occasions too, so while I know I can play well with them there's the doubts due to bad games I have had to even out the good games so after getting a new set a few weeks ago that I do quite like, I can't decide weather to stick with the 23g Lewis darts or have a change.


I have only really changed 4 times in the last 6 or 7 years, started using 22g Purists when they first came out after losing my 25g Bristow Red Rings, then after 12 months or so got some 22g Beatons and used them for a couple of years before swapping to the 23g Triple B's and then to the Lewis'.
I have owned and tried maybe 50 sets in that time but only played constantly with the 4 sets since losing my first set, the Bristows (since found them).

So what would you do?


Stick it out with what you know you can play well with but have had some bad nights or have a change? Like I say, this is not just one or two bad nights I have had with them but maybe a dozen, in that time I have probably had a similar amount of good nights mixed in with many, many OK nights.


Thoughts appreciated

Go lighter!!! 25 gram dart is heavy.

Hahaha, light darts (-20g) fly around the room for me, big, fat, heavy darts are more forgiving or at least thats what I am sticking to.

Give it a try. 1 week. Light darts.

Send me a set of the Priestley's then and I will do a full review too

Light darts = more skillful thrower. lol

Yea that's why the best there is throws 26 g

I recommend some 26gm Sabers or 24-26gm Target Sport extremes my friend. As for light darts- naw!!!!!

spat66 wrote:

Yea that's why the best there is throws 26 g

You're talking about 1 person. And he throws 28 grams.

Where do you get 28g?

spat66 wrote:

Where do you get 28g?

He was given a 26 gram barrel. He throws a 28 gram dart.

Too much man

JD is right after stem and flight 28gms.

Saber wrote:

JD is right after stem and flight 28gms.

For the life of me I'll never understand that. Steel tip darts are sold by weight.

But that's just what you buy. Period.

What you throw is completely different. All depends on what you add to it. The same exact barrel thrown by 2 players

can weigh as much as 1.5 grams different.

I always say what gram barrel I bought (14.2g), but when someone asks I shoot with a 16 gram dart.

You know what I meant

spat66 wrote:

You know what I meant

JD wrote:

Go lighter!!! 25 gram dart is heavy.

Rebbel you have been throwing long enough to know what barrel shape, weight, grip and setup works for you. And although you have some crappy games (not many at that) with your current darts that is going to happen with anything you throw, its just part and parcel of the game. I know you want to go back to your red ring Brizzy but unfortunatley for you unless you can find another set you will never have a spare for the next time you loose them or they get stolen. I whould find a set that are similar to the Brizzy with the right grip for you and purchase a second Identical set and stick with them.

I have just spent nearly two years finding "the one" which is a 25g T90 , and I will be purchasing a second set and sticking with them (thats the plan anyway ). I think the rear loaded barrel flattens the dart for me when landed and the grip is not overpowering but is still there. It took a few weeks to get use to them but they are getting better week by week.

My two cent's

I change mine a few times a week

DIRTY G wrote:

Rebbel you have been throwing long enough to know what barrel shape, weight, grip and setup works for you. And although you have some crappy games (not many at that) with your current darts that is going to happen with anything you throw, its just part and parcel of the game. I know you want to go back to your red ring Brizzy but unfortunatley for you unless you can find another set you will never have a spare for the next time you loose them or they get stolen. I whould find a set that are similar to the Brizzy with the right grip for you and purchase a second Identical set and stick with them.

I have just spent nearly two years finding "the one" which is a 25g T90 , and I will be purchasing a second set and sticking with them (thats the plan anyway ). I think the rear loaded barrel flattens the dart for me when landed and the grip is not overpowering but is still there. It took a few weeks to get use to them but they are getting better week by week.

My two cent's

Great advice sir, its mainly the doubts that start setting in after the bad games, am I holding the darts in the same place, stuff like that, the more I think the worse I get and while I know I can throw the straight barrels well once I throw a bad leg I start thinking all over again which sends the darts all over the place.
Its definitely a mental issue rather than me darts and I know I would probably do the same thing with a new set.

I guess if I stop enjoying playing with them then that is the time to change and so on and so on - I know I will never be a great player but I am happy to be a decent one.

I have the same issue with holding the dart in the right spot and found that a grip pattern that you can feel that your fingers are in the right place helps alot. Unfortunatly my current darts dont have this so I kinda feel the balance point of the dart on my thumb so they SLIGHTLY tilt back is working for me. This will not work for everyone but does for me cuz the way I grip my dart but it does slow down my throw.

Time for change

hahaha

getagrip wrote:

I change mine a few times a week

Well after much deliberation, and a back up set arriving the other day I am very close to changing darts.

I have used 23g Lewis darts since before he signed for Target, I was using the Unicorn gold maestros, then moved onto Target Silicas and had a dabble with the Lewis stones but after I knacked me forearm in July I somehow seemed to forget how I used to throw.

Only out of action a couple of weeks but I have never been able to fully replicate what I was doing right before hand and at any given time I have kept changing things trying to improve my throw.

With the Lewis dart being straight barreled with even grip 3/4 way up them I have been constantly holding the dart different too, and it has been getting more and more frustrating so decided to try and get a dart with a scallop or a ridge so I could instantly grab the dart knowing I had it in the same place every time and eliminate that particular negative from my game.


This resulted in me getting hold of a couple of sets of Bottelsen Mega Thrusts:

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Been practicing with the 26g for a couple of weeks and thing I am ready to change as I have seen a steady improvement over that time, the knurled, raised section sits perfectly allowing me to hold the dart exactly the same every throw, for some reason I am also pushing the dart through rather than pulling it as i was with the Lewis', just feels more natural for me.
I normally throw well with a new set for a few hours so to do it over a couple of weeks is quite promising.


So having swapped the Lewis stones already and deciding to keep the Silica's in case the change doesn't work out I am thinking of putting the Gold and Natural tungsten Unicorn maestro's up for sale/swap in the next week or so if anyone interested pictures and in the link.

Cheers

Wheres the cool points at....lol~! I find that I can control a heavier dart better....these new 27g J.P's I just got, seem really good, and feel good in my hand! I still like my Mega Thrusts as well Greg and still might go back to them! So for me.....if they feel good in your hand...and you improve your game with them.......THAN SWITCH!!! My two cents!!!!

I think thats the key thing, if they feel good in the hand then you are halfway there.

Like is often said in this game, a massive percentage of the game is in your head so if they feel good, you aren't rooting around for a grip hold, little things like that can take negative thoughts out of your game, well thats how I feel anyway.


As for the cool points, they are away at the moment as I am worried about getting used to them, breaking one of them and not being able to replace them
Gonna see how they go with the hammerheads I got from Puredarts and may well swap to the fixed points at some point, keeping the option open for now

great thread u guys - interesting reads.