8 Best Steel Tip Darts – Take Your Game to the Next Level

We've listed the best steel tip darts, analyzed their pros and cons, and answered the most frequently asked questions.
By
Daniel
Daniel
Writer
Daniel is among our most talented writers: based on the dull expert reports he's able to make up a comprehensive, reader-friendly article which anyone can benefit from. Also read more
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Reviewed By
Tom
Tom
Tom
Expert Consultant
Initially being an engineering specialist, Tom has never stopped learning and acquiring other knowledge and skills. Now he’s involved in technical support for a well-known read more
Last updated: September 05, 2023
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Perhaps each of us would like to do sports. But expensive equipment, fatigue and long training time make us constatnly postpone this idea. However, darts is a great option if you are not ready for too much. And with the best steel tip darts, you have no choice but to play successfully.

We went through 21 models and discovered 8 outstanding products with the Viper Blitz 95% Tungsten Steel Tip Darts being our Editor’s Choice. First, we considered the weight of each model as heavier darts provide the most feedback to your throws. On the other hand, lighter darts are much easier to throw with a greater force and velocity. We also checked the construction of each model to make sure you get a durable and efficient product. Finally, we looked at the barrel and shaft, which determine how well the darts fly.

Quick Summary

Top 8 Steel Tip Darts Review 2024

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Best All-Around Steel Tip Darts

Viper Blitz 95% Tungsten Steel Tip Darts

Features
  • Weight: 22/24/26/28 grams
  • Barrel material: 95% tungsten, 5% nickel
  • Barrel diameter: 1/4’’
  • Barrel texture: knurled bands, deep grooves and rings
  • Shaft: aluminum, rotating
  • More features: shaft locking holes

No matter if you are a beginner or an advanced dart player, these darts will work well for you. In fact, they just might be the best overall steel tip darts on the market today. First off, the 95% tungsten barrel makes them extremely durable. This makes them a great choice for beginners, since you are probably going to miss your mark, and nothing is more discouraging to a new player than breaking a ton of darts.

The barrel can be purchased in one of four different grip styles. You can either go with a ringed, large knurl, shark-finned, or five banded knurl. This, when coupled with the fact that there are multiple weights to choose from, make it simple and easy to find the right configuration for your throwing technique.

The flights are a bit oversized in comparison to other models, which makes the flight of these darts nice and steady. They also feature a spinning shaft design that rotates the flight once the dart has struck the board. This helps to reduce the number of bounce outs and will also provide a more consistent throw. No matter if you are just getting into darts or you have been playing for years, these are an excellent, albeit expensive, choice.

    Why are we impressed?
  • 95% tungsten alloy barrel
  • Aluminum shaft
  • Secure and durable case
  • Easy to assemble and disassemble
  • Multiple weights available
    What negatives must you be aware of?
  • On the pricey side compared to competition
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Best Steel Tip Darts for Beginners

Ignat Games Steel Tip Darts

Features
  • Weight: 22 grams
  • Barrel material: brass
  • Barrel diameter: 35’’
  • Barrel texture: grooved and knurled
  • Shaft: aluminum
  • More features: great for a couple

These are one of the best darts out there for beginners, mostly because they have nice thick barrels. These barrels, while they are made of brass, are thick enough that they should last you while you get the hang of how exactly to throw them. They are a bit light, but since there are so many darts in this set (12), you will have plenty of opportunities to practice with them until you become a master.

This is also one of the most complete dart sets out there. It comes with a pretty nice case that will hold all of the darts with ease. This set comes with a sharpener as well, making this a great value for the amateur dart player. The number of darts also makes this a great set for more than one player, since there are plenty of darts to go around.

The only problem with these darts is that they are a bit difficult to assemble. You need to make sure that you get everything arranged perfectly before you can use these darts. The flights are especially difficult to get into place, though once they are there, they are nice and secure and shouldn’t come loose.

    What stands out?
  • Budget-friendly
  • Lots of darts Included
  • Complete set – comes with a sharpener and a case
    What cons did we manage to find?
  • Brass barrel
  • Difficult to assemble
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Features
  • Weight: 30/28/26 grams
  • Barrel material: 95% tungsten
  • Barrel diameter: 3/10’’
  • Barrel texture: grooved and knurled, with rings
  • Shaft: anodized aluminum

This is another nice set for either beginners or pros. They feature a 95% tungsten barrel, which makes them exceptionally durable. The shaft is equally durable on this set of darts. This is because the shaft is made of anodized aluminum. This will make it much less likely that the shaft will bend or break should you miss your shot. It will also help to protect your darts from being damaged by other players, should they accidentally hit your dart on their throw.

These are also one of the most customizable sets of darts on the market today. They come with a variety of flights and shafts, which will allow you to do a bit of experimentation with different combinations. This will, in turn, help you to figure out your strengths and weaknesses as a player, which, of course, will help you to become a better player.

The grips on the barrel are also really well designed. They are grooved and knurled across the whole barrel. This makes it easy to get a good grip no matter what type of grip you want to try. It won’t make any difference if you use a front or rear grip on these darts. To put it plainly, when you use these darts, slippage will be a thing of the past.

    What makes it stand out?
  • 95% tungsten alloy barrel
  • Aluminum shaft
  • Customizable set
    Which disadvantages must you keep in mind?
  • Front heavy – takes time to get used to
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4
Best Steel Tip Darts for Professionals

Bottelsen Hammer Head Steel Tip 95% Tungsten Devastators

Features
  • Weight: 23/25/27 grams
  • Barrel material: 95% tungsten
  • Barrel diameter: 9/32’’
  • Barrel texture: knurled
  • Shaft: anodized aluminum, 2ba
  • More features: hammer head point

These darts, which are manufactured by Bottelson, are another high-quality dart. They are relatively heavy, making them better suited towards professional players who can handle the distinctive balance of a heavier dart. They are also built to be nice and durable since they have a 95% tungsten barrel and an aluminum shaft. This combination will not only offer players a superior balance but a high level of durability as well.

Though these darts are on the heavier side, they are quite slim. This makes time supremely well balanced. You can get these darts with a coarse knurled grip. This provides plenty of grips, making it easy to have a consistent throwing pattern.

One of the nicest features for these darts has to be the moveable points. Whenever these darts make contact with the board, the point pushes in ever so slightly. This helps to reduce the number of bounce backs that you will experience, and also helps a ton should you hit the wire that is at the edge of the dart board. While this helps to make them a bit more accessible for a new player, they are still much better suited towards experienced or professional dart players.

    What are our favorite features?
  • Moveable point
  • 95 % tungsten alloy barrel
  • Aluminum shaft
    What could be better?
  • Pricier than competitors
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Features
  • Weight: 18/22 grams
  • Barrel material: brass
  • Barrel diameter: 11/32’’
  • Barrel texture: grooved, with rings
  • Shaft: aluminum
  • More features: 8 different dart setups

If you are looking to save a bit of money, but still get a pretty good set of steel tip darts, then this is the set for you. They can be easily customized. In this set, there are eight different dart setups. This will make it nice and easy for you to try out lots of different setups to see which one will work best for you.

It is also good that there are so many different barrels that come with this set, since none of them are made out of tungsten. The barrels for these darts is a combination of brass and aluminum, which is nice and light. They are, unfortunately, a bit flimsy. If you are too careless with these darts, they will bend and break quickly.

These budget-friendly darts are also a bit on the lighter side, as they only weigh about 22 grams. This might make it a bit more difficult to use them at first. However, after a bit of practice, you should be able to get the hang of them, especially since you can arrange them in lots of different ways until you find the one that works for you.

    Why is it special?
  • Budget-friendly
  • Multiple set up options
  • Easy to customize
    What are the flaws?
  • Lightweight for steel tip darts
  • Brass barrel
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6
Most Durable Barrel

Harrows Wolfram Dart Set

Features
  • Weight: 21 grams
  • Barrel material: 97% tungsten
  • Barrel diameter: 1/5’’
  • Barrel texture: grooved Shaft: plastic
  • More features: tapered barrel with concentric grooves

These darts are manufactured by Harrows, who have decided upon the name Wolfram. The reason they chose this name is quite simple. It is the technical name for tungsten, and these darts contain a lot of it. The barrels are 97% tungsten, which makes them some of the strongest dart barrels on the market today. They would be a good choice for a beginner who is worried about damaging their darts or a pro who will get a lot of use out of them.

Unfortunately, the rest of the dart is not quite up to the durability level of the barrel. The shaft, for instance, is only made out of a plastic polymer. While this is by no means a weak shaft, it is not as durable as it could be. If the shaft had been made out of aluminum, these would have been some of the most durable darts on the planet. This might have made them quite heavy, however.

The barrel has a nice grooved grip. It must be noted, however, that the grooving seems to taper a bit towards the front of the barrel. This might make it a bit difficult for someone who grips near the front to throw accurately without the dart fishtailing on them. On the other hand, if you are a player that uses a rear grip, you shouldn’t have any trouble at all getting accurate throws with these darts.

    Why are we impressed?
  • 97% tungsten alloy barrel
  • Grooved textured barrel for easy grip
    What negatives must you be aware of?
  • Plastic shaft
  • Lightweight
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Best Middle of the Road Pick

KO Steel Tip Darts, 24 Gram 90% Tungsten Darts

Features
  • Weight: 23/25/27 grams
  • Barrel material: 95% tungsten
  • Barrel diameter: 9/32’’
  • Barrel texture: knurled
  • Shaft: anodized aluminum, 2ba
  • More features: hammer head point

These darts, which are manufactured by Bottelson, are another high-quality dart. They are relatively heavy, making them better suited towards professional players who can handle the distinctive balance of a heavier dart. They are also built to be nice and durable since they have a 95% tungsten barrel and an aluminum shaft. This combination will not only offer players a superior balance but a high level of durability as well.

Though these darts are on the heavier side, they are quite slim. This makes time supremely well balanced. You can get these darts with a coarse knurled grip. This provides plenty of grips, making it easy to have a consistent throwing pattern.

One of the nicest features for these darts has to be the moveable points. Whenever these darts make contact with the board, the point pushes in ever so slightly. This helps to reduce the number of bounce backs that you will experience, and also helps a ton should you hit the wire that is at the edge of the dart board. While this helps to make them a bit more accessible for a new player, they are still much better suited towards experienced or professional dart players.

    Why did it make our list?
  • Moveable point
  • 95 % tungsten alloy barrel
  • Aluminum shaft
    What is not ideal about it?
  • Pricier than competitors
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Features
  • Weight: 21/22/23/24/25 grams
  • Barrel material: 90% tungsten
  • Barrel diameter: 29’’ (max.)
  • Barrel texture: axial and radial cuts
  • Shaft: nylon
  • More features: lifetime barrel guarantee

If you are looking for another set of really nice darts that come with a lifetime barrel guarantee, then these just might be the right darts for you. They have a 90% tungsten alloy barrel, which means that they are nice and durable. However, should something unfortunate happen to them, you can rest assured that you will be able to replace the barrel at no additional cost to you.

These darts have a very unique grip. The barrel has both horizontal and vertical cuts. What this means, is that no matter how you choose to grip the barrel, you will be able to get a good grip. This will make it much easier to make accurate throws every time you go to throw.

While these darts would probably be a pretty good choice for a beginner or casual player, they might take a bit of getting used to. They are a bit light when it comes to steel tip darts. This might make them a bit harder to throw with accuracy until you get the hang of it. The shafts are also only made out of nylon, which could be problematic if you aren’t too careful with them.

    What are its best features?
  • 90% tungsten alloy barrel
  • Lifetime barrel warranty
  • Well-balanced
  • Unique textured grip
    What could be improved?
  • Nylon shaft
  • Standard tip

Things to Consider

If you just cut your teeth on playing darts or want to improve your game, probably the first thing you need to do is to choose the best darts for your grip and style of playing. To know more about what to take into account, go through our buying guide with all the basics you need to know.

Why choose steel tip darts over soft tip darts?

There are several distinct advantages to using steel tip darts rather than soft tip darts. First of all, they are the original design from when darts was first invented. If you want to play the game as traditionally as possible, then you have to make sure you are using steel tip darts.

Steel tip darts

Secondly, they allow for much more accurate throws. Since they are made out of steel, these darts have a better balance and weight to them than soft tip darts do. This extra bulk helps to make sure that your throws will go where you want them, rather than floating off course because they are too light.

Finally, the game of darts is very hard on the darts. Why? Well, the only way to play is to repeatedly throw the darts at a board over and over and over again. Soft tip darts tend breaking down quickly. This is not the case for steel tip darts since they are made out of steel.

Key Features

Since darts is a game that has a lot of specialized skills, it is not a huge surprise that there are several key features that you need to take into consideration. In this section, we will go over everything that you need to know to make sure that you can get your hands on the best steel tip darts out there.

Materials

Each of the different dart components are usually made out of different materials. By switching up the different variations of materials, it is possible to create a fully customized dart that best fits your throwing style and technique.

Point – Points can come in either steel or soft plastic. As you have already read, steel is the preferred material for points because of its weight and durability.

Barrel – The barrel of the dart can make from a variety of materials, such as brass, silver, nickel, and tungsten. The strongest material is tungsten. It is also the most expensive.

Shaft – Much like the barrel, the shaft of a dart can be made from several different materials. The most popular materials are nylon, plastic, and aluminum, with aluminum being the strongest.

Flight – Dart flights can come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and materials. These materials include plastic, nylon, and textured nylon.

Weight

The weight of a steel tip dart is up to the player. Depending on the materials that you select, they can be as light as 25 grams or as heavy as 50 grams. Depending on your own throwing style and technique, lighter or heavier darts might be advantageous.

Heavier darts provide the most feedback to your throws, as you can really feel where you are trying to get the dart to go. On the other hand, lighter darts are much easier to throw with a greater force and velocity, which is ideal for getting them into tight formations. Again, the weight of the darts that you choose is highly dependent on your personal throwing preference.

Length

The length of the dart will go a long way in determining the type of balance you’ll experience in your throwing. Darts that have a shorter length will have a better balance but might wobble a bit in flight. Longer darts will have a straighter flight path, but might not feel quite as nice in your hand.

HTB1Rfgyd29TBuNjy0Fcq6zeiFXaSWe recommend that you try and select a dart that fits well and feels comfortable in your grip. The length of the dart you select should be a bit longer than your hand, but not overly long. That way, you’ll be sure to have the right amount of balance.

Type of point

Now, we are still talking about steel tip darts. You can, however, get different types of steel tips, with each type having different advantages and disadvantages. You can select darts that have either a fixed point or a moveable point. Fixed point darts are the traditional design. This makes them the much more budget-friendly option between the two-point configurations.

Moveable point darts are made in such a way that makes it possible for the points to retract slightly when they come into contact with the board. This makes it much less likely that the dart will bounce back out of the board since this retraction allows the barrel’s momentum to continue on for a bit more time. This type of point is a bit more expensive, but well worth it if you are really hoping to step up your game.

Barrel

$_57The barrel of any dart is the longest part of the dart. It is also the part of the dart that will be held during the throwing process, which is why it is also sometimes referred to as the grip. Barrels can be made with a variety of materials, with tungsten alloys being the strongest and most popular among serious players.

You also have the option to get a grip that is smooth or textured, as well as skinny or thick. This is completely up to personal preference. The best idea is to try out different barrel configurations so that you can find the one that works best for your throwing technique and preferences.

Shaft

The shaft or stem of the dart is the skinny area that connects the barrel to the flight. The shaft’s length, thickness, and material can have a large effect on the balance of the dart. If you have a tungsten barrel, then you will want to have an aluminum shaft, as this creates the most durable and well-balanced dart.

[wpsm_box type=”blue” float=”none” text_align=”left”]The length and thickness of the shaft are, once again, up to personal preference. Longer thicker shafts will provide you with more powerful throws, while shorter skinnier shafts will allow for more finesse.[/wpsm_box]

Flights

The term flight refers to the fins or wings on the back end of a dart. They help to stabilize the dart during flight and can be made out of many different materials, such as plastic, nylon, and textured nylon. Each of these materials, as well as the size and shape of the flight, will make the dart perform differently.

The type of flight you select is up to your own personal preference. When choosing configurations, you can select from traditional shapes such as Kite or Pear. You could also choose to go for something newer, such as a slim flight.

Care

If you want to make sure that your darts will last a good long time than you need to make sure that you take good care of them. The best way to do this is to clean them regularly. The sweat from your hands can and will, over time, cause your steel tip darts to corrode. To clean this off, all you need is any mild cleaning solution for oils, such as moist towelettes.

Something else that you will want to pay close attention to is how sharp your points are. If you don’t sharpen your points regularly, you will begin to notice more bounce backs in your game, which is not good at all. Make to invest in a quality dart sharpener to keep your tips nice and pointy.

FAQ

What is tungsten?

Tungsten is an especially strong metal that can be used to make lots of different things, such as high-speed cutting tools and rocket engine nozzles. It is also the metal of choice for the barrel of steel tip darts. If you have ever watched a professional dart game, the odds are that the players were using darts with tungsten barrels. Though you might not think of it, darts take a lot of punishment through their lifespan, which is why tungsten is used so often. It is extremely durable.

How often do I need to sharpen steel tip darts?

No matter if you spent a lot of money on steel tip darts by buying a set with a tungsten barrel, or if you went for a cheaper brass barrel, you need to keep your points the right shape. If you don’t, you won’t be able to get your darts to stick into the cork or bristle board that you are playing with, which isn’t all that much fun. To ensure that your darts stay sharp, they should be sharpened as often as you feel they need it. The best way to check to see if your points need to be sharpened is to run your finger along the point. If you feel any burrs on the tip, then the darts should be sharpened. Just remember, you don’t want the darts to be super sharp. You are trying instead to go for a more rounded point, much like a ballpoint pen.

Can I switch steel tips to soft tips?

To put it simply, the answer is yes. However, this will all depend on the type of steel tip dart that you bought. If you purchased an especially heavy dart, such as a 50g model, then you wouldn’t want to switch over to plastic tips, as this is just too heavy. If the darts that you want to switch over is a bit lighter, in the 20g range, then you would be ok to switch to soft tips. You would also only be able to switch over to soft tips from steel tips if you purchased darts with removable points. If not, then it would be impossible to remove the old, steel tips and put on new soft ones.

Our verdict

As you have just read, there are a ton of different steel tip darts out there. Of all the different models that we looked at, these three are our favorites.

The best all-around steel tip darts are most definitely the Viper Blitz 95% Tungsten Steel Tip Darts. They have a nice strong barrel, quality shaft, and come in lots of different configurations. These darts could easily be used by both pros and newbies with ease.

If you are just getting started in the world of darts, then you should most definitely check out the Ignat Games Steel Tip Darts. This set of darts comes with lots of darts, is comfortable in the hand, and has everything you need to get started playing darts.

Now, the bad thing about finding the best steel tip darts is that lots of them are really expensive. That is, of course, unless you were to get the CC-Exquisite Professional Darts Set. This easily customizable set will allow you to practice your dart skills, without burning a hole in your wallet.

9,8
Total Score
Viper Blitz 95% Tungsten Steel Tip Darts - Best All-Around Steel Tip Darts
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