The Random Darts Discussion Thread

A little over a year. I'm sure the next max will take a while but happy to get the monkey off my back.

It is just because it is the Easter weekend

No maximums recently but I did have a champagne breakfast with champagne gold Condor Axes which was oddly satisfying.

Btw if anyone is thinking about integrated flights, Target just released -- and I mean literally hours ago -- their K-Flex system in No 2 Standard. The first version was only available in No 6 Shape and sold out quickly. These will most likely sell out fast.

I have a set of No 6 K-Flex and the material feels similar to Condor Axe but not quite as rigid. However, it's slightly shorter and significantly lighter. From L to R: Target K-Flex (1.1g), Condor Zero Stress (1.2g), Condor Axe Metallic (1.6g), all short lengths:

For me, Condor Axe shifts the balance significantly toward the rear of the dart and gives a much flatter entry angle. K-Flex and Zero Stress are somewhere in between, and I suspect the K-Flex No2 might play nearly identical to Zero Stress. Pictured below, the three integrated systems are on G1 Aspinall 24g which is a front-loaded dart that kicks hard and stands up in the board. I put a fourth dart in at the top for comparison to my favorite setup: L-Style EZ No2/standard on an extra short nylon shaft (1.2g).

The main reason I'm throwing the L-Styles is for the XS shafts which are several mm shorter than K-Flex. This is all horses for courses, but the point I'm making is that a few millimeters and tenths of a gram difference on the back of the dart can significantly change everything, so an integrated flight system gives you no customization ability. You need to be fairly certain the length and weight will work for you.

The theoretical advantage of an integrated system is that the shaft can flex and briefly bend out of the way during impact, and the best demonstration I've seen of this yet was from A-Z Darts (at 7:30):

Yes they cost a lot but are extremely durable as long as you don't have a ridiculous lip on the front of your dart. You also get the added convenience of the flight fins being perfectly spaced 90 degrees and never popping off the dart. Like I said before, I will never use a regular dart flight again, but for now I'm using molded flights on traditional shafts and waiting for someone to make an extra short integrated.

I dunno where you all buy darts, but in USA#195 I like Double Top b/c their prices are good and they have cheap tracked shipping. They want £8.50 inc. VAT for these K-Flex. Black and white already sold through and the intermediate length is gone in blue and clear. It's wild to me that this is the dart product no one can keep in stock and Target can't produce fast enough.

https://www.doubletopdartshop.com/collec...

I use either Darts Corner or Red Dragon dependent on what I'm buying - normally the former if I'm topping up on consumables, the latter if I'm wanting new sets to trial. Dunno what the shipping across the pond would be but got to feel (unless you're buying a board obviously) it would be competitive against US located shops given mark ups

DartsCorner used to be the best UK shop for US&A buyers but they had some price hikes, changed to inferior shipping method, and lost Target and Winmau when they launched the Mission house brand. It just depends though because Double Top and Bully don't carry all of the brands either. Here we have a place called A-Z Darts which is known for extraordinary high prices. Things are getting better but darts were a huge ripoff for a long time in the States. I suspect that's partly to blame for why it's not more popular here, which is ridiculous because it should be one of the most accessible sports since you can get basically the exact setup they're using on TV tournaments in your bedroom for under $200.

Owen Bryceland just won a PDC Foundational tour event, including one match with an average of 104.86

He is 10 years old.

Is there like legit academy darts coaching in the UK or are most of these kids just self-made savants? Obviously I know about St Helens but is that unusual or just one of many?

Forgot about the morning session today but looks like there are a few I want to see in the afternoon like Ricardo Wade. Two Snakebite meltdowns in a row where he hits everything to go way ahead then turns into a pumpkin. @Sixfour can you explain the logistics problem of getting from Birmingham to Riesa?

Riesa is a **** hole in the middle of nowhere (twinned with Rotherham) in the old East Germany and Birmingham has no direct flights to anywhere closer than Berlin. I've been there, it's not pleasant

Sounds awful. Like the kind of place you wouldn't consider holding a Euro given how many better cities there are. Edit: They're talking about it right now!

It's large and cheap is why I think they have it there.

I guess that makes sense but sucks for the top non-German pros. Can't imagine what MSG costs to rent for two days for US Masters. Strangely I can't get to your blog typing the address and must go through search engine link which works fine. Probably need to clear cookies or something on my end.

Bunting looked rough in the early session but somehow Humphries was even worse. Equally unimpressive now but Edhouse letting him get away with it. Gezzy will roll him at this rate.

I'm having issues accessing it on my phone, but my desktop works fine. Going to contact my hosts as it seems like a weird DNS issue

Edit - weirdly clicking through from a google link also works fine

Yeah google is only way I can get to it. Big darts from Schindler there that was great.

Madhouse has been on fire lately.

Crown his ass I guess but this ain't The Masters. @sixfour why are they givin' out green jackets? What the hell is that thing? The Nuke himself seemed to have no idea what it was. Looks like the WW2 "memorabilia" Curt Schilling was posting on Facebook. Also my man is certainly no 42R better get him that alligator cut next time.

Premier league champ 2024 and hit a 9 darter too. Ridiculous!

Expecting to see many Luke v Luke finals in the future.

the kid really is something else, well deserved win

0.4% of people in the UK are called luke. what are the odds that the two best dartists just happen to be called luke by random chance? 0.0001%. maybe adjust to 0.0002% to account for the fact that lukes are perhaps slighly over-represented within the population of kebab aficionados

clearly its a deep state conspiracy. i am investigating

Also Luke Woodhouse sitting at 34 in the order of merit. Did anyone watch 1st round of Dutch Darts? The matchups were so dry that I turned it one for a second and couldn't get into it. Bunting on first tomorrow at 7AM here **** that. Evening session seems a bit more watchable all around.

Finally Rock wins a Euro Tour, and in a hilarious turn of events MvG has been so **** on the Pro Tour that he's now outside the seeding places for the same series going forwards, so we could get the comedy that is van Gerwen v Littler in round one of one of these things

edit - scratch that as Littler is now in the Pro Tour top sixteen, replace him with other strong player of choice who's not done it on the floor of late

Wade draws soooo ****ing bad in these things.