If you are here, you are probably looking for the best dartboards that you can get for a relatively low and affordable price.
With so many different dartboards out there, there are certainly some very good models around the $50 price point.
But let me point out a few things first. A cheaper dartboard is going to have specific pros and cons. The advantages are obvious—the lower price. But how the dartboard plays, the quality of the bristle fibers, the wiring, and so much more is what makes or breaks a dartboard.
This is why below, I have given you all the information you need to know before making a choice. (Including an alternative, which you can find at the very end of the article.)
Contents
- 1 The Best Dartboards Under $50
- 1.1 Franklin Sports Professional Wire Dartboard
- 1.2 ONE80 Bristle Gladiator 3+ Dartboards
- 1.3 Viper Shot King Dartboard
- 1.4 Viper League Pro Regulation Steel Tip Dartboard
- 1.5 Fat Cat 727 Electronic Dartboard
- 1.6 Viper Dead-On Tournament Steel Tip Dartboard
- 1.7 Unicorn Striker Dartboard
- 1.8 Hey! Play! Bristle Dartboard
- 1.9 Accudart 2-in-1 Starlite Bound Paper Dartboard
- 2 Are Dartboards That Cost $50 Worth It?
- 3 A Better Alternative to the $50 Dartboards
The Best Dartboards Under $50
Here are the best dartboards under $50 at a glance:
Brand and Model | Type | Size | Game Options | More Information |
---|---|---|---|---|
Franklin Sports Professional Dartboard | Bristle | 18″ | N/A | Check Current Price on Amazon |
Viper Shot King Dartboard | Bristle | 18″ | N/A | Check Current Price on Amazon |
Viper League Pro Regulation Bristle Steel Tip Dartboard | Bristle | 18″ | N/A | Check Current Price on Amazon |
ONE80 Bristle Gladiator 3+ Dartboards | Bristle | 18″ | N/A | Check Current Price on Amazon |
Fat Cat 727 Electronic Dartboard | Electronic | 13″ | 18 games with 96 options | Check Current Price on Amazon |
Viper Dead-On Tournament Dartboard | Bristle | 18″ | N/A | Check Current Price on Amazon |
Franklin Sports Professional Wire Dartboard
This dartboard by Franklin Sports is arguably one of the best dartboards in this price category.
It is made from very good, quality sisal fibers, especially considering the very low price.
Truly impressive.
Even the wiring you will find on this dartboard is of very good quality and stapled in a very minimal and low-impact way.
The numbers are printed, which means you will not be able to rotate the dartboard.
This dartboard can also be used outside, as it seems to hold its own pretty well, but it should not be left outside for too long. Thankfully when not in use, it can be removed from the mount and taken back indoors.
Click Here to Check the Current Price on Amazon
ONE80 Bristle Gladiator 3+ Dartboards
The ONE80 Gladiator 3+ dartboards are well known for their high quality.
This dartboard gives even more expensive dartboards a run for their money. Many darts players will find this dartboard to perform a lot better than comparable Unicorn and Winamau dartboards.
Its size is standard—according to the official BDO rules—so no surprises there.
The spider is staple free. (Including the bullseye as well.)
The Gladiator 3+ is made from high-quality sisal fibers, which give the dartboard great density and longevity.
Overall it is a fairly inexpensive dartboard that delivers what it has promised. Maybe not the best dartboard on the market as of today but definitely up there.
Click Here to Check the Current Price on Amazon
Viper Shot King Dartboard
If you have ever watched some of the pros of playing darts on TV, then you already know what Viper is. Viper is one of the well-known manufacturers of high-quality dartboards. And their product line covers a vast spectrum of different boards.
The Shot King is one very cheap but nonetheless quality dartboard. It is a steel tip dartboard made from tightly compressed bristle fibers.
It has thin, rounded wiring, which will lead to fewer bounce-outs. The bullseye is staple free (or at least the inner part of it, which I would consider a drawback). And you will also find the staples holding the wiring in place in the double and triple areas.
The neat thing about this board is not just the price but also the fact that it comes with two sets of steel tip darts (or six darts in total).
The numbers ring is removable, which will allow you to rotate the board as often as you like in order for the different areas to recover a bit. This is not necessarily a self-healing dartboard, but for that price range, it is a good value.
Click Here to Check the Current Price on Amazon
Viper League Pro Regulation Steel Tip Dartboard
Not only is the Viper League Pro dartboard of good quality, but it also comes with everything you need to start playing right away.
Usually, dartboards are sold by themselves. But this is a great bundle that offers some extra darts accessories.
You will get:
- A chalk scoreboard. (can be used for ’01 games and cricket.)
- Chalk and eraser.
- Three steel tip darts.
- And the necessary mounting hardware. (Which is always included.)
With that being said, these darts definitely leave much to be desired, so don’t consider them the only darts you will ever need. However, for a beginner, these darts can be a good reference point for future purchases of steel tip darts.
It is as standard of a bristle dartboard as they come. It is 18″ in diameter and 1.5″ thick.
The wiring is round, which is a little thicker than the more expensive steel tip dartboard, but at this price point, I cannot really expect anything more as it is already a great value deal.
The number’s ring is also removable so you will be able to easily rotate the dartboard.
Click Here to Check the Current Price on Amazon
Fat Cat 727 Electronic Dartboard
This is one of the most inexpensive electronic dartboards that you can get.
Although dartboards do not cost a lot, on average, it is important to keep in mind that electronic dartboards are usually more expensive.
So considering the low price, there are certainly some sacrifices that have been made.
The dartboard is quite small and may be considered more of a kids’ dartboard.
It comes with six soft tip darts and has 18 games and 96 different game options.
Overall not the best electronic soft tip dartboard on the market, but considering the low price that is to be expected. There are no computer modes or online play available. But, please, keep in mind that this is a dartboard that costs about $50, give or take, while the good quality, high-end electronic dartboards cost between $200 and $300, on average.
I would consider this a good gift for a kid or occasional darts players.
As for more serious players, I would recommend other soft tip dartboards. Spending even an extra $20 to $30 can get you a very decent electronic dartboard. You can read more in my article about the “Best soft tip dartboards “.
Click Here to Check the Current Price on Amazon
Viper Dead-On Tournament Steel Tip Dartboard
This is another very cheap dartboard by Viper.
It is a steel-tip dartboard that is made from good quality bristle fibers. The numbers’ ring s removable, so you will be able to rotate the dartboard in order to give the bristle fibers some time to heal.
Okay, about the healing. It is considered a self-healing dartboard, but we cannot really expect it to have the same self-healing capabilities like some other dartboards that cost about twice, if not more, as much.
Still, at this price point, occasional darts players should be happy with the quality.
It is a standard 18″ dartboard which is 1.5″ thick. The wiring is not the best out there, but it is a standard round wiring, and the staples are very minimal.
Click Here to Check the Current Price on Amazon
Unicorn Striker Dartboard
Let me present to you the next dartboard on this list, which is a very inexpensive dartboard by Unicorn.
It is a standard size dartboard, and the quality is very good.
The wiring is round, so it is not the thinnest wiring out there, but at this price point, I cannot expect it to have anything else. The bullseye is staple-free, while the rest of the wiring is stapled to the board using small staples.
Because of that, you can expect a higher amount of bounce-outs compared to some of the higher-quality—and more expensive—dartboards.
Overall, this is a dartboard of a very decent quality for the money. It is a great dartboard that you can use for practice, too.
Click Here to Check the Current Price on Amazon
Hey! Play! Bristle Dartboard
Okay, I admit, we are really pushing it now, but if you are looking for a cheap dartboard, this is definitely one of the best dartboards for $25 (give or take).
This is a standard bristle dartboard. Its diameter is 18″, and it is also 1.6″ deep.
The round wiring is held together by very small staples that are placed in the double and the treble areas and the bullseye. However, the inner bullseye is staple free.
This will result in a higher chance of bounce-outs compared to more expensive dartboards.
Overall for this low price point, my expectations are also very low. Regardless it is a good value dartboard that is perfect for the occasional practice game or just spending some fun time with your buddies or kids.
As a matter of fact, it is a good kids’ dartboard if you want to introduce the little ones to a steel-tip dartboard, that is.
Click Here to Check the Current Price on Amazon
Accudart 2-in-1 Starlite Bound Paper Dartboard
And lastly, I wanted to take a look at one bound paper dartboard. The good news here is that this is a very inexpensive dartboard.
Bound paper dartboards do not have any self-healing capabilities whatsoever. So after a darts lands in the dartboard, that hole will be there to stay.
This means that these dartboards wear out incredibly fast.
But they can be good introductory dartboards for complete beginners or used by occasional players. For example, my first dartboard ever was one very similar to this one.
If you are looking for a dartboard for your kid, make sure to check out my article on “Best Kids Dartboards“.
This dartboard also comes with two sets of darts (six darts in total). They are ten-grams darts, so they are very lightweight. It has two playable sides. On the front, you will find the standard 1 to 20 dartboard setup and on the back a baseball darts dartboard.
The wiring is round and stapled to the dartboard, and there are no removable ring numbers. Overall a very basic, bare-bones, dartboard that is of good quality considering the very low price.
Click Here to Check the Current Price on Amazon
Are Dartboards That Cost $50 Worth It?
When it comes to dartboards, as it is with anything in life, you get what you pay for. You and I both know that. This is why we should be ready to make certain sacrifices if we want to use a cheaper dartboard.
Cheaper dartboards usually come with several downsides:
- The wiring is not always very thin. Frequently these dartboards come with round wiring, which is significantly thicker compared to the better wiring that is found on more expensive dartboards. A round wiring is not necessarily going to ruin a game of darts, as darts players have played on such dartboards for years. The worst thing that can happen is that these wires can warp easily and lead to a slightly higher chance of bounce-outs.
- A cheaper dartboard will rarely have staple-free wiring. Most often than not, the wiring will be stapled in some way. This is also another aspect of the dartboard that can lead to increased incidence of bounce-outs, especially since the staples are oftentimes placed in the high-value areas like the doubles, trebles, and the bull.
- Certain dartboards may not have a rotatable numbers ring.
- The quality of the sisal fibers may be low or average at best. The main aspect of a dartboard is the quality of its bristle fibers. The more expensive a dartboard is, the higher the fibers’ quality, which also leads to improved durability, life, and self-healing capabilities. In other words, a cheaper dartboard may not wear out faster compared to a higher quality dartboard.
- When it comes to electronic soft tip dartboards, things can get even more tricky. I cannot in good faith compare them to the higher-quality and most frequently bought soft tip dartboards as they just cost several times more. Some of these go for $200 to $400.
With that being said, it does not mean that a cheaper dartboard is not worth it. Darts, on average, is one of the most inexpensive hobbies and sports that anyone can get into.
Even the top-quality dartboards are very affordable. You can read more about them in my article about “The Best Dartboards “.
However, a cheaper dartboard has one potential downside that many people may not realize at first. A cheaper dartboard could be less fun to play on.
As you have seen above, there are certainly some downsides that could affect your experience in a negative way. Even the thuds from the darts hitting the dartboard is different.
Cheaper dartboards like the ones I have talked about in this article are a great start or alternatively a great, and inexpensive, way to have some fun with your buddies even if you do not aspire to become a professional darts player.
But before you go, I want to present you with one alternative.
A Better Alternative to the $50 Dartboards
With all that being said, I know that if you are here, you are most likely looking for a dartboard that is no more than $50.
And I have gone through the best $50 dartboards, but as you can see, the lower the price, the more sacrifices the manufacturer had to make during the production.
This is why I feel like it is worth noting that for a few extra dollars, you can actually get a very decent dartboard like the Winmau Diamond Plus Tournament Bristle Dartboard.
This dartboard is very cheap, but the quality is there. When you hold the dartboard, you can feel that it is built to last. It is heavy and sturdy.
It is a 17.75″ dartboard made from high-quality, self-healing bristle fibers. The round wiring is very thin, and the staples are very low profile.
This dartboard is easily the best bang for the buck. You can find more information about it—including the current price— on Amazon by clicking here.