Darts and their weight.
This can be the toughest thing to decide on. Should you go with lighter darts or heavier darts? I’ve had my fair share of being in this blissful state of confusion and doubt.
To me, personally 18-gram darts always felt pretty good. Less than that always felt too light. And soft tip darts are usually 16, 18, and 20 grams.
These are the best 18g soft tip darts you can get for your money:
BRAND AND MODEL | BARREL | SHAFT | MORE INFORMATION |
---|---|---|---|
Arachnid Tungsten Soft Tip Darts | 90% Tungsten | Aluminum | Check Current Price on Amazon |
Viper Sure Grip Soft Tip Darts | Nickel and silver | Aluminum | Check Current Price on Amazon |
WIN.MAX Plastic Soft Tip Darts Set | Nickel and silver | Aluminum | Check Current Price on Amazon |
Viper Bobcat Adjustable Weight Soft Tip Darts | Brass | Aluminum | Check Current Price on Amazon |
Viper Black Ice Soft Tip Darts | Brass | Aluminum | Check Current Price on Amazon |
Contents
- 1 Best 18-gram soft tip darts
- 1.1 CyeeLife 18g Soft tip Darts
- 1.2 Viper Sure Grip Soft Tip Darts
- 1.3 Archnid Tungsten 18 Gram Soft Tip Darts
- 1.4 Viper Bobcat Adjustable Weight Soft Tip Darts
- 1.5 Viper Black Ice Soft Tip Darts
- 1.6 Viper Black Magic Soft Tip Darts 18 Grams
- 1.7 Sanfeng Soft Tip Darts Set
- 1.8 WIN.MAX Soft Tip 18 Gram Darts Set
- 1.9 Viper Bully 80% Tungsten 18 Grams Darts
- 1.10 Viper Astro 80% Tungsten Soft Tip Darts
- 2 What are the features of a good soft tip dart
- 3 Are 18 Gram soft tip darts good?
- 4 What kind of 18 gram soft tip darts do you need?
Best 18-gram soft tip darts
CyeeLife 18g Soft tip Darts
Great darts that have a very good feel to them and throw well.
This 18-gram soft tip darts set comes with a lot of flights and a huge amount of replacement tips.
Overall the darts tend to stick in the dartboard very well, and the tips seem strong enough to last a long time.
Even if you have kids that like to play a lot and tend to break the tips, this set will last them for a long time as there are a lot of replacement tips.
Main Features:
- Great value.
- Great quality.
- Good tips.
- Come in different sizes for testing.
- A lot of replacement tips.
- Good customer service.
Click Here to Check the Current Price on Amazon
Viper Sure Grip Soft Tip Darts
As the name suggest, these soft tip darts aim to provide you with the best grip possible. The rubber grip that these darts come with has been designed with deep grooves that are making it very easy to get a comfortable and secure hold of the dart.
The barrels are nickel and silver-plated, making them very low profile. And lightweight aluminum is used for the shafts.
The darts fly and play very well.
These soft tip darts are perfect for beginners and casual players.
Main Features:
- Superb grip.
- Well balanced.
- Durable soft tips.
- Fly well.
- Great value.
Click Here to Check the Current Price on Amazon
Archnid Tungsten 18 Gram Soft Tip Darts
The best darts are made with tungsten. Tungsten allows heavier darts to have a much slimmer and thinner profile. This is making them easy to hold and throw and improves the aiming and throwing consistency.
However, the thinner barrel may take some time for people getting used to.
The tips are durable and will not break easily if taken proper care.
The weight of these darts feels perfectly balanced and just feels right, and the shaft has a very good grip and feel to it.
These darts are bringing a lot to the table at a very fair price. They are perfectly suitable for anyone that wants a darts set that is better than the ones that we frequently find in bars. At the same time, they will not break your bank.
Main Features:
- A high percentage of tungsten.
- Very slim profile.
- High-quality built.
- Extra flights, shafts, and tips.
Click Here to Check the Current Price on Amazon
Viper Bobcat Adjustable Weight Soft Tip Darts
These darts from Viper bring a few things to the table that you will not see with the other darts in this list.
The biggest thing here is that their weight is adjustable.
As you will find out, you can choose from differently colored barrels and different adjustable weight ranges.
This gives a ton of versatility and options to experiment with. They are suitable for beginners.
Main Features:
- Come with adjustable weights.
- Comfortable grips.
Click Here to Check the Current Price on Amazon
Viper Black Ice Soft Tip Darts
This set of darts comes with brass barrels that are well balanced and very slim.
The knurling of the darts provides for a consistently good grip and solid feel.
As expected, there are designed with shaft locking holes, which makes for a solid fit.
Since we are looking at slightly heavier darts, there will have a lower chance of bounce outs.
Although the tips are reinforced for extra durability, take proper care of them. Try not to hit the wall or any other hard surfaces as this can easily break or bend them.
Although I cannot really expect them to perform as good as some of the more expensive darts. These darts offer great value for a cheap price.
Main Features:
- Nicely made with quality materials.
- Nicely balanced.
- Good flights.
- Sturdy tips.
Click Here to Check the Current Price on Amazon
Viper Black Magic Soft Tip Darts 18 Grams
This darts set from Viper is a great value.
The black brass barrels and overall looks and feel of the darts make them look stylish, and they just feel premium. Despite that, they are very cheap!
The deep grooves and texture of the knurling allows for a very solid grip and throws.
The darts weigh 18 grams and play very well. Viper designed the darts in such a way as to provide for great aerodynamics.
Overall a darts set that is suitable for any player.
Main Features:
- Quality build.
- Reinforced tips.
- Well balanced.
- Great value for the money.
Click Here to Check the Current Price on Amazon
Sanfeng Soft Tip Darts Set
This is a very good darts set that will be suitable for almost everyone who is into darts.
Nothing too extreme here.
The flights are standard and allow for a nice flight.
The knurling grip is very good and feels decent. The barrel is made of brass, and the weight of the darts is well balanced. The included aluminum shafts feel very solid, as well.
They come with an O-ring, which helps the dart stay tight during play.
Main Features:
- Great budget version.
- Decent flights.
- Easy to throw and play very well.
- Included O-rings.
Click Here to Check the Current Price on Amazon
WIN.MAX Soft Tip 18 Gram Darts Set
These 18 gram soft tip darts are a great budget slash quality option for anyone that doesn’t want to spend too much money.
The weight and feel of the darts are perfect, and they will stick to the board without too much effort.
They have a good feel and grip – well balanced and play very well, too.
This darts set has got everything that you may need covered. Don’t let the cheaper price fool you as the quality is surprisingly good. They are perfect for casual players and beginners.
This darts set comes with a HUGE amount of replacement tips, and we all know how easy it is to have plastic tips break or bent.
Main Features:
- Great deal for the price.
- Loads of extra tips.
- Great feel and play.
- Come with O-rings to prevent loosening after throwing.
Click Here to Check the Current Price on Amazon
Viper Bully 80% Tungsten 18 Grams Darts
Another great starter darts kit from Viper.
These 18 gram darts are made with 80% tungsten and 20% nickel. A higher tungsten content is a desired thing because it offers a slimmer profile.
You can choose from different knurling designed, which all seem to be well made and will give you a good and consistent grip. This will allow for a good feel and improved throwing accuracy.
This darts set comes with some extra accessories and a case to hold the darts.
Main Features:
- Good grips.
- Quality barrel with high tungsten percentage.
- Aerodynamic flights.
- Tough tips.
- Extra accessories and a case.
Click Here to Check the Current Price on Amazon
Viper Astro 80% Tungsten Soft Tip Darts
You can find the Viper Astro darts in different weights.
Right off the bat, I am sure you know that we are talking real quality here. Of course, this is making these darts more expensive, and I wouldn’t recommend them for beginners.
The shafts are made of aluminum and provide great and aggressive grip that will make throws easy.
The barrel is made of 80% tungsten (and 20% nickel). This allows the dart to have a good weight while being very slim. The rule of thumb states that the higher the tungsten content, the smaller the profile of the barrel is.
The flights are made in such a way as to provide a consistent speed and flight path. A dart with good flights will add some extra accuracy to any throw.
Main Features:
- Great grip design.
- Good tips.
- Made with 80% tungsten.
- Slim and easy to throw.
- It comes with some extra accessories and a case.
Click Here to Check the Current Price on Amazon
What are the features of a good soft tip dart
Here I will go briefly through the basic anatomy of a dart.
Why?
I want you to know what you need to look for and keep in mind. You don’t really need to know everything on a very deep level.
But by going through each of these, you may find out that perhaps you want to have some features and capabilities from your darts that otherwise may go unnoticed until later.
Take a quick look at each of these points and make sure to note down anything that you may find of interest to you.
1. The shaft (or stem)
Shafts also come in different styles and types.
Shaft material:
- Plastic shafts – Very inexpensive, but prone to breaking;
- Aluminum – Durable prone to getting loosened.
- Carbon – Usually very lightweight and durable but more expensive.
Shaft Type:
- Spinning – These are great for throwing darts into tighter groups. They allow the flight to turn when it gets in contact with another dart.
- Composite – Part plastic and part aluminum or other metal alloys; these try to combine and take the best of both worlds.
2. The barrel
Darts have different barrels. And this is the part of the dart that you will be holding the most, so choosing something that you feel comfortable with is important.
Types of barrel shape:
- Straight
- Bomb
- Torpedo
- Scallop
- Tapered
- Stealth
Some may have really heavy knurling while others may be super smooth.
The more knurling there is, the better the grip. This can either improve or mess up your accuracy. So make sure to go with the one that would feel the best to you.
The material of the barrel mattes a lot too. This is probably the most important part that shapes how the dart feels, flies, and plays like.
There are different materials darts can be made from:
- Brass – Very light and inexpensive metal.
- Nickle-Silver – Light but not very durable;
- Tungsten – A very dense, durable, and heavy metal but more expensive.
3. The flights
The different darts can often come with different types and sizes of flights. Whether or not that matters is a hard question to answer.
However, certain people may prefer specific flight designs over others.
For example, dimpled flights can lead to more stable and slower dart. Darts is a game of experimentation, so make sure to keep an open mind and experiment.
Usually, the most used types of flights are the slim and the standard ones.
4. The point (or tip)
Since we are speaking about soft tip darts, the tips will be, well, plastic.
Some products may come with just the darts, but others may offer replacement tips and points. This will definitely save you some worry in those times where a tip breaks or bends.
And if you will be buying replacement soft tips, make sure to double-check your darts thread size.
5. Darts weight
If you are here, then you are interested in getting the best 18-gram soft tip darts. And that’s very good.
However, certain darts may offer you the ability to adjust your weight on the go.
This can be very useful for people that want to experiment, like to have some versatility and extra options or share their darts with other people.
Read Next: Best soft tip dartboards
Are 18 Gram soft tip darts good?
The perfect weight for a dart is going to be highly individual and up to your personal preference and feel. Some people will feel a lot more comfortable with lighter darts, while others will like how the heavier darts feel in their hands.
Usually, the weight of the dart frequently goes hand in hand with your own body type and physical size. The larger and stronger you are, the better a heavier dart will feel to you, not always, mind you, but more often than not.
If we take the pros as an example and guidance, they usually use darts in the weight range of 16 to 20 grams.
As you can see this places 18-gram darts right in the middle, and it is not a coincidence that 18 gram darts are some of the most popularly and widely used darts.
For a beginner dart player, 18 gram darts may be a bit too heavy. But a great many do like the heavy feel of them. On the other hand, you don’t really want to play with a heavy set of darts for multiple hours and have your arms hurting afterward.
What kind of 18 gram soft tip darts do you need?
This is a very common question that many people may have when looking to get their next set of darts.
You see all these nice and sleek looking darts, and their price may vary from $10, $20, $50, and up to well over $100.
So you think to yourself, “Are expensive soft tip darts worth it?”
While researching through the different products, the majority of which I have listed above, you can see that there are both cheap and a bit more premium soft tip darts that are a little bit on the more expensive side.
I wanted to cover a good range of different 18-gram soft tip darts and give everyone something that they may want. But do you really need to get a higher-end darts set?
Well, not really.
I have talked about expensive darts and whether or not expensive darts make a difference in this article. So if you want to know more, make sure to check it out.
My conclusion is that for beginners and casual players, there is no need to go beyond a certain price level.
Of course, I can understand that some people just may have a little more money on their hands and would like to play with something that just screams quality, but that will not necessarily improve your game.
What I believe is that the best price to quality ratio is achieved in the price range of 20 to 30 dollars (or about 20 pounds).
What I recommended is first to consider your personal preferences and what suits you most and what you feel more comfortable playing with.