Dartboards
The Best Sisal London Trebles (Standard) Dartboards
Rileys Blade Wire ‘The Eliminator’ Dartboard
(One of the first launched in the UK)
One of the first blade dartboards to grace the UK was the Riley – The Eliminator Dartboard. Even today, it still looks the part, and I have personally owned several. They were a cut above the rest when they first became available. However, not all would give the endorsement it deserved.
Pub players would have their own league rules, many of which specified the dartboard type that could be used, usually a round or diamond wire construction. These types of dartboards had pins to hold the wire securely in place. The pins had always been an issue for players because some were placed within the treble ring, which took up a vital scoring area. When the first blades hit the UK market, they had no endorsement from the BDO. However, the World Darts Council (WDC), now known as the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC), chose the dartboard as the sole dartboard sponsor for the Webster's World Matchplay Tournament in 1996 at the Winter Gardens, Blackpool, paving the way for more manufacturers to develop their own versions.
The Rily Eliminator was initially great to play upon, but it had one flaw that caused it to wear faster than the modern blade dartboards. The wiring is sometimes referred to as the spider (web) lifted from the sisal over time to the extent that the wires either needed to be hammered back down or the board had to be replaced. i.e. these boards didn’t last as long. Today, top-of-the-range blade dartboards have the blades secured in the resin that holds the sisal on the wooden back, preventing the blades from lifting.
Dartboard Wires / Blades / Surface / What is the Best?
Winmau supplies the PDC matchboard, and the Blade X is their latest incarnation. Although the stats say the board reduces bounce-outs, I have removed the full review and the promotion of this dartboard.
Some pro-players don’t rate the dartboard. I believe this depends on the thrower and the type of darts used; however, some report that the sial straightens the darts compared to other manufacturer dartboards. This may be an advantage to some, but to others it is a hindrance, as the straightened dart can obscure the target area and hinder the following darts from entering the board.
A slightly angled dart can make it easier for the following dart to stack, which is why they are frustrated, especially when playing for a vast amount of prize money.
But what about the other Blade Type Dartboards?
The Unicorn Eclipse Ultra was part of the 2022 product range. It is at the top of the current Unicorn dartboard range and was the board of choice for the PDC endorsed until 2022. The Unicorn dartboard probably got more TV Coverage than any other dartboard on the market. The new numbers are highly visible, and the playing and wiring are the best Unicorn offers. Unicorn also sells replacement high-visibility metal number rings. Although the board looks superb on TV, it may not be the best choice for everyone.
In January 2022, Unicorn pulled out of the sponsorship deal they had held with the PDC for 25 years.
In 2025, Unicorn replaced its premier darts board with a new version, the Eclipse Ultra 2.0, as shown above. The New dartboard features a new spider wire coated with revolutionary Black Venom anti-glare technology, ensuring clear visibility and sharper segment definition, even under bright lighting. The playing surface utilises pioneering Abyss Printing to deliver ultra-high-contrast printed segments.
The Tagert TOR Dartboard became the WDF dartboard sponsor for the 2025 World Darts Championships.
Mission sponsors the UK County Darts and has become a mainstream top-level provider of dartboards and dart equipment. The Mission Samurai Infinity Dartsboard will be used for the first time at the 2024 WDF World Darts Championship. 2025 Mission launches its latest version, the Samurai 4
Not all blade constructions have a governing body's logo; that does not mean these boards are of lesser or inferior quality. Above are three dartboards that are as good as their endorsed partners. The three I have selected above are all blade construction and, in recent years, have come to eliminate the paper or, in some cases, the plastic veins. The dartboard construction process causes the veins. Several sisal 'biscuits' are compressed together to form a dartboard. Where the sisal 'biscuits' meet, a vein forms. Duo Core or double-layered sisal boards tend to have a traditional sisal biscuit at the rear and a single, compressed sisal layer at the top, which is softer.
Although can veins appear on most earlier and entry-level dartboards, they are relatively thin, and they don't usually cause a problem. However, on the odd occasion, mainly when the dartboard is worn, a dart hitting a joint vein may not stay on the board; hence, these three don't make my top three. The Nodor Supermatch 5, Target Tor and Harrows Gladiator III are all superb high-end dartboards. With regular turning, all of these boards.
The One180 Gladiator III Dartboard is one of many approved dartboards by the WDF, and different dartboards have been used with some of their major tournaments, including the Mission Samari.
Diamond / Pyamid Wire Dartboard
Ok, we have had a look at the top-of-the-range. The Blade boards, so what about the rest?
Next up is the pub and club favourite. The Diamond/triangle wire boards. Although the boards are again made from high-quality sisal, they won’t be dual-core and will have veins. Until recently, all bristle(sisal) dartboards were made this way. The diamond /pyamid wire is supposed to deflect a dart hitting it into the board! Well, depending on the trajectory angle, it will; however, these wires are pinned to the sisal and are at least 50% thicker than the blade construction, hence more bounce outs.
Generally, these are good dartboards, but over time, the pins loosen, and the wire turns and deforms. A dart hitting the wire can bend it, and usually this happens in the treble twenty area. If the board becomes too worn, the wire can completely turn, leaving a flat surface facing up, which will increase bounce-outs. My advance buy a Blade board!
The Round Wire Dartboard
This construction has been around for many years. Again, pinned to the sisal as per the diamond/pyamid wire, and it is a good entry-level dartboard. If you are new to darts and want a decent dartboard to hone your skills, go for this type of board. If darts don’t grab you, at least you haven’t spent too much on the top-of-the-range. If it does make your second board a Blade, you will see the difference.
Although the round wires are the thickest overall, they are also the cheapest.
Another pointer to look for if you are buying a wired board, not a blade: check the pinning construction. Most of these days are pinned within the treble and double areas; however, if you can find one with its pins on the outer side of the trebles, then these don’t obscure the treble and double bed. These boards may also have more pins because they are pinned on both sides of the highest-scoring segments, allowing less movement in the wire and hence a better construction.
You will find some manufacturers now only make one type of board, the blade. This is because others have fallen a little out of fashion, and once you have owned a blade board, you won’t go back to a diamond or round wire.
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