Soft tip darts have become more and more popular over the years. While professionals still use steel tip, the soft tip darts are hugely popular, especially in the US.
Soft tip darts are used mostly with electronic dart boards because of the flexible, plastic tip on the end can easily lodge into the holes on the electronic dart boards. Though they are usually lighter than steel tip darts, soft tip come in a variety of weights
They can be made of plastic, brass, nickel - silver, tungsten, and copper.
As with everything else in life, there are reasonably good and affordable darts for most people, and the amazingly high quality (but expensive) darts for the true enthusiast.
Best Soft Tip Darts For Regular Players
First, we'll go over the affordable options, then we'll dive into the truly amazing darts.
Viper Sure Grip Soft Tip Darts
First up is the viper sure grip soft tip darts. These are one of the most popular darts out there both in quantity sold and consumer reviews.
It has a well balanced and high quality nickel silver plated barrel. And, it's pretty good looking too, so can't complain about that.
The sleeve is rubberized but underneath the rubber there are well placed grooves to help with grip. You should be able to get a firm and consistent grip with these ones.
The aluminum shafts have locking holes. This is an important feature that not all darts have because it keeps the shaft tight throughout play so you have a consistent and accurate flight path.
Another important feature is the reinforced 2BA Tufflex tip. Soft tip darts can bend or damage easily, so it's important to have strong tips.
This is an overall solid buy at a reasonable price for most players.
Fat Cat Soft Tip Darts
Fat Cat offers one of the more popular darts out there as well.
It has a high quality and well balanced nickel-silver plated barrel and nylon shaft.
The key difference here is there is no rubberized coating over the barrel so you have direct contact with the metal.
The nylon shaft doesn't lock in place, so you will have to tighten it occasionally during play.
This dart also features a 2BA Tufflex tip which is important for dart point durability
This dart may not be as good as some other options, but you get 21 in a pack. So, this is perfect to buy for your friends to use when they come over (but you obviously keep a good set for yourself!).
Viper Super Bee Soft Tip Darts
This is the lightest set of darts in this category, coming in at only 16g. It's also one of the best looking.
It has 6 bands of knurling which is going to give you superior consistency in grip.
The fatter barrel is great for gripping, but it will make your grouping less tight. It will be harder to hit 3 bullseyes in a row, but then again you probably aren't hitting 3 in a row anyhow.
These are great darts for people who want a better grip to improve their throw, but aren't too worried about spacing/grouping.
Best Soft Tip Darts For Enthusiasts
The hard part about rating top of the line darts is...they are all so amazing! But, we'll try out best to rank our favorites.
Bottelsen Skinny's Tough Koat Soft Tip Dart
Bottelsen, one of the most popular brands in darts, has some amazing darts in its lineup.
The Skinny's Tough Koat has a 90% Tungsten barrel and anodized aluminum shafts.
You can see in the picture it has a very unique and strategically placed knurling and groove pattern which helps ensure a consistent grip for precise throwing every time.
Also, it's at a very affordable price for a premium dart, so it's hard to go wrong.
Harrows Aura Soft Tip Darts
Harrows is a popular brand and the Aura Soft Tip dart is an amazing dart.
Its unique "supergrip" barrels will ensure consistent hand and finger placement making sure you get a solid grip and throw every time.
The Aura Soft Tip Dart has a 95% Tungsten barrel with blue nitride coating.
Nitride is a very hard ceramic like material which is used as a coating on titanium alloys. It improves the properties of what's underneat, so you can be sure to have a durable dart that will last years.
This dart is a bit pricier above the $100 mark, so it's for the true enthusiasts.
Target Darts Carrera Titanium Black Soft Tip Darts
Well, that's a mouthful to say. Other than it's really long name, these darts are great quality for any player.
These darts are 90% tungsten and boast their unique pixel grip, which is bi-directional.
Additionally, they have a unique nylon shaft with a target ring which holds the flight tightly for longer, so you'll have to tighten it less often.
The cuts on the dart are designed for both axial and radial precision.
