Best Darts for Beginners in Australia: What Actually Matters
If you are buying your first set of darts, almost everything written about it online is either marketing or superstition. Here is what actually matters, in the order it matters, from a shop that sells darts to beginners every week.
The short version
A good first set of steel tip darts is 22g to 24g, 80% tungsten or higher, with a straight or slightly tapered barrel and a moderate grip. Buy that and you will not be held back by your darts for a long time.
Everything below explains why, and what to ignore.
1. Steel tip or soft tip? Decide this first
This is the only decision you cannot change later, because it determines which board you need.
- Steel tip throws into a bristle (sisal) board. This is traditional darts, it is what every pub league and televised tournament uses, and it is what most people mean by "darts".
- Soft tip throws into an electronic board with plastic-receiving holes. The board scores automatically, which is genuinely good for learning, and plastic tips are harmless to walls and floors.
If you have any intention of playing in a league, buy steel tip. If you want automatic scoring and a quieter board for a family room, soft tip is a legitimate choice — and these days you can get automatic scoring on a bristle board too, which we cover in our Target Omni guide.
2. Weight: start at 22g to 24g
Dart weight is measured on the barrel alone, not the assembled dart. Most adult players settle somewhere between 22g and 26g, and that is reflected in what the market makes — look at our range and you will see 23g, 24g and 25g are by far the deepest categories, while 18g and 30g exist mainly for people who have worked out they need them.
As a beginner you have no throw to match yet, so pick the middle and let your throw develop around it. Our full reasoning, and how to work out your own number later, is in what dart weight should I use?
3. Tungsten percentage: 80% is the sensible floor
Here is the bit the marketing obscures. Tungsten is dense, so a higher tungsten percentage means a slimmer barrel for the same weight. That is the entire benefit. Slimmer darts group more tightly because three darts take up less space in the same treble bed.
What the percentages mean in practice:
| Tungsten | What you get |
|---|---|
| Brass (0%) | Fat barrels. Fine for a pub board, cheap, and you will outgrow them |
| 80–85% | The value sweet spot. Noticeably slimmer than brass, genuinely good darts |
| 90% | Slimmer again. The standard for serious club players |
| 95%+ | Slimmest available. Real but diminishing returns, and a clear price step |
Do not buy 95% tungsten as your first set. You cannot yet throw consistently enough to benefit from the difference between 90% and 95%, and the money is better spent on a decent board.
4. Barrel shape: straight is the safe default
Barrel shape changes where the weight sits and where your fingers naturally land.
- Straight — even thickness along the barrel. Lets you grip anywhere, so it suits a grip you have not settled yet. This is the beginner default for a reason.
- Torpedo / bomb — thickest at the front, tapering back. Front-weighted, which some players find helps the dart settle nose-down.
- Scallop / hourglass — pinched in the middle. Puts your fingers in one specific place, which is great once you know where you want them and frustrating before that.
Our guide to grip and barrel shape goes into this properly, including how your grip position should drive the choice.
5. What to ignore on your first set
- Player signature sets. A dart does not work better because a professional's name is on it. Some signature sets are excellent darts; the name is not the reason.
- Flights and shafts, for now. They come with the set, they matter, and they are cheap to change later. Start with the standard shape and experiment once your throw is repeatable. Browse flights and shafts when you get there.
- Aggressive grip. Deep, sharp knurling feels purposeful in the shop and can cause the dart to catch on release. Moderate grip is more forgiving.
6. Budget the whole setup, not just the darts
The most common beginner mistake we see is spending the entire budget on darts and then throwing them at a bad board. A worn or cheap board bounces darts out, which makes you think you are throwing badly.
A sensible first setup is: a decent bristle board, a surround to protect the wall, a mat to protect the floor and mark the throw line, and a mid-range set of darts. Browse dartboards, surrounds and mats and oches.
Try before you buy
We are a specialist darts retailer and venue in Port Kennedy, Western Australia, with ten Target Omni-equipped lanes, shipping Australia-wide. Throwing a few sets side by side will tell you more in ten minutes than any amount of reading.