Every darts star has his own playing equipment. Whether James Wade, Gary Anderson or van Gerwen – the arrows are tailored precisely to the preferences of the players.
Football star Cristiano Ronaldo has his own shoe, tennis legend Roger Federer had his own specially developed racket until the end of his career and the darts professionals of course also have their own “tools”.
But what preferences do the stars have, how heavy are the projectiles and what material are they made of?
SPORT1 explains what equipment “The Machine”, MvG and Co. will have at the PDC World Championships (LIVE on from December 15th). SPORT1) have with you.
This is how the working device is constructed:
SPORT1 has the basic information about building a dart:
There are strict regulations when it comes to darts in the professional league. The entire arrow must not exceed 30.5 centimeters in length. There are also weight requirements.
With tungsten and nickel for great sport
No throwing device may weigh more than 50 grams – most arrows are made of a nickel-tungsten alloy.
At the front end of the arrow is the tip, also called a steel tip because it is made of stainless steel. The tip is attached to the so-called barrel. The player holds the arrow there.
Steel darts as a requirement
After a small rubber ring comes the shaft, which is usually made of nylon or aluminum. This is where the flight is. The flight ensures that the sports equipment can fly in order to overcome the distance to the dartboard in the desired flight manner.
The logos or names of the professionals can be seen on most flights.
High unit price
Professional players all use steel darts that have a metal tip. Without this tip, also called tip or point, they would not get stuck in the dartboard.
The price of the original tournament darts varies between models. Good arrows start at around 80 euros, but can also be well beyond 100 euros, depending on the model.
Luke Littler:
The shooting star and winner of the Grand Slam of Darts 2024 is under contract with industry giant Target and now has his own collection. He helped develop the Luke Littler Gen1 darts himself. They weigh 23 grams.
They are made of 90 percent tungsten, the front part of the barrel should allow a good grip, the rear part is significantly slimmer. As a flight, “The Nuke” uses the so-called shape or number 6 flight. The difference to standard flights is the slightly curved sides. This makes the darts fly faster and you change the position of how the darts are stuck in the board.
Michael van Gerwen:
The current number three in the world and co-favorite for the title this year competed with arrows from the XQMax Darts brand for years. The right-hander preferred the model with 23 grams. In contrast to many other players, MVG throws arrows with a narrow shaft.
In 2020, MvG switched to industry leader Winmau – and with it his arrows. The new darts were modeled after the old ones, there were no noticeable differences.
However, “Mighty Mike” was unable to build on his old performance with the Arrows and pulled the emergency brake after the early exit from the 2020 Premier League. On September 12th he unpacked his old darts again. This was made possible by a clause in the contract with Winmau that allowed him to return to the old model.
He now goes to the oche with Winmau Exakt darts, which weigh 21.5 grams.
Michael Smith:
Michael Smith was able to secure his first title at the 2023 World Darts Championship. At the World Cup he played with arrows from his partner of many years, Unicorn. Despite the shared success story, Smith changed his supplier in the summer of 2023.
He currently relies on arrows from the Shots brand – more precisely on Achieve Steel Tip, which weigh 24 grams.
There are transverse grooves across the entire barrel, which guarantee perfect control over the arrow when throwing. The flights are in Smith’s colors red and black and bear his name.
Gary Anderson:
The two-time PDC world champion also values thin arrows, but at 26 grams he opted for slightly heavier arrows for a long time. The Scottish darts player now trusts the slightly lighter model. His Unicorn Maestro Phase 3 only weighs 23 grams.
One small detail is particularly noticeable: a small, round, blue circle flashes at the front end of the Anderson torpedoes – the typical trademark of the toy device.
James Wade:
“The Machine” plays Unicorn darts like the Scot, but prefers the “Unicorn James Wade”. At 20 grams, they are even lighter than the arrows from MvG or Anderson.
Adrian Lewis:
The two-time world champion plays with darts from Target. With “Jackpot”, the up-and-coming manufacturer was able to gain a big name and is thus attacking the established brands Winmau and Unicorn. The Englishman even got his own line from Target.
The Target Adrian Lewis Gen 4 weighs 21 grams and shifts the center of gravity backwards due to the shortened center of gravity. However, Lewis took a break from darts in April 2023. It is currently questionable whether he will return to the PDC tour.
Gerwyn Price:
The enfant terrible of the darts scene relies on darts from the Red Dragon brand. Its 23 gram arrows have a central center of gravity and a round front profile.
The grip surface extends over the entire front part of the dart and allows for an aggressive throwing style – perfect for the “Iceman”.
Peter Wright:
The bird of paradise among the darts stars also plays a special role when choosing his arrows.
In contrast to his competitors, “Snakebite” changes his darts again and again – sometimes even daily or several times during a match. However, the world champion always remains loyal to the Red Dragon brand. The weight varies between 20 and 26 grams.
Rob Cross:
“The Voltage” rose meteorically to the top of the world with his World Cup title in 2018 and has been playing at the top more or less consistently since then.
His arrows of choice turned out to be his Special Edition Target Voltage Rob Cross 21g. This was developed according to his specifications and reflects his preference for shorter arrows.
Daryl Gurney:
In his competitions, “Superchin” relies on 24-gram Winmau darts, which also bear his name.
The center of gravity is also central and is rounded off by a conical end profile.
Martin Schindler:
The Strausberger has been one of the hottest irons in the fire of German darts for years. However, he only achieved his breakthrough in 2022, when he made it into the top 32 in the world with consistently strong performances.
The German relies on arrows from the “DPULS” brand with a weight of 23 grams.
Gabriel Clemens:
The first World Cup semi-finalist in darts history from Germany takes to the oche with Target brand darts.
The design was dictated by the handle style of the “German Giant”. The conical shape with fine transverse grooves in the front area is complemented by coarser grooves at the end of the barrel and precise Nano-Grip technology. His arrows weigh 23 grams.
Phil Taylor:
Even though he no longer takes part in world championships, he is still the living legend of darts: Phil “The Power” Taylor. The 16-time PDC world champion, who has now announced his retirement from the Senior Tour, of course has personalized darts that are adapted to his game – the “180” with the “Target Power 9Five 95%” dart model from the Target brand.
They weigh 26 grams and the barrels are made of 95% tungsten. The focus of the darts is far forward on the arrow – apparently an effective means of winning so many world titles.
