Best Dartboards 2026: Bristle and Electronic Picks

This article contains affiliate links: if you buy through them we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. Learn more.

Tuesday league night, and your team is down a leg. You step up to the line, three darts in your hand, and the board looks exactly like the one in your garage, because you made sure it would. That’s the quiet secret of good darts players: they practice on a board that plays like the real thing, hung at the real height. This guide covers the best dartboards for 2026, bristle boards for steel-tip darts and electronic boards for soft-tip, plus the setup that makes any board work: regulation height and throw distance, surrounds, lighting and keeping kids safe.

Prices change often. The prices below are what we saw on Amazon in October 2026; check the current price before you buy.

Our top picks

Dartboards compared

Dartboard	Type / darts	Key feature	About (Oct 2026)
Winmau Blade 6	Bristle / steel-tip	Single, Dual or Triple Core versions	$85 and up
Unicorn Eclipse Pro	Bristle / steel-tip	Wire 30% thinner than round wire (maker)	$90
Winmau Diamond Plus	Bristle / steel-tip	Staple-free bullseye	$60
Viper Vault bundle	Bristle in cabinet / steel-tip	Cabinet, darts, light, throw line	$118
Arachnid Cricket Pro 800	Electronic / soft-tip	40 games, 8-player LED scoring	$250
Arachnid Cricket Pro 450	Electronic / soft-tip	Finish suggestions in ’01 games	$87
Gran Board 3s	Electronic / soft-tip	Bluetooth app, online play	$299

The best dartboards for 2026

1. Winmau Blade 6: best overall

If you want one board that plays like the one on TV, this is it. Winmau builds the Blade 6 to PDC tournament specification from self-healing sisal, with ultra-thin wiring the maker says cuts bounce-outs, a laser-cut number ring you can rotate to spread wear, and a Rota-Lock leveling system so the board hangs straight. The same listing sells Single, Dual and Triple Core versions and the newer Blade X; the Single Core was about $85, and the others cost more.

• Good: pro-spec board at a fair price; easy to level and rotate.
• Watch out: check which core version you’ve selected before you buy; no surround or darts included.
• Best for: steel-tip players who practice most nights and want league-feel at home.

Check the Winmau Blade 6 price on Amazon

2. Unicorn Eclipse Pro: best for fewer bounce-outs

Unicorn’s Eclipse Pro is a bristle board endorsed and used by the PDC. Its selling point is the wire: Unicorn says it’s 30% thinner than conventional round wire, which leaves more target area, especially in the doubles and trebles. The construction and bullseye are staple-free, the sisal is self-healing, and the high-visibility number ring rotates so you can even out wear.

• Good: slim wiring; staple-free; easy-to-read numbers.
• Watch out: the listing also offers an Ultra edition, so check the version and price you’re getting.
• Best for: players chasing doubles who hate losing darts off the wire.

Check the Unicorn Eclipse Pro price on Amazon

3. Winmau Diamond Plus: best budget bristle board

The Diamond Plus is the board a lot of players start on, and many keep. It’s dense, self-healing sisal with triangular wiring that Winmau says guides darts into the scoring areas, a staple-free bullseye and high-tensile wire. At about $60 it’s a real sisal board for the price of a decent set of darts, which makes it a smart first bristle dartboard for home.

• Good: real tournament-style sisal at a low price; staple-free bull.
• Watch out: thicker wiring than the Blade 6 or Eclipse Pro, so expect a few more bounce-outs.
• Best for: new steel-tip players and a second board for the garage.

Check the Winmau Diamond Plus price on Amazon

4. Viper Vault Cabinet + Shot King Bundle: best home set

Want everything in one box? This Viper bundle puts a regulation 17.75-inch Shot King sisal board (staple-free bull, rounded galvanized wire, rotating number ring) in a walnut-finish Vault cabinet with arched doors that protect the wall. Inside the doors are two dry-erase scoreboards for ’01 and cricket and storage for six darts. It comes with two sets of steel-tip darts, a throw line, a throw line light, and a Shadow Buster light that mounts above the cabinet and flips up when you’re done.

• Good: board, cabinet, darts, light and line in one purchase; doors close on the board when kids are around.
• Watch out: the Shot King is an entry-level board; serious players often swap in a Blade 6 later.
• Best for: game rooms, basements and gifts.

Check the Viper Vault bundle price on Amazon

5. Arachnid Cricket Pro 800: best electronic dartboard

For soft-tip leagues and busy game rooms, the Cricket Pro 800 has a regulation 15.5-inch target, the size the NDA uses, with 40 games and 179 options including seven cricket modes. LED scoring handles up to 8 players, with a 4-player cricket display and a scrolling screen that shows averages. Arachnid uses NylonTough segments and micro-thin dividers to cut bounce-outs, and there’s an optional Heckler mode for game nights.

• Good: scores for you; lots of games; quieter than steel on a wall.
• Watch out: soft-tip darts only; it costs about three times the 450.
• Best for: soft-tip league players and groups.

Check the Arachnid Cricket Pro 800 price on Amazon

6. Arachnid Cricket Pro 450: best for families

The 450 has the same regulation 15.5-inch target with 31 games and 178 variations, two-player LED scoring with cricket displays, and solo play against the computer. It does the math, corrects for bounce-outs and suggests finishes in ’01 games, which is a great way for kids to learn checkouts. Plastic tips are a gentler start for young players than steel.

• Good: low price; checkout help; easy for beginners.
• Watch out: the display tracks two players at a time, so bigger groups take turns.
• Best for: families, kids learning the game, and casual players.

Check the Arachnid Cricket Pro 450 price on Amazon

7. Gran Board 3s: best connected dartboard

The Gran Board 3s connects by Bluetooth to a phone, tablet or smart TV, which handles the graphics and scoring, and lets you play people all over the world. It plays cricket, ’01, Count-Up, Half It and more, with nine levels of computer opponent, and the maker says new games arrive through free app updates. It runs on 2 AA batteries, has LED lighting and a USB port, and uses sound-absorbing segments. The board measures 22.5 x 22.5 inches.

• Good: online play; great practice games; works without a wall outlet.
• Watch out: needs a Bluetooth 4.0 device; the listing says it isn’t compatible with Amazon Fire tablets.
• Best for: solo players and anyone without a league nearby.

Check the Gran Board 3s price on Amazon

How to choose and set up a dartboard

• Bristle or electronic: match your game. A bristle board is compressed sisal for steel-tip darts; the World Darts Federation (WDF) requires sisal bristle boards for its events. Electronic boards take plastic-tip darts only (never steel tips) and keep score, and they’re what US soft-tip leagues play.
• Hang it at regulation height. The center of the bull goes 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) above the floor for both steel-tip and soft-tip. Measure from the floor you’ll stand on.
• Mark the throw line. Steel-tip: 7 ft 9¼ in (2.37 m) from the face of the board to the back of the oche (WDF and DRA rules). Soft-tip: 8 ft (96 in) from the face of the target under NDA rules. Check with the WDF diagonal: 2.93 m (about 9 ft 7⅜ in) from the center of the bull to the back of the oche at floor level. A stick-on Viper throw line marker (about $11) saves re-measuring.
• Add a surround. A foam ring like the Winmau Xtreme surround (26.5 in, fits Winmau bristle boards, about $68) or the larger Viper Defender III (45 x 32 in EVA foam, snaps together without drilling, about $51) saves the wall and your dart points.
• Light it from the front. A ceiling light throws shadows across the wires. WDF events require at least 1,600 lumens per board, screened from the player’s eyes; at home a board-mounted light like the Winmau Polaris (120-degree, magnetic attachment, about $71) does the job.
• Rotate a bristle board when the 20 starts to look worn; that’s what the removable number ring is for.

Dartboard safety with kids at home

Darts is gentle on the body, but the points are sharp. The American Darts Organization’s youth rules put it bluntly: darts is an adult sport, and it’s dangerous for children to play without adult supervision. Keep an adult in the room for young kids, everyone behind the thrower, and nobody walking to the board until all three darts are thrown. Hang the board away from doors and walkways. Soft-tip is the gentler start, but plastic isn’t harmless: a forensic case report described a serious eye injury from a soft-tip dart with a damaged point, so throw away broken tips. A cabinet with doors keeps the board closed when nobody’s supervising. If a shoulder or elbow aches after long sessions, rest it, and see a sports medicine doctor, physical therapist or athletic trainer if it doesn’t settle.

For darts, flights, mats and more, see our darts gear list; for kids, read youth darts, and for a sore throwing arm, darts injuries. Rules, training and leagues are on the darts hub, and more posts live in the darts blog. Long tournament days? Our massage gun guide and recovery shoes guide help.

Dartboard questions

How high should a dartboard be hung?

The center of the bull should be 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) from the floor, for both steel-tip and soft-tip boards.

How far is the throw line from the dartboard?

For steel-tip, 7 ft 9¼ in (2.37 m) from the face of the board to the back of the oche. For soft-tip under NDA rules, 8 ft from the face of the target to the front edge of the line.

Is a bristle or electronic dartboard better?

Neither; they suit different games. A bristle board is for steel-tip darts and pro-style play. An electronic board takes soft-tip darts, keeps score and suits families and soft-tip leagues.

What’s the best bristle dartboard for home?

For most players, the Winmau Blade 6 at about $85. On a tight budget, the Winmau Diamond Plus; if you want everything in one box, the Viper Vault cabinet bundle.

Can kids use a dartboard safely?

With an adult present and simple rules, yes: everyone behind the thrower, nobody near the board during a throw, damaged tips thrown away. Soft-tip boards are the easier start.