You know you want a dartboard in your man cave, but what type of board and darts are best for man caves? This article will help you choose between soft or steel-tipped darts, and narrow down your dartboard options so you can make a more informed decision.
It’s an important question, are soft or steel-tipped darts best for a man cave. If you are going to be entertaining all kinds of people who may be novice dart players, have kids, or just want to have fun, soft-tipped darts and an electronic dartboard are better. If you are going to be having friends over who are a little more serious, or you want that authentic/satisfying dart experience, you probably want to use steel-tipped darts and a wooden or bristle board.
What darts you use in your man cave depends on what experience you want. If you want an authentic and satisfying dart experience with experienced friends, steel-tipped darts are your best
Soft Versus Steel: What’s the Difference?
Before we get to the main question, let’s take a second to see what the difference is between these two types of darts.
The short answer is, not a whole heck of a lot is different. This may sound like a lame answer, but the only major difference is the tip of the dart. In a lot of cases, these tips are even interchangeable. As you can imagine, metal weighs more than plastic. So the steel tip will feel a little sturdier and heftier in your hand.
The other major difference between these two types of darts is the type of dartboard you use them on. At the end of this article, I will include a table that breaks down steel and soft tip darts and what boards they are compatible with.
Which is Better for a Man Cave?
Both types of darts have qualities that would make them more suitable for some man caves than others. Like most questions, the answer may not be as black and white as you thought.
Qualities of Soft Tipped Darts:
Soft tips are cheaper to buy, but they also bend, break, or need replacements more often. Also, if you are like me, you may miss the dartboard more than some. For that, there is a little bit of peace of mind knowing that the tip is only plastic. But be warned, you are still going to want to hang your dartboard in a dartboard cabinet even if you only use soft tips darts… After spending so much time on your man cave, invest a little to keep it looking nice.
Soft tipped darts can be used on plastic, paper, and bristle (the most common for tournaments) dartboards. Electric dartboards and bristle dartboards are more common.
Qualities of Steel Tipped Darts:
Steel tips are the darts that come to mind for most when thinking about playing darts. There is something that’s satisfying about using a heftier dart and lands with a nice thud. Steel tip is much more rugged than their plastic cousins. If you buy a good set, you won’t need to replace them for a long while.
But because they are metal, they are definitely more dangerous than soft tips. If you have kids running around, these may not be the best idea. Also, if you miss with these, they don’t stick into the protective dartboard cabinet you bought, they will clatter to the floor. Since they are metal and have some extra weight to them, they can potentially damage your floor. You will want to plan accordingly.
Steel-tipped darts can be used on bristle, wooden, and paper dartboards. Bristle boards are again the most popular, but a nice wooden board might be something to consider. I will talk more about these options later in this article.
What Dart Matches Your Goal:
To figure out which of these options are best for your man cave, ask yourself what your goal is. What is the experience you want to have with your dartboard? Who will be playing it?
Steel Tipped:
If you plan on having people over to your man cave you have a good amount of dart experience, steel-tipped darts is probably your best bet. Similarly, if your goal is to have a space that fees like an authentic dart game, steel-tipped darts will be what you want to go for. This can really provide that authentic sports bar experience.
Another reason why steel-tipped darts are a good option for your man cave is the boards that you can use them with. Just saying, a nice hardwood dartboard could look awesome in the right man cave.
Soft Tipped:
That’s all well and good, but what if the people you are having over (including you) are no dart gurus? Well, one option is to go with soft-tipped darts. The first reason is that you won’t feel as bad if you miss the board… No shame though, we all need to start somewhere. You also won’t feel as on edge when inevitably either your or your guest’s kids start messing around with the darts.
Probably one of the biggest draws to using soft-tipped darts is that they are compatible with electronic dartboards. If you and your friends do not have much dart experience, keeping score yourself may be enough to make you not want to play darts. With a high-quality electronic dartboard, there are all kinds of games already programmed into it, and it will keep score for you guys.
| Soft-Tipped Dart | Steel-Tipped Darts | |
|---|---|---|
| Benefits of: | Safer for Space and Kids, Inexpensive, More Flexible | Satisfying, Rugged |
| Cons of: | Break More Often, Not as Satisfying | Sharp, Not Safe for Kids, Can Damage Floor/Walls |
I Still Don’t Know What Darts I Want, What Types of Boards Are Best for Man Caves?
As you are probably realizing the type of board you want can be just as important as the types of darts you have. If you can’t decide the type of dart you want to use, take a look at the different boards. This may help you decide.
There are all kinds of dartboards out there, but I am going to narrow it down to three options for you. One option is only for soft-tipped darts, one is only for steel tip, and the last is compatible with both types of darts.
Plastic/Electronic Boards:
Like I said above, electronic boards are great for people who really don’t want to have to keep their own score, or who get confused on how scoring works for different games. I like to think of these boards as the go-to if you are just trying to bring people together and having fun.
It is going to be important that you spend the extra money and get one that has good reviews and is durable. There are plenty of cheap electric dartboards out there that are not worth your time at all. If you get a durable board, it will stay in good shape for a long time to come. The other thing to be aware of when using plastic/electric dartboards is that they are a higher rate of bounce-outs (darts that hit and bounce off). You will also want to be sure that there is a power source nearby to plug your board into.
One thing to consider though is their size and shape. Unlike some of the other options that are just a board that you can hang in a dartboard cabinet, electric boards tend to come in all kinds of different sizes and shapes. So if you go this route you will want to make sure the cabinet you buy will fit your board.
Wooden Dartboard:
The next type of board that you may want to consider adding to your man cave is one that is made of hardwood. This dartboard is only compatible with steel tip darts. In my opinion, it is strongly worth considering for your man cave. These hardwood dartboards can last a long time and they drastically reduce the number of bounce outs. Not only that, but it looks very nice in a rustic man cave. It may even turn into the focal point of your room.
One of the more notable downsides of going with a hardwood dartboard is that it really needs to be broken in. Another notable downside to these is the cost for a good quality one. It is really important that you buy one that is actually hardwood. It’s the hardwood piece which makes this board last so long.
I think this is a great option for the rustic man cave that is sure they want a dartboard in their space. Not everyone has a wooden dartboard, and that will make you stand out!
Bristle Dartboard:
A bristle dartboard is probably the most popular type of dartboard around. It’s so popular because it is long-lasting, self-healing, and compatible with both soft and steel-tipped darts. Typically, this is the type of dartboard tournaments are using.
The material these boards are made out of is called sisal. It is a type of plant fiber. It is such great material for your man cave dartboard because its holes close up after the dart is taken out. This means that if you buy a board, you can be confident it will stay in good shape for a long while.
This may be a good option for your man cave because of its flexibility. Being able to take out the steel-tipped darts for a game with your friends, and keeping out the soft-tipped darts is pretty valuable if you ask me.
Like the other options, take the time to pick out a good quality dartboard. Not all bristle boards are created equally, Be very careful to pick one that has both good depth and good density.
| Soft Tipped Compatible? | Steel Tipped Compatible? | Pros for Man Cave Use: | Cons for Man Cave Use: | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electronic Board | Yes | No | Fun Experience, Keeps Track for You, Best for Inexperienced Players | High Bounce Out Rate, More Difficult to Find Compatible Cabinet |
| Wooden Board | No | Yes | Long Life Span, Awesome Looking, Low Bounce Out Rate, Tournament Standard | Expensive, Needs to be Broken In, Needs Dartboard Cabinet |
| Bristle Board | Yes | Yes | Flexible, Most Common, Long Life Span, Self-Healing | Needs Dartboard Cabinet |
Final Thoughts:
I hope this article has helped you choose what darts, and what type of dartboard you are going to install in your man cave. The most important piece to all of this is remembering what your goal for the room is. What is your goal for your dartboard? Who are you going to be having over? Most importantly, what do you like best?
Until next time,