The Advantage of using the same barrel in Steeltip and Softtip

Left: Dynasty A-Flow Premium Black Gladiator. Right: Dynasty A-Flow Gladiator Steel

VegaDarts offers a range of barrels that are manufactured in both the steel tip and soft tip variety.

Dynasty, DMC, and Monster, all offer appealing barrels with consistently high quality in both types. Darters who play both styles gain an advantage as they no longer have to adapt to a different grip or weight when transitioning. While it is possible to simply use conversion tips, there are a few disadvantages:

-Conversion tips often come loose, forcing the player to tighten them between throws

-The quality of a conversion tip is usually not as good as a fixed point

-It is simply inconvenient to switch tips all the time, especially if you participate in both steel tip and soft tip leagues

But I would argue that the primary advantage of having two sets of barrels in both styles is Balance.

Dart manufacturers design darts that are optimized for a particular style. Fixed point darts perform best (obviously) on a bristle board. Soft tip darts are optimized for balance with light plastic tips. Adding a metal point to a soft tip dart throws off the balance that the manufacturer intended. The difference in weight may seem small, but try for yourself:

Take a set of soft-tip darts and throw them at a bristle board. Next, put on metal conversion points and notice the difference in balance between the two.

Dynasty, Monster, and DMC have all adjusted the balance of the barrel appropriately to give maximum performance in both of the particular styles they were made for.