Dart Review:Unicorn's Raymond Van Barneveld Hero Gold Titatanium
Goldilocks And The Three Darts
In my previous dart review I compared the Harrow's Assassin at 18g and the Talon at 25g, with the result being almost too close to tell but with my final personal preference going with the Harrows even if it was a little too slippery for my liking.
Now of course I have the Raymond Van Barneveld Hero Gold Titanium dart at 22g, which is really my attempt to find a baby bear weight/size for my dart. I was lucky to find it at a nice price, but it is I freely admit the dart that new players (like myself) are cautioned against running out and spending a bunch of cash on.
So then now that I have forked out the cash and added them to my dart noob arsenal, just how are Barney's darts doing for me?
The Grip
The grip on the Raymond Van Barneveld Gold Titanium dart is actually quite invisible. What I mean is that while some darts such as my Talons or say Shark fins or Piranhas are distinctly 'grippy' and a dart like my Assassin or even Harrow's 'Ice' tends to be on the slippery side, with the Barneveld Hero Gold you simply just grip it and it seems to me never to be too much of one thing or the other. Whether this has anything to do with the coating the dart is supposed to have I really couldn't tell you, just that it is comfortable enough (for my hand at least) not to go noticed.
The placement of the tighter grooves is an added bonus as it makes it really easy, especially as a beginner to keep a consistent grip, and thus a more consistent throw.
Throw and Accuracy
Of course as one practices at something, especially if they dedicate a lot of time to it they will get better, and I suspect that this might be true of myself, regardless of the dart I am throwing.
That being said, when throwing darts I am accustomed to hearing 'thump thump thump' which with the Van Barneveld Hero Gold the sound is increasingly 'thump click click' as I am increasingly throwing a 'nice dart'. If this is more by practice than equipment I will at least say that using the dart has not harmed my game in any way.
I also took a test average (three dart average) and on my first go was almost nine points higher than what I typically shoot.
How much is nature or nurture is hard to say, but I am very happy with the results I have been getting.
Downsides
Assuming that the dart is a size, shape and weight that is comfortable for you I can't see any real downside to them except perhaps that unless you get them on sale as I did they can be a bit pricey.
That being said, I must admit that I have found the titanium stems seem to be very hungry for my flights, even the graphite ones which are pretty sturdy.
This has meant switching from the case the darts came with (which is actually quite nice) and using one that allows me to transport my darts with flights already in. A lot more convenient and the flights last a lot longer!
The Final Verdict.
The picture at the top of the page, I think says it all. That is my first ever 180 and while I believe I would have got it (and more to come) with whichever dart I was using, I do believe that if nothing else, whether or not it is a great dart, it is a great dart for me.
It wasn't available at my local shop, so when I purchased it I got it online from Pure Darts.co.uk
Which is something I was a bit nervous about doing, but they gave me a great price and prompt delivery to Canada. There are quite a few places to check out to buy from, but at least you will know i had a good experience with them and have gone back to them for a few stems.
I don't suspect I will be buying new darts for a little while.
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