Darts Review: 24g Red Dragon Team SEWA Dart

If you have spent a little bit of time online pursuing your love of darts you will no doubt have come across the SEWA dart forums. They are indeed a storried place, with some top notch players posting or having had posted there, including at one point Canadian darting legend John Part, and also played a role in the genesis of George Silberzahn's world class 'Flight School' darts tutorial program.

Now in most instances one would expect a signature dart to be named after an individual, but with such a rich history we can maybe see why the dart was named after the forum and not just one individual, although there is one man who is the brains behind the dart, one Erik McVey, who incidentally is also the 'commandant' at the Team SEWA forums.

Let's take a look at the Team SEWA dart, at what sets it apart, how it performs and the pros and cons of the dart.

Of course everybody wants to throw nice tight groupings, and naturally one would want a dart that is as conducive to that as possible.

The only problem is that dart players, like everyone else, come in all shapes and sizes. If it is not an issue for you, it may not be something you would have thought about, but for players with big hands, some of the tiny skinny little darts out there can be a little like trying to throw a toothpick.

So of course, we could just make a bigger,fatter dart, right? The only problem now is wont it weigh as much as a sherman tank and wont makign the dart bigger make it harder to get good groupings?

Well part of the solution,was to drill out a little more of the back of the dart than they might normally, but also rather than using a 90% or higher tungsten content a 85% was used. This dart looks like it could be getting close to 30 grams, but it is only a modest 24 grams.

Now of course it is a big thick dart, but the front end of the dart which has a smooth nosecone and seems to transition nicely along the length of the dart lets you pack them together in a bed as tightly as you'd ever need to. They are thick where you need them to be thick for grip and thin right up front where you need it for tight groupings.

The dart has a big comfortable, almost reassuring feel in the hand. While a thinner and smaller dart may make your hand a little sore after a lot of throwing, that is not the case with this dart.

As for the grip itself the dart has a ring grip that gets the job done but can feel ever so slightly on the slippery side. if you are looking for a heavier grip, this is not the dart for you. If however you are looking for something a little more on the subtle side, this is the dart for you!

Getting the dart from your hand to the board is a pleasant enough experience and the dart is well ballanced and flies very nicely. Of course no dart can make you better than you are, but this dart certainly doesn't work against you.

As for downsides there really arent any clear cut downsides, other than the colour scheme with it's red white and blue rings, which while adding a bit of flash and allowing a little patrotic expression, might not suit some who might gravitate towards more sombre tastes.

There is also a question of exactly how much benefit there is to keeping the dart lighter. and while the dart does indeed perform nicely it does lack that nice 'sling' feeling a weightier dart gives as it leaves your hand.

There are a multitude of darts out there on the market, and really most of them are perfectly fine. One might be better suited for you, an other might be better suited for someone else. It does not mean that one dart is better or worse than an other, but that different darters have different wants and needs in terms of feel and weight and balance and so forth.

Dart manufacturers are constantly adding new features (some would say gimmicks) to make their darts stand out and to make you, their customers feel like you can get something that gives you an advantage.

The question is, how often is it a real advantage? Quite often a bit of a psychological boost, but after that a lot of the time not much more. Maybe in some cases even a distraction?

Well, while it is not some magically perfect dart this is where the Team SEWA dart wins the most points. Quite simply, it acomplishes what it sets out to do, which is to be comfortable for someone with larger hands while not sacrificing your ability to get nice tight groupings, and it does this quite nicely.

if the brighter colours and the light feel and grip don't put you off, then this is an excellent choice of dart, and with all else being equal will not disapoint.

At the end of the day only you can know if a dart is right for you, although hopefully a review like this can help you make a rational descison on what dart might work well for you.

Some darts can get downright expensive though, makign the prospect of getting a dart to try out a prohibative excersise.

Now while it isn't the world's cheapest dart, it is also not too expensive that you wouldn't want to risk buying it, espescially if your game might benefit from it's special design.

You might be dead set on using the arrows you already own, and that for you is an excellent choice, but if you are in the market for a new set of darts and the Team SEWA dart sounds like something that might work for you, then you owe it to yourself to grab a set. They are a good value dart and wont break the bank.

Once you get your set, come back and add your rating to the poll just below here!