Stress Testing Dartboards vs Simon Whitlock's Points (Unicorn Eclipse, Target, Winmau, Bulls)

[@thyartisconor]

Blade 5 boards are unreal. Had mine 5 months now and it’s still perfect. Lovely to turn

[@thyartisconor]

Kieran Morby it’s nice to see I’m not the only one who tweezes my dartboard 😂👍🏻

[@ionutilies4254]

I think the same. 100 per cent

[@tomasmorrissey7324]

Winmau for me and has the Rita lock system ,bulls too dear, what about the gladiator 3 from A180

[@centeguahan3760]

Same here! Even from everyday use it still looks new! My stupid unicorn on the other hand only lasted literally a month (same abuse, same arrows) I was so pissed glad I got a blade 5 dual core!😍🙌🏾

[@Jwarchild]

I very RARELY turn my board around, like maybe twice a month but my Blade 5 Dual Core is still holding up nicely after 6 months of constant throwing.

[@graemeadamson7272]

I've had a Unicorn Eclipse now for 4 years using smoothpoint Harris tungsten darts . Never had a problem with damage . It's used every single day and still looks like new . Can't see the point in using grooved- points . Bounce-outs are very rare with this board . I wouldn't swap it . 🎯🎯🎯

[@calldyuk1751]

Got a blade 5 board a few months back - absolutely amazing - played most days for the last few months and still looks great, I did purchase it at a local shop though. I got a unicorn hd2 board online and it looked battered after just one week. I used the same (standard) darts on both boards. I would recommend purchasing your board from a trust worthy retailer.

[@paulboardman247]

I think it's very clever marketing from winmau. Getting one of there high profile players to smash up a unicorn board on TV. Makes the unicorn board look awful. So naturally people who want a new board will go for the blade 5.

[@garethstroud5586]

@@Quintendejong123 agreed, I like unicorn products but I know the best board is winmau's blade 5

[@doraemon402]

LOL I think Winmau has nothing to do with Simon's choices.

[@scottwylie5968]

I use the blade 5 brillaint board especially for rotating

[@ionutilies4254]

My blade 5 lasts 3 or 4 times more than the unicorn. The best ever.

[@zorankostur]

@@ionutilies4254 mine unicorn lasts 3-4 times more rhan winmau...best ever

[@prioryjonesofficial5292]

Not a chance will ANY unicorn board outlast the Blade 5. Utter Bollox

[@kit8661]

If Simon Whitlock watches this video we might see him using those points in matches next time

[@harryearp5704]

Love the number ring on the unicorn board but I have only used winmau boards and there awsome but I only hit 5s so its the 20 is gonna look great

[@mattierara]

You should now throw 100 smooth pointed and 100 grip pointed darts at each board and see how many bounce/fall out as I believe that is why the players are using the aggressive points. You do see certain players with a lot more bounce outs or fall out than others and it's something that always intrigues me

[@sebastiangalland4772]

I don't know about you, but if I throw 100 darts 99% of the time not 1 falls out.

[@doraemon402]

@@sebastiangalland4772 Pros group a lot better than you (I assume), thus making a bounce out more likely. Also, they throw better than you (I assume) and they probably make contact with the T20 wire a lot more than you do.

[@OFFICIALLYBENPEARCE]

@@doraemon402 then you should get a pro to do the test lol

[@kianallan]

Gary Anderson has at least one bounce out per game.

[@callumharper2747]

Time and effort that goes into these videos is brilliant 👏

[@bencehorvath134]

I have unicorn HD2 board on for 7 months now, and it still looks really good and I use the Nano Grip Storm Points from Target. I had a lot more bounce outs from the Blade 5 DC, but I think the unicorn will last around the same time as Blade 5 did.

[@smiffy7890]

Ive had a Blade 5 DC for about 9 months and it’s held up really well despite me using a point with a little bit of grip on them (diamond cut). I’ve had the same Unicorn board and needed replacing a little after 6 months.

[@dirtyharry2029]

Also I keep 2 sets of darts. One being with long smooth points and another set with grippy long points. One for home play and one for bar/pub play. In the US(Texas for me) the biggest problem I run into is the bull does not hold up well and I personally get a ton of bounce outs on the bull in worn out bar/pub boards.

[@justrdm]

My friend bought the 'Unicorn Eclipse Pro 2' I think. We played on it and the holes wouldn't go away no matter what darts we switch to. They're still there to this day.

[@LukeGaming96]

Yeah that's basically what's happening with my board. I've had mine for about 11 months and most of the wires have out, and that exact same thing has happened with with my brother's board. Not sure whether that's to do with the heat of our rooms or the way the board is made.

[@bjoe385]

Speaking to the landlord of my local pub, the Winmau boards have always lasted longest.

[@cwo4life667]

On my second unicorn board now. First one did great. Very few bounce outs and still looks good after 1000's of darts.

[@STEVIEDVD]

Excellent testing 👍 i bought a gladiator3 180 ive never had to replace it in years, it heals so well. I use the normal smooth points.

[@leeparker1002]

Interesting findings, not quite apples for apple though. Some of the boards use the antiquated taped sisal biscuit method and some don't. Using the old taped method will naturally increase the retention of the sisal as it is gripped around the radius of the biscuit aswell as being glued to the backboard. Of course using taped biscuits in a dartboard will increase the potential of bounce outs as the point cannot penetrate the tape.Aggressive points will destroy the fibres on all boards with the only difference being the retention of the broken fibres by the level of pressure applied.

[@WilliamReginaldLucas]

I've always used Unicorn and with 1-2 hours practice a day I only need to turn it every two or three months so I get a couple of years use out of one. I do have quite a light throw though and don't use grooved points. I've not tried any of the others would love to be able to afford to try a Target board! Used to have an old Winmau board with thick AF wires and tonnes of staples aha

[@antonymaddocks1918]

Thanks for your review on these boards. Can't believe how the unicorn and Winmau turned out on the rough edge darts and the Target looked like the winner in my opinion. I have the one80 Gladiator111+ and i use smooth darts and it's lasting up after 5 months. The Mission Samurai11 is also a good board, but too hard and loud, so that's why i went with the one80 Gladiator111+ because it was quiet and now my neighbours don't bang the wall at me. Thanks again for your review. What about Michael Smith winning the World Championship final and hitting a nine darter and against MVG too....Get in the St Helens in the UK !

[@larshulleman9621]

I have the winmau blade 5. Didn’t even know dartboards could be broken over time

[@justinress2782]

My Target Board looked quite Bad out of the Box. But it somehow looked better After a couple of days of playing. It is the best bang for your Buck Board in my opinion.

[@AdrianRawling]

Interesting video but I personally think the inking straight out the box is far greater on the Winmau. So much more bold. The Unicorn black ink looks grey and dull. Would also be interested to see the bull getting lots of hammer as you can’t rotate that obviously. My B5 DC centre is really dense and firm - incredible durability. Seen many, many Unicorn boards look a pumice stone in the centre. Seriously can’t imagine greater longevity than a Blade 5. I’ve battered mine during the lockdown and it still looks mint.

[@bazellis]

The Target board looks much smaller than the others

[@WeeIslay]

Excellent video Jack and very interesting. Certainly the multitude of points that can be used now show up the differences in the boards. Well done 🎯👍🏻

[@ragdoll2309]

I also use the dart with no grips, I have had Unicorn and Winmau boards. My problem with the Unicorn boards wasn't it being destroyed but that it wouldn't hold onto the dart. The Dualcore was the best for holding onto the dart and not being destroyed.

[@Jim_Newlands]

Good test video, Jack.....cheers. Got me puzzling about which board to go for next, I need a new board and my last few have been the Winmau blade range, but I fancy a change. Might try the target because of what you said about the really small spider they have.

[@bdkurnatusmc]

This was much more informative than I reckoned it would be, good business, Jack. That mount that came with the Bulls board is easy to use, the center piece slides slides out and is screwed into the board, while the big piece with the level is attached to the wall....for those who like to swap boards or move them often? A bit gimmicky, but whatever, I guess. I just don't like that it mounts the board so far out from the wall that it gets a little floppy lol

[@einfachleon_]

_Whitlock has the most aggressive points in the world_ 12:47 Simon Whitlock: *Wait, That‘s illegal.*

[@jimjiggles1474]

I use a longer smooth point and I've always had issues with Unicorn boards and bounce outs after a short amount of time. I went through 3 HD/HD2 boards in the time my Blade 4 lasted. My Blade 5 seems to be keeping up pace too. While not my cup of tea, I don't see a problem aggressive points are fine. If your dartboard can't last 21 legs with moderately aggressive points, redesign your dartboard.

[@stevecollins6858]

I have the target board and i had to really sharpen and scuff the hell out of the arrow on my darts to get them to stick.

[@WJNeweII]

You did miss out on 1 major brand, the owners of the Winmau brand, Nodor. I have 2 boards at home, Winmau Blade 5 Dual Core and the Nodor Supamatch 3, the latter is by far the tougher board.

[@313_webon]

Why do you not link the the dartboard after you review them?...

[@kevspencer5744]

I had a Unicorn eclipse flagship board and after a couple of weeks of hard practice with normal silver smooth points the spider came out of it. I repaired it and it soon fell apart, I thought it was junk for the premium price it cost. I have tried the Winmau diamond and Blade 5 with very heavy daily practice and they were both better than the Unicorn. For the price for heavy practice the Winmau Diamond board was best for me.

[@dkrol997]

Have you ever tried the shot bandit boards?

[@benjamindk3877]

The Unicorn Eclipse HD2 Pro is the board that will be used in all PDC tournaments up to 2022, are there any rumours yet that Unicorn will release a new board by then? I am thinking of buying the HD2 (got already a Blade 5 which is awesome but like to test a Unicorn board) but buying it and Unicorn releasing a new board next year would not be fun..

[@gredangeo]

Really good testing. Video felt thorough. Covers what I wanted to know. Whitlock's darts are likely not the whole problem, but it is a problem for Unicorn's soft boards. Not sure how they might address that later. I was thinking Whitlock was going to get a long chat from Unicorn over his darts at some point. Which by the way, I bought his darts. The points are smooth by default. Barrel is neat, but not my throw style. Unique though. :)

[@TheLoStBoYs89]

that is because Simon doesn't use the damn same points in the sales he uses Allan keys sharpened down he made himself look at the PDC my throw of Simon Whitlock when i heard it i thought WTF? i will not leave a link cause of trust issues, just look it up on youtube it is for real it should not be allowed they are not smooth at all when you see his darts close up.

[@dirtyharry2029]

@@TheLoStBoYs89 He used to do that. Ive since noticed he is using something different in the Matchplay. But ya he 100% annihilated boards with his homemade allen key points when he was using them.

[@Jervo2000]

Can you do an updated video on this with the 3 new Blade 6 boards

[@dirtyharry2029]

I own both the Winmau Blade 5 and the Unicorn Eclipse HD2 boards. I assure you as I like the look of the HD2 better, the Winmau holds up better and I don't even have a Dual Core. I don't use grippy points either. Only Smooth gold points.

[@officialjjx1865]

I've just got into darts about three months ago and was using a round d wire board to start with destroyed it within a week with brother and dad using and just upgraded to a bladed unicorm eclipse pro from back In 2011 time and its really nice board loving it so far really tough

[@bartsmeets2262]

Hey ref, Not sure what you mean with unicorn boards being soft... As i look at a unicorn in a pdc event how shallow the darts sit in the board and compare it to my Winmau blade 6 (single core) at home, my darts go so deep, almost to the barrel (with standard smooth points). In my opinion the unicorn seems harder knowing that pro players throw harder than me and they average use slightly heavier darts. Maybe a possible test for the future to see how deep darts penetrate different boards to define the hardness of a board ? Greetzzz and keep up the nice vids 🤘🏼

[@callumw1059]

I actually enjoy using the unicorn boards more than anything. They look worse for wear than what they actually are. Never had an issue with one before

[@jamiechambers1986]

If you want your darts to grip better just rub the points round a little with some rough emery cloth. You won’t believe how much more they grip the board! And I’m talking a 3 second rub round.

[@harrywalshe7415]

What’s the difference between the unilock system Unicorn board and the one which does not have the unilock system

[@damonirasi1234]

Great experiment. Will help in the purchase of my next DB. Thanks heaps.

[@RealStAndrews]

Great video, thanks for taking the time to make it. Appreciate it.

[@danielsturtridge4494]

Are some boards bigger than others?

[@paul111287]

Aren't groves on the tips for players who use thier fingers to aim the dart using the tip?

[@Cocogomez]

I've had my Blade 4 for four years lads. About 3 hours of play x7 days per week. Spent 10minutes tonight with a block of sand paper smoothing down the bumpy bits and another 30 minutes with a brush, some black and red acrylic paint , painting over the faded bits. Looks decent! Probably extended the life span by another 8 or 9 months! Worth a try.

[@BadgerBotherer1]

I've had my Blade 4 for five years, and still perfectly playable.

[@andrewkinsman6137]

I believe that Whitlock claims that he uses aggressive points because (in his opinion) the Unicorn boards are not consistent across the entire board. Some areas are softer than others, which means that his darts don't consistently stand up the way he wants them to on a Unicorn board, unless he makes the points extremely grippy. The other factor is bounce-outs. Any bounce-out can be really costly on the Pro Tour, so inevitably players are going to use grippier points if they believe that the softness of the Unicorn board may be contributing to more bounce-outs.

[@shanerr7252]

Aren't those mounting things made so you can easily rotate your board? I can't speak for anyone else but if I don't rotate mine every couple of weeks my 20 and around the 60 is fucked haha

[@MethodSpxrkyTheMethodSniperss]

just ordered a winamu board so good video to see how it compares

[@danmiles0833]

I would say that the unicorn is probably made soft as it Is primarily used for tv its probably soft so darts stick in and don't fall out I use a dual core blade 5 as it lasts long but you can often hit a hard spot in the board 👍🏼

[@ViralVideosWTF]

I love playing on a unicorn board but if I practice on one the board doesn’t last long before the metal rings start coming out, so now I use a blade 4 Board it’s lasting really well

[@ViralVideosWTF]

Typo I’m using blade 5

[@pasnig0499]

Unforteanutly the ONE80 Gladiator 3+ is better than the blade 5 i've Played both and just love the G3+

[@TedTheTree]

Yeah, I've used blade boards for years & I ain't gonna change soon either;

[@ironicz123]

The only problem with the unicorn is the numbers are plastic so if they get hit and break that's £12 for a new ring

[@Solo-Anarchist]

Why the 18's and 20's?!? You could have stabbed the 7's and 3's and still have 4 decent boards...

[@TheDartsReferee]

That's not fun though

[@mirobaric2665]

Cant he just rotate the board 🤔🤔🤔

[@focusandefficiency9359]

They should change the rules for aggressive points. The unicorn dart boards are amazing and I love the quietness of them and the look is best too.

[@joemoss7734]

great video. to me the aesthetics and wiring and quality has to go to bulls 5.01... its the best when all things are considered in my opinion. i dont like the target look and wiring in real life.

[@TheLoStBoYs89]

yeah stabbing a dartboard is testing how it should be taken seriously? leave the comment section boards are not meant to be stabbed at they are to be thrown at from a distance not by Michael Myers or Jason.

[@craigmcvay1]

When is the next best board coming out for example Blade 6 whats the next PDC official dartboard ? or even Unicorn HD3

[@BoJangles3105]

The Bulls board is a cheap version of the Puma Bandit (New Zealand) which is/was? the best board in the world but very expensive, a very solid tightly packed board that a lot of mediocre players found it hard to penetrate the sisal. The next best board is any Nodor super series which weren't even mentioned. Anybody who uses knurling on their points, disappoint me. I myself use a Nodor Champions choice (Round Wire) Round wire makes the half-size doubles, trebles and bull even smaller. Only players of superior ability go here!

[@AaronWatson396]

This review had made my mind up its the blade 5 for me always been a winmau fan. New darts player my dad was in the top 16 for getting into the TV events

[@ytlimdivad1874]

I purchased the Unicorn Eclipse HD3 board and I must have gotten a bad bard, the wire wasn't even pushed down, the bed had a lot of imperfections and the outer blade ring was had some dents as well as some of the wires leading into the bull were also bent. I had contacted Unicorn and sent them pictures and my explanations and I never got a answer from them. I like the Unicorn boards just sucks that I got a damaged board.

[@TheDartsReferee]

Where did you buy it from? I've found that places like argos always have shit ones

[@ytlimdivad1874]

@@TheDartsReferee - I got it off Amazon and believe it or not it came from the Unicorn store. I'm not sure why they never got back to me. I just got some pliers and bent them back in shape, I didn't want to try and press the blades in so I just left it as is.

[@TheGor54]

I got an old GLD DEAD ON board that Ive been hitting for 25 years! Not much damage.

[@Redstone656]

I have the Winmau over a year now and it looks like out of the box to be honest. Maybe they changed something but mine is perfect.

[@ianbennett1491]

The bullseye looks pretty central. There's a reason for that.

[@adamkovacs3478]

I got a Harrows Pro matchplay at home and a Blade 5 at my working place. The blade 5 is 2 months old its used everyday by 5-6 person. My Harrows is 1 month old less throws daily but still looks much worse then the Winmau…

[@Vernbernau]

What was the quietest or what is the quietest board??

[@wilson5377]

Update: 6+ years now... The Blade 5 says... "Not Yet"!... to the Blade 6's 👍😎👍 👍...🤔... oh & btw... Don't know Y.. u got this on YT?🙄

[@tropicalpalmtree]

My unicorn eclipse pro is the same, not durable at all, but it's nice to look at and i love the board

[@darbycrash661]

My Shot Bandit Duro is the best board I've ever used. really durable and doesn't wear out. brighter colors.

[@joshkongraw1125]

This video gonna bang.

[@jaywaters307]

Definitely a like for the effort.

[@제이-n1u6s]

타겟사 제품이 가장 좋은건가요?

[@ChemicalShots]

Stabbing the board is a terrible comparison to throwing a dart. Not even comparable

[@Kez1a1]

No Harrows or 180 boards?

[@nicholasduggins8569]

I must say that my 5 month old blade 5 is doing very well. Have just done my first turn today and a lot of the board still looks pristine, barring what used to be the 1, 5 and 20 😂😂

[@nicholasduggins8569]

@Béla Bá that may be so, but the point I'm making here is that I haven't really had to do so, even on around 2 hours a day 🤷‍♂️🤷‍♂️

[@NC2871926]

Should try the Shot Bandit Duro.

[@chadlyttle7982]

Recently got into darts and started watching your vids, 1st thing i noticed in this video is the pokemon frames. Very cool.

[@TheDartsReferee]

Thanks mate, they recently went back into my binder but a very cool set! I ran out of space to display them anymore

[@benkofi8570]

Yet again on80 boards have been slept on.I got a one80 g2 2 months ago and it's phonomenal, only had 2-3 true bounceouts away from the bullseye area and I don't have problems with darts sticking in the board, it's also only £30 on darts corner

[@Jerry-rf8bn]

I would have liked to see a180 Gladiator included in the test.

[@jon-gz4ed]

iv had a winmau blade 5 for just over a year ,i play on it for about 2to 3 hours a day, with rotating its in good condition great boards ,but the blade 4 is a nice board to

[@robertgray6063]

Really interesting Video. Keep up the good work. Ps another great vid would be how to set up for online darts.

[@hessunator]

I've never had any problems with my Unicorn boards. They get way too much stick on social media by people who don't know what they are talking about.

[@alanchapman2782]

I wouldn't touch Unicorn after 3 boards that didn't last longer than 6 months. They swelled, there was no damp/water to cause this, The glue didn't hold. I now use a Nodor, and after 8 months looks great, been hanging in exactly the same place as the Unicorn boards. Pleased that you have had a good experience, but doesn't mean others don't know what they are talking about.

[@Mrfntim]

It would be amazing to see you test this out on a Geologic dart board from Decathlon

[@marvinporsel4249]

Target Pro Tour is so good in 2 years I only use 2 Boards and can still play on the 2nd

[@thomasneumaier3627]

The Unicorn board might have had an advantage because the points could have lost some grip on the first three boards.

[@pirukiddingme1908]

I see the point of some grip at the base of the point, bc I grip with fingers on the point, but whitlocks are just overkill

[@ryangatien6615]

Just ordered my blade 5 dual core, I hope I won't be dissapointed

[@ryangatien6615]

Was hoping that the blade 6 would come out soon, but after reading it might be until 2024, I decided just to get the 5 and wait

[@JakeMartin94]

Winmau Blade 5 is the best board I’ve ever owned

[@sarahwelty9223]

I use 24g Red Dragon darts and don't get me wrong they are brilliant darts but very sharp and quite hard to pull out of the board lol! Great video btw thanks!

[@zorankostur]

I will complet one perfect board with bulls wire and Unicorn board and that'll be 🔝 I see that board on player champios tour,unicorn with tiny wire

[@idi0tdetectioninprogress]

Not just Whitlocks games where the board was in a state last week. Unicorn boards have deteriorated in quality. Around the time of Blade 3 and Eclipse Pro, there really wasn't much to argue over, and it pretty much came down to price or brand loyalty. My view is Unicorn have taken a knock, now that more players are choosing other manufacturers for their equipment and sponsorship. Boards are probably outsourced or they've adopted a cheaper manufacturing process to keep profit margins up.

[@jordanphillips471]

Blade 5 duel core can take anything best all round performing dartboard always had a winmau board and always will

[@TheLoStBoYs89]

Simon Whitlock uses Allan keys sharpened down as points look at my throw with him on it at the PDC youtube channel.

[@WhaattUpp]

I would have used the triple 3 with the diamond dart. Shame to mess up the proper 20s for the video. Outcome would have been the same. Has made me want to buy a new board though. HD2 is looking promising.

[@TheDartsReferee]

Yeah I did think that but I wanted to do it properly and destroy the 20 😂

[@winfield347]

Do not buy the hd2.buy the blade 5 it pisses all over it.

[@dartstoremadriddartstorema4674]

What points do you use

[@luvinqchlo1885]

Aggressive points should be banned they ruin the board and off putting to aim at shabby treble

[@ThatGuyFromQueens]

Great job, thank you for this great video.

[@jdp6764]

I have an unicorn hd2 board and my storm points tore it up in a week. The blade 5 looks better for myself.