Dartboards

The Best Sisal London Trebles (Standard) Dartboards

 

Dartboard Wires / Blades / Surface / What is the Best?

Winmau Blade X Dartboard

 

 

When it comes to dartboards I always say buy the best you can and I will explain why.

This page concentrates on one type of dartboard only. The most commonly used and the best known. It is the London Trebles dartboard, or, as some call it, the standard dartboard.

Over the last couple of decades, the dartboards have advanced more than in the previous seventy years. At the high end of the market, the disappearance of round and triangular wired dartboards in favour of the blade divider. The advantages of this type of dartboard become glaringly obvious the first time you play on one. The blade dividers are designed to reduce bounce-outs as the blade wiring system, sometimes referred to as the spider (spider's web), has no fixing pins. The Blade is cut straight into the sisal, giving a clean edge that doesn't twist, unlike wired boards. Most major manufacturers sell Blade construction dartboards, but only one bears the name Blade: Winmau.

 

Winmau Blade X

Winmau launched its Blade X on January 29, 2026. And when it comes to evolution, it is pretty easy to see why the PDC use the boards over others. Professional players are likely to agree that the Winmau Blade X, made from African sisal, is the best dartboard to own and play upon.

All Winmau dartboards use premium African sisal. It is softer and more durable than some others, which is why their relationship with this product has remained true for many years.

The evolution of the Blade dartboard has seen the original sisal 'biscuits' (the highly compressed coil-wrapped type, which displayed the traditional veins on a dartboard) removed from the surface playing area. The core sisal system is now employed at the premium end of dartboard manufacture.

The core system is important because the playing surface is less dense, which allows the dart point to penetrate more easily and deeper, holding the dart true. There are no sisal wrapping veins to hit, eliminating dead areas of the scoring surface. The softer sisal top heals better, and the visibility of a dart, once removed from the dartboard, is reduced.

The Blade system of the Blade X and the Blade 6 Triple Core System allows the Blade to embed deeply into the dartboard's bonding system, which holds the Blade in place and reduces the likelihood of protrusion, unlike earlier versions of this type of Blade system. Each Blade X component is there for a reason, making it the best dartboard made to date.

The numbering is clear but doesn't dominate or distract from the target area, and the additional High Grade Polymar Bezel not only provides extra protection against a stray dart but also finishes the board and gives a clean, modern aesthetic look to the dartboard.

Like most dartboards, the ring numbering system can be rotated through 360’ to allow for even board wear. Yet for the first time, the Blade X Dartboard comes with a Five-Year Warranty. It seems Winmau have true faith in their latest creation.

 

 

Winmau has secured a 'record-breaking' 10-year PDC extension to provide dartboards that will feature in the stage tournaments. The New Winmau Blade X is now the Official PDC dartboard of choice, and will feature in PDC events in 17 countries worldwide in 2026

 

Winmau Blade 6 Triple Core and Other Blade Dartboards

 

 

 

It seemed challenging to improve on Winmau's Blade 5 Dartboard, but the manufacturer has looked at every detail, from how the sisal is attached to the rear of the board to how it flows into the high-scoring areas. The Winmau Blade 6 Triple Core Carbon, launched in October 2021, has made numerous improvements from its predecessor.

The dartboard still features an African Kenyan Sisal, which I find softer, less brittle and more durable. The softer-facing sisal allows the dart point to penetrate deeply into the firmer sisal beneath, reducing bounce-outs and dead areas. However, Winmau has gone further by redesigning the blade wiring to make the sisal flow naturally into each high-scoring area of the dartboard. The bullseye has also been redeveloped to eliminate dead areas that sometimes appear on other boards.

In addition, the sisal is embedded in a carbon fibre glue compound that holds it in place better than any previously made board, allowing for outstanding durability. The numbering system has also been redesigned, and the Blade 6 Triple Core Carbon now features a laser-cut metal numbering system that doesn't dominate or glare. It is clear and well contrasted against the black background.

In January 2022, Winmau was announced as the New Dartboard Sponsor for the PDC, replacing Unicorn, which had been the sponsor for 25 years. In January 2026, the Blade 6 Triple Core Carbon was again upgraded to the Blade X. The Blade wiring is now a cleaner, more visible design, and the outer ring also received a bezel cover.
In 2026, the Winmau Blade X became the PDC's official dartboard for all its major tournaments. The first tournament the new Winmau Blade X dartboard was used for was fittingly the PDC Winmau Masters in January 2026.

 

But what about the other Blade Type Dartboards?

 

 

The Unicorn Eclipse Ultra was part of the 2022 product range. It is at the top of the current Unicorn dartboard range and was the board of choice for the PDC endorsed until 2022. The Unicorn dartboard probably got more TV Coverage than any other dartboard on the market. The new numbers are highly visible, and the playing and wiring are the best Unicorn offers. Unicorn also sells replacement high-visibility metal number rings. Although the board looks superb on TV, it may not be the best choice for everyone.

In January 2022, Unicorn pulled out of the sponsorship deal they had held with the PDC for 25 years.

In 2025, Unicorn replaced its premier darts board with a new version, the Eclipse Ultra 2.0, as shown above. The New dartboard features a new spider wire coated with revolutionary Black Venom anti-glare technology, ensuring clear visibility and sharper segment definition, even under bright lighting. The playing surface utilises pioneering Abyss Printing to deliver ultra-high-contrast printed segments.

The Tagert TOR Dartboard became the WDF dartboard sponsor for the 2025 World Darts Championships.

Mission sponsors the UK County Darts and has become a mainstream top-level provider of dartboards and dart equipment. The Mission Samurai Infinity Dartsboard will be used for the first time at the 2024 WDF World Darts Championship. 2025 Mission launches its latest version, the Samurai 4

 

 

Not all blade constructions have a governing body's logo; that does not mean these boards are of lesser or inferior quality. Above are three dartboards that are as good as their endorsed partners. The three I have selected above are all blade construction and, in recent years, have come to eliminate the paper or, in some cases, the plastic veins. The dartboard construction process causes the veins. Several sisal 'biscuits' are compressed together to form a dartboard. Where the sisal 'biscuits' meet, a vein forms. Duo Core or double-layered sisal boards tend to have a traditional sisal biscuit at the rear and a single, compressed sisal layer at the top, which is softer.

Although can veins appear on most earlier and entry-level dartboards, they are relatively thin, and they don't usually cause a problem. However, on the odd occasion, mainly when the dartboard is worn, a dart hitting a joint vein may not stay on the board; hence, these three don't make my top three. The Nodor Supermatch 5, Target Tor and Harrows Gladiator III are all superb high-end dartboards. With regular turning, all of these boards.

The One180 Gladiator III Dartboard is one of many approved dartboards by the WDF, and different dartboards have been used with some of their major tournaments, including the Mission Samari.

 

Diamond Wire Dartboard

 

Ok, we have had a look at the top-of-the-range. The Blade boards, so what about the rest?

Next up is the pub and club favourite. The Diamond/triangle wire boards. Although the boards are again made from high-quality sisal, they won’t be dual-core and will have veins. Until recently, all bristle(sisal) dartboards were made this way. The diamond wire is supposed to deflect a dart hitting it into the board! Well, depending on the trajectory angle, it will; however, these wires are pinned to the sisal and are at least 50% thicker than the blade construction, hence more bounce outs.

Generally, these are good dartboards, but over time, the pins loosen, and the wire turns and deforms. A dart hitting the wire can bend it, and usually this happens in the treble twenty area. If the board becomes too worn, the wire can completely turn, leaving a flat surface facing up, which will increase bounce-outs. My advance buy a Blade board!

 

The Round Wire Dartboard

 

This construction has been around for many years. Again, pinned to the sisal as per the diamond wire, and it is a good entry-level dartboard. If you are new to darts and want a decent dartboard to hone your skills, go for this type of board. If darts don’t grab you, at least you haven’t spent too much on the top-of-the-range. If it does make your second board a Blade, you will see the difference.

Although the round wires are the thickest overall, they are also the cheapest.

Another pointer to look for if you are buying a wired board, not a blade: check the pinning construction. Most of these days are pinned within the treble and double areas; however, if you can find one with its pins on the outer side of the trebles, then these don’t obscure the treble and double bed. These boards may also have more pins because they are pinned on both sides of the highest-scoring segments, allowing less movement in the wire and hence a better construction.

You will find some manufacturers now only make one type of board, the blade. This is because others have fallen a little out of fashion, and once you have owned a blade board, you won’t go back to a diamond or round wire.

 

 

My thanks to the Winmau Dartboard Company and other Dartboard Manufacturers for use of their images