8 Best Electronic Dart Boards for Your Money in 2019

Thanks to the growing interest in electronic dartboards, there is a staggering number of models available on the market.

Depending on the person and their need, each board can serve them well.

In this section, let’s discuss what all factors you should consider before you decide on an electronic dartboard.

Material

The material that makes the face of the dartboard is an essential factor when selecting your board.

Usually, soft top boards have plastic faces, but be warned that not all plastics are created equal.

If you’re looking for a good quality soft tip dartboard, then you should go for one with a nylon face. Nylon is stronger than other plastics and can take up a lot of throws.

Some people prefer to use regular darts on their electronic dartboards. In this case, nylon will last longer than any other plastic. It can also save you good money as time progresses.

You can also opt for cheaper options that come with PE plastic. While the initial cost is cheap, PE is not that great in the long run. They are less durable when compared with nylon.

If you plan to use steel tip darts, PE and other plastics don’t stand a chance.

Number of Players Supported

You must take into consideration how many players you want to play darts.

If you just want to hang out with your best buddy, then you can go for cheap models as they can accommodate only two players.

Or if you want to throw a bigger party in your garage, then there are models that can accommodate up to 8 or even 16 players at the same time.

Getting a bigger model would mean good practice if you’re gearing up for a tournament.

As the number of players supported increases, the cost also goes up as well. So it is up to you to strike the right balance in this case.

Preloaded Games

How many games do you want to be preloaded in your electronic dartboard?

Most of the boards come with a lot of games that’ll keep you engaged. Some can have up to 50 games with around 200 variations built-in. This is a lot of option for any player.

Some of the favorite games are Cricket, 01 games, All fives, Count up, Around the world, Baseball, Shootout, Shanghai, Gotcha Legs, Killer, High score, Double down and more.

Even in these games, you usually get a lot of variations.

When it comes to 301 and 501 games, you get variations like single in/single out; double in/double out; single in/double out; and more.

If you love playing cricket, there are variations like low-ball cricket, wild card cricket, quick cricket, cutthroat cricket, and more.

Having more games and variations will, of course, increase the price of the board. Having more games to select from can also lead to the problem of plenty.

Decide if you have to have these many options and proceed accordingly.

LED or LCD Display

Electronic boards give you the option of choosing between an LED or an LCD screen.

The display is useful for showing the score, players, other important details.

The cheaper models come with an LCD display. The LCD screen is not vibrant and has dull input. In some models, you might even have difficulty in reading the scores from the throwing distance.

We’d recommend you to opt for a model with an LED display.

The LED screen usually have more vibrant colors that are easy to read from the 8-foot throwing distance.

They can also distinguish between scores, player names and other details by changing the colors.

If you’re not constrained by budget, we’d highly recommend you take the LED display route.

Scoring Formats

Another important criterion to keep in mind is the scoring format supported in the dartboard.

If you’re a fan of multi-player games involving 8 or more players, you might want to see a lot more detail on the display than just your own scores.

In lower budget boards, the display will not show more than two scores at a time which might be a problem when more players are involved.

When the display shows more information, you, as a player, get an idea as to where you stand in the game. Even if you don’t want to go overboard with this, pick a board that shows at least four scores at a time.

Size

Size of your dartboard is not that big of an issue if you’re getting one for home use.

But if you’re bringing one home with the idea of practicing for tournaments, then you must get the right size.

The most common size for electronic boards is 15 inches. This is nothing but the size of the target surface. This size should be fine for home use and local tournaments with friends.

But when you need to practice for bigger tourneys, it is crucial that you need smaller size boards around 13.5 inches. Big tournaments usually use smaller sized boards as they make it more difficult for the players.

Power

Why is power a factor you ask?

The power input for your electronic dartboard certainly plays a role depending on where you plan to mount your board.

If you don’t have a power outlet near your mounting point, you can go with dartboards that are battery powered.

If you have a power outlet nearby, then a dartboard that takes in AC electricity should be fine. Since you’ll need AC power, be sure to check for an adapter when purchasing.

Tracking and Interactivity

Some models come with tracking and interactive features.

By tracking, we mean that the board can track the scores effectively. It not only tracks but also presents the data in nice formats like scoring averages, points per dart, and more.

With interactive features, you can take your dart game to the next level.

You can coordinate your scores with other leagues via an Android or iOS application. You might be throwing darts alone in your garage, but will be playing again many players worldwide.

Sound Effects

While this is not very important to the core gameplay, it can add a bit of fun when you’re slightly down.

Some dartboards come with sound effects that can cheer you up. You can also have a sound effect for near-perfect throws and so on.

There is also a ‘heckler’ feature which takes you down after a bad throw. Not many find it amusing as it can be distracting, but spectators have always had some fun with it.

Bounce Out Feature

One of the more common problems with soft tip darts is the bounce out problem. This is when the dart doesn’t stick to the board and falls off.

To tackle this problem, the target face of the board should be made of a high-quality material like nylon or any other plastic that is durable.

Another way to minimize bounce-outs is to make sure that the scoring dividers are as thin as possible.

The makers of these boards are aware of this problem. In some boards, bounce-outs that are hit hard enough will still register a score. This is a nice feature for children and amateur players.

Cost

This is a significant factor that you can’t ignore.

The simple truth is that electronic dartboards are a lot more expensive than your bristle dartboards. The latter will cost about $30 to $40 at best while the latter can range from $30 to $500.

This is not to scare you away from soft tip boards. Depending on the features you need in your board, the cost will vary.

For an excellent electronic dartboard with decent features, the price range will vary between $150 to $300.

If this range breaks your bank, feel free to go with a cheaper model but be informed that you’ll miss some key features.

Brands

Another surefire way to not get a lousy product is by going with well-known brands.

Some of the famous electronic dartboard brands are

• Arachnid 360
• Viper
• Fat Cat
• Black Widow Darts
• Elkadart

Arachnid is one of the first and the foremost electronic dart board manufacturers and is a common name among dart players. They have been making these since 1975 which is a rich history.

The other brands we mentioned also have their own history. Feel free to learn more about them if you want to take the brand route before making your purchase.

Extras

Be on the lookout for some extra accessories.

These are not vital but if you can get some darts extra or an extra adapter for free, why miss the opportunity.