Brass
The Brass can be left natural to remain the original colour, or coated with black or even a silver look that mimics Nickel Silver or Tungsten. Barrels can be a range of shapes and sizes with knurling or ringed grips. Weight ranges are varied – so if you are looking for a light, medium or heavy dart – there is something for everyone.
Brass is known as the ‘entry-level’ type dart is made from a soft alloy (copper & zinc) allowing it to be easily machined which makes it a more cost effective choice; the barrels tend to be thicker than Tungsten which can help with grip, but makes it harder to ‘group’ the darts on the board.
Brass is said to have a shorter lifespan compared to Tungsten, but that is mainly due to the fact that Tungsten is super dense and will last a very long time. Your Brass darts should also last a long time – it all depends on how you use them. People with a tight grip that use their darts every day and closely group them on a board, will notice fair wear and tear of the barrel grip and potential burring and scratching if the darts hit each other regularly. But if you are at this stage, it might be a good time to look at Tungsten. If you, like the majority of players, enjoy a throw every now and again, then the wear and tear on your Brass darts would be minimal – we have seen players still using 30 year old darts!
Tungsten
Tungsten is a very heavy and dense material. It is typically mixed with other metals like Nickel to form a Tungsten dart barrel. Because of the density, smaller darts are able to be created that meet the same weight of a bigger brass or steel barrels. It is harder to work with but will typically last longer than brass and nickel silver darts. But due to this, they are more expensive.
There are a few different mixes of Tungsten darts – they can range from 60% to 97% with the remaining made up usually of nickel which helps to avoid the Tungsten chipping. The higher the percentage of Tungsten, the thinner the dart barrel can be made and still maintain the desired weight. The higher the percentage of Tungsten, the more expensive the dart will be.
Comparing sizing between Brass and Tungsten, on average, a 24g Tungsten dart will be ½ the diameter of a 24g Brass dart which will allow for tighter groupings on the board. It is the type of dart skilled and professional players will use – especially in tournaments.
While Tungsten can be coloured, you will find most darts to be in the original silver colour with bright coloured accents throughout the rings or shafts to give it flavour.
The weights are also varied, so you will have no trouble finding the weight you prefer to play with.
So the question is, which one is best for you?
Well, here is a summary of the pros and cons:
BRASS |
TUNGSTEN |
||
| PRO | CONS | PROS | CONS |
| Cost effective | Thicker barrel | Long life | More expensive |
| Different colours | Narrow barrel | ||
| Easily Available | Denser feel | ||
| Varied weights | Varied weights |