Spent $45 on a 'pro' level dart sharpener and it made my darts worse

I got into steel tip darts about 8 months ago and finally upgraded from the free sharpener that came with my board. Found this metal one online that claimed to give tournament grade points. Used it on my favorite set of darts, a 22 gram Harrows Atomic, and it completely changed the tip shape. Now they bounce out of the triple 20 every other throw. I tried three different sets of points and same result. My average actually dropped by about 15 points over a week of testing. Anyone else fall for a tool that made your game worse instead of better?

2 comments

2 Comments

lisa_bennett3d ago

...and that's the thing about these "pro" tools, they're often made for people who have been playing for years and know exactly what they want. A beginner like us doesn't need a sharpener that changes the point geometry, we just need something that keeps the tip from getting too flat. I bought one of those cheap tungsten carbide sharpeners for like 8 bucks at a flea market and it works fine. You just spin the dart a few times lightly, no pressure, and it smooths out the burrs without changing the shape. I've been using it for a year now and my Harrows Predators still fly exactly the same as the day I bought them.

walker.andrew1d ago

Nah, you're overthinking this whole sharpener thing. A burr on the tip isn't going to ruin your game or your darts. It's like worrying about the lint on your sock before you walk across the carpet. Just flick it off and move on. You don't need a special tool for every little thing in life. If it bothers you that much, a quick rub on the edge of a table will do the same thing as that eight dollar flea market find.