The 7 Best Dart Flights: How to Choose Flights for More Impressive Throws
Better Replacement Dart Flights: The Surprisingly Easy Way to Improve Your Game
Tired of flimsy flights falling apart or taking your darts off target? Stress no more! We rounded up the 7 best dart flights, so you can replace with confidence. Whether you’re looking to improve stability, try unique dart flight shapes, throw faster/straighter shots, experiment with molded flights or combined dart flights and shafts, or just pick up a decent value set of flights, we’ll point you in the right direction.
In a hurry? Our overall top choice for replacement dart flight is the Harrows Retina Flight (Mixed Colors), available in standard (great place to start, especially for heavier darts) or slim (tighter groupings, ideal for soft-tipped darts with electronic boards) shapes. Check out the tables below for a quick overview of our top recommended dart flights.
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Quick Overview of Top Dart Flights:
Dart Flight Value Set
If you’re looking for quantity and don’t mind sacrificing some quality, this is our very budget-friendly value flight set. They won’t give you a serious upgrade like the flights in the table above, but these are great to have in the rec room for families, kids, and parties (or in bar settings where darts aren’t as well cared for). Read the full review.
| Table of Contents | |
|---|---|
| Best Dart Flight Reviews: | Best Dart Flights Buying Guide – What to Consider: |
| Harrows Retina Mixed Color | Symmetry |
| Cosmo Darts Fit Flights | Air Resistance – Size & Texture |
| L-Style Flights | Weight & Durability |
| Cuesoul ROST Integrated Shaft & Flights | Flight Shapes & Sizes |
| Ignat Games Dart Flights & Accessories Kit | Cost of Best Dart Flights |
| Viper Dimplex Dart Flights | Design/Appearance |
| Maxmau Dart Flights 48 Flight Sets | Best Dart Flights FAQ |
Best Dart Flight Reviews
If you’re tired of flights bending, ripping, or falling out and want to see improvements in your accuracy and consistency, it’s time to upgrade your dart flights. Despite their small size, flights can really make a difference in your game!
So without further ado, let’s dive into our reviews, starting with our overall winner…
1) Harrows Retina (Mixed Color) Flights:
Overall Best Dart Flights
Bottom Line: For recreational dart players wanting quality flights that last longer and provide greater speed and consistency in your throws, choose these: in standard or slim shapes.
Made by Perfect Darts, these high quality flights come in both slim and standard sizes. These unique dart flights combine a high definition translucent central display (for ensuring consistent throws) with a tough outer laminate (for increased durability).
Their 100 micron weight increases strength without being too heavy, and their smooth surface is designed for speed. These flights will endure far better than the cheap, typical flights: no more flimsy, torn, inconsistent flights for you!
Not only do they perform and last well, but they’re also striking in appearance with multiple colors available. Unfortunately, the colors you receive in each pack are random. These flights are available in sets of 5 flights (15 pieces) or 10 flights (30 pieces), depending on how often you throw. Of course, you’ll save a bit buying the larger package, and it never hurts to have extras around.
For the average dart player, Harrows Retina Mixed Color Flights will provide long-lasting play and great consistency. We think these are the overall best standard dart flights, which work well for larger, heavier, steel-tipped darts (though slims can work too for greater speed and mid weight steel tipped darts). Their slim dart flights are best for soft tipped or lighter standard darts.
If you don’t want slim/standard flights or are an experienced, avid dart player wanting a more specialized set up, check out either the Cosmos Fit Flights or the L-Style Flights below.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| ✅ 2 Styles: Best standard dart flights & best soft tip dart flights in slim shape | 🅧 Random Color Selection |
| ✅ Nice balance between durability and speed | 🅧 Not quite as durable as molded plastic flights |
| ✅ Designed for consistency and accuracy | 🅧 Only available in 2 shapes |
| ✅ Look great and come in multiple colors | |
| ✅ Last longer than typical, cheap flights |
Standard Flights
2) Cosmo Darts Fit Flights:
Best Durable Dart Flights
Bottom Line: For more experienced dart players looking for incredible quality and durability in a unique, easy to assemble system, you need these molded Cosmo Darts Fit Flights.
The Fit Flight system, developed by Cosmo Darts, is an entirely unique dart flight set up. Unlike traditional flights, which fold and slot into slits in the dart shaft, the Fit Flight system has a simple “push in” set up.
The Fit Flight flights themselves are an injection molded plastic resin material that do not fold and offer significantly greater durability. No need to spread your flights to keep them open; you won’t have to worry about tears after just a few games, and you’ll be sure of your flights maintaining their shape and keeping your throws more accurate.
Fit Flights are the best dart flights for durability and ease of installation; however, you do have to use the entire Fit Flight system (available in multiple weights/types, but these titanium shafts are fantastic, if pricey, for steel-tipped darts!), as they won’t fit into a regular slotted shaft. However, the Fit Flight system itself is fantastic, with high quality shafts as well; as a unit, this system also prevents Robin-hooding darts (learn more about that at DartHelp.)
**If you want the increased durability and quality of well-designed molded flights but without the need to upgrade systems entirely, check out the L-style Flights**
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| ✅ Very durable molded plastic (will last much longer than standard flights)Easy “push in” set up for simple, quick assembly | 🅧 Requires the Fit Flight system – only compatible with Fit Flight shafts (will not fit in standard shafts) |
| ✅ Available in many shapes and colors | 🅧 More expensive than other flights |
| ✅ Maintain their shape extremely well, for more consistent throws | |
| ✅ Easy “push in” set up for simple, quick assembly |
Popular Fit Flight Shapes: Standard, Slim, Pear, Kite
3) L-Style Flights
Best Molded Dart Flights
Bottom Line: If you’re an intermediate or experienced player looking for high quality, molded dart flights that don’t require an entire new system, L-Style flights are a fantastic choice and come in numerous shapes.
These unique flights come in 9 different shapes and work well with almost any standard nylon, plastic, or carbon shafts but can also be “upgraded” by using them in conjunction with L-Style Shafts. Because of that flexibility in use, we think these are the best molded dart flights available.
Made from molded plastic, these flights are not only very durable but also hold their shape extremely well, with fins staying firmly at 90 degree angles. Durability is further increased by reinforcement at the top and bottom of the flight, helping to reduce tears or ripping.
When used with the unique L-style champagne rings (not included), an incredible hold is created between flight and shaft, effectively preventing “robin-hooding” of darts. The L-Style flights and champagne rings can be used with almost any shaft, but for an even greater upgrade, check out the L-Shafts for stronger holds and tighter groupings.
If you want the increased durability, shape-retention, and quality of molded flights but don’t want a whole new system like the Fit Flights, choose the L-Style flights. A few of the most popular of these flights are the Standard, Pear, and L3 Dimple (they have multiple custom dart flight shapes), pictured below.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| ✅ Available in 9 shapes and many colors | 🅧 More expensive flights |
| ✅ Unique champagne ring system for a strong hold and preventing “robin hooding” | 🅧 Not ideal for purely recreational or beginner players |
| ✅ High quality, durable, molded flights that retain shape | |
| ✅ Works with almost any standard shaft but can be improved with the L-Shafts |
Popular L-Style Shapes: Standard, Bullet, L3 Pro Dimple
4) Cuesoul Rost Integrated Shaft & Flight:
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Best Dart Shaft and Flight Combination (Best Beginner Shaft & Flight)
Bottom Line: For beginning to intermediate players looking for improved stability and consistency, choose these lightweight combination dart shaft and flights.
Cuesol Rost Integrated Flights combine the shaft and flight of the dart, ensuring an incredibly precise 90 degree that will endure, since flights and shaft are molded as a unit. Available in multiple shaft lengths and 3 shapes (big wing, standard, pear).
The unique material is strong but flexible, and the top edges of the flights have a little extra ribbing to reinforce the flight and improve durability. Because of their integrated nature and their construction material (not a cheap plastic – feels more like a nylon, with a balance of hardness and softness), you can rest assured your flights won’t be the cause of any inconsistencies in your throws.
These are long lasting, stable flights that won’t easily fold, bend, or deform, which can cause inaccurate and inconsistent throws in your game. However, they aren’t super heavy, either; experienced players that like heavier darts should choose a different flight.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| ✅ Combined dart shaft and flight for improved strength and consistency | 🅧 On the lighter side – may not work as well with heavier darts |
| ✅ Durable, long lasting flights | |
| ✅ Precision molding for clean 90 degree angles and no need for spreading or worries of folding/deforming flights | |
| ✅ Available in multiple lengths and shapes |
5) Ignat Games Flights & Accessories
Best for Dart Flight Shape Experimentation
Bottom Line: If you’re not sure what shape flight you prefer, this is a great way to test different shapes and find the the flight shape that works best for you. Bonus extra goodies included too!
For those wondering about the best shape for dart flights, it comes down to what works best for you, and the best thing to do is experiment with multiple options. Luckily for you, Ignat Games has a great set available designed with experimentation in mind.
You’ll get six sets of flights (18 total pieces) in six shapes (standard, slim, vortex, pear, shield, fantail) as well as 2 sets of 3 of aluminum shafts to try (2 lengths). Be sure to select this set version at checkout, as there are also large sets of slim or standard flights available.
Ignat also includes a variety of tools and accessories. Use the included O-rings to prevent the shaft from loosening, and try out the flight protectors, which keep your flights spread and even during flight and provide a little bit of protection from wear and tear in tight groupings. The multi-use dart tool even doubles as a bottle opener.
Choose the Ignat set (be sure to choose the version with 6 different shapes!) to discover which dart flight shape you like best!
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| ✅ Includes 6 sets of flights in 6 shapes and 2 sets of aluminum shafts in 2 lengths | 🅧 Not as durable or high quality as other dart flights (but better than the big value sets and great for beginners) |
| ✅ Includes accessories (o-rings, flight protectors, multi-use dart tool) | 🅧 Some quality control issues where users occasional receive a kit with a missing or damaged part: contact the company if this rare issue occurs for you |
| ✅ Nice, colorful but simple appearance |
6) Dimplex Dimpled Dart Flights:
Best For Improved Stability on Light Darts
Bottom Line: If you’re looking for sturdier, more secure replacement dart flights, especially for soft-tipped or lightweight darts, that keep your throws more stable and accurate, you’ll want to give these Dimplex Flights a shot.
Dimplex flights are characterized by the tiny dimples on the flight, which are intended to increase drag slightly. The texture actually makes them less aerodynamic than smooth flights, the idea being these flights will stabilize less straight throws a little, as the deviation from the straight line will get “corrected” a bit by the increased drag.
It’s the same basic concept as dimpling on a golf ball, but because darts fly for only a matter of feet, the effect is admittedly less impactful on a dart. Still, if you find yourself throwing less accurately than you’d like, with shots going just a bit off-kilter, it’s worth checking out these dimplex dart flights to see if they could improve your game.
The improved stability will be even more noticeable with lighter darts (making them good soft-tipped dart flights for electronic dart boards). Also, they’re a definite quality upgrade from the cheap flights that come with the darts included when you buy a board, so they make great replacement dart flights.
They’re thicker and sturdier flights, and they fit very snugly into the slots of a standard shaft, keeping them secure during throws. Be sure to insert these flights carefully into the shaft to avoid bending.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| ✅ Dimpled surface designed to improve accuracy and stability of throws (best with lighter darts) | 🅧 The textured surface will have less impact on heavier darts (so less ideal for serious players throwing heavy darts) |
| ✅ Nice upgrade to cheap flights, such as those included with most dart boards | 🅧 Because they are thicker and designed to fit tightly, you’ll need to insert them into the shaft carefully to avoid bending or deforming |
| ✅ Thicker and more durable than thin, flimsy flights (think massive bulk sets) | |
| ✅ Fit securely into slots of a standard dart shaft |
7) MAXMUA 144 Piece Dart Flight Set
Best Value Set of Flights
Bottom Line: If you’re looking for quantity and don’t mind sacrificing some quality, pick up this budget-friendly value flight set.
Great to have on hand for parties (remember those electronic dart boards that can handle up to 16 people?!) or even just for the family game room when younger players might be missing the target more than hitting it at first.
These flights are definitely thinner and flimsier than any of the previous mentions, but they’re insanely inexpensive. You’ll get a variety of colors/designs, and the pack includes both slim and standard flights. They aren’t high quality, durable flights for serious (or even amateur) darts players, but this massive set of value flights will work just fine for purely recreational settings or for kids!
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| ✅ Incredible value – 144 flights (48 sets) | 🅧 Not high quality flights – less durable and thinner than other choices |
| ✅ Many designs and colors | 🅧 Not for serious dart players |
| ✅ Includes slim and standard flights | |
| ✅ Decent set for parties and purely recreational settings |
Best Dart Flight Buying Guide
Symmetry
Flights need to remain symmetrical (not flattening in the air or shifting the spread) in order to stabilize the dart on its path to the board. Good quality dart flights don’t deform or flatten during flight and keep your dart properly on course.
Air Resistance – Size & Texture
The air resistance of the dart/flights has a significant impact on your game. Smaller, smoother, more compact flights slice through the air, allowing greater speed, though these aren’t the best dart flights for more angled, less straight-on throws.
On the other hand, larger and more heavily textured darts increase the drag factor, with more surface area to catch the air, as it were. These larger flights are slower but also have usefulness, as these are the best dart flights for those wanting a greater ability to angle their dart path. The textured flights can also help stabilize the path, especially of lighter darts, improving accuracy slightly.
Consider both texture and size when determining the ideal level of air resistance for your dart flights. For those that prefer a middle ground, go for something smooth but a bit larger (Like the Harrows Retina Standard flights.)
Weight
While the majority of the weight of a dart is in the body and tip, the dart flight still contributes to the overall weight of the dart. If you’re throwing soft lobs, choose slightly heavier and larger dart flights to allow for that increased drag factor to affect the dart as it slows and drops slightly on its course.
These heavier flights are also utilized more frequently for longer, steel-tipped darts, which are used in bristle (or cork/wood) dart boards. With longer body and heavier body/tip combination, lightweight flights may not provide sufficient balance to the dart as a whole, causing the body/tip-heavy dart to tip downward during flight, impacting accuracy and sometimes ending up with darts on the floor instead of the board.
Conversely, the best dart flights for straight, fast shots with lots of power are generally the sleeker, lighter weight flights. These smaller, more compact options are also usually the best dart flights for soft tipped darts (used with electronic dart boards) and darts with smaller bodies (shorter shafts).
Weight Ratings & Weight
As you shop for the dart flights, you’ll often see weight measured in microns, ranging from the very light 75 micron all the way up to 150 micron and heavier fully molded plastic flights.
- 75 microns – used recreationally and as beginner flights: offer decent control but damage most easily
- 100 microns – the most common flight weight: a nice balance of speed and control with more durability than the 75 micron flights
- 150 microns – Stronger still, these have increased durability and stability, though a little less speed, and preferred for lobs
- Molded plastic – heaviest option but certainly the most durable and tend to stay securely fastened to the shaft – often utilized by more experienced dart players with heavier darts
Durability
If you’ve ever been disappointed with the flights on the darts that came with your dart board, you know what I’m talking about. No one wants flimsy flights that lose their shape or fall apart after a few throws. The best dart flights will have a greater degree of durability.
Weight and durability correlate, as you saw above; as a general rule, the heavier the flight, the more durable it will be, standing up to more throws and occasional drops than lightweight counterparts. The heaviest, molded plastic options give you the greatest durability, though you’ll want to consider carefully your throwing style and dart weight to decide if these durable but also heavier flights are the ideal for you.
The flight’s material also plays a part in its durability. Most flights are made of plastic, polyester, or nylon. Nylon tend to be very durable, being more tear-resistant in nature. Plastic varies: lightweight, thin plastic has the least overall durability, though plastic does offer flexibility, which can be nice for tight groupings. Heavier, molded plastic or plastic/resin materials offer excellent durability. Polyester generally falls somewhere in the middle.
So what’s the best material for dart flights? Well, it comes down to how significant a part durability, weight, and sturdiness play in your search. This likely depends on how often and in what situations you throw darts as well as your experience level. Are you throwing in tournaments? At the bar? In larger party settings at home? In the family rec room with kids?
Dart Flight Shapes & Sizes
Just like there are different style barrel shapes, different tips, and some variety of shaft length, dart flights have a pretty wide range of sizes, shapes, and styles. Below we’ll review some of the most common dart flight shapes, but many brands have custom flight shapes as well to consider.
Standard: This is the classic and largest; if you’re just starting out, playing recreationally, or just want a good flight and don’t want to overthink it, standard shape flights are the go-to. They offer great stability, helping to keep your throws straight and level.
Slim – Smaller and more compact in nature, slim flights are great for throwing with strength and speed. Due to their smaller nature, they work well with shorter, lighter darts and are often used with soft-tipped darts on electronic dart boards. They also allow for very tight groupings.
Teardrop – Also thought of as pear shaped, these flights provide greater lift while still keeping a smaller design. The unique flight shape also helps to improve accuracy. If you struggle to hit where you’re aiming, you might give teardrops a try.
Kite – Like slim flights, kite shaped flights also allow for nice, tight groupings, and these flights increase control as well.
No 6 – These are like the standards but with a narrowing at the top ; they’re versatile and offer nice lift and stability and make excellent dart flights for beginners and intermediate players.
Lantern – Lantern shaped flights offer stability combined with the ability to keep the tail of the dart down– helpful if your throws often land with the tip below the tail. Lanterns fall somewhere between standard and slim for size, and thus offer a little more speed than the standard but not quite as much as a slim.
This is not a comprehensive list; there are many more shapes/styles of flights, as you can see here on A-Z Darts, but these are very common ones. It can be difficult to decide on the best shape for dart flights, so it can be very helpful to experiment: grabbing this Ignat set is a great starting place to try multiple unique dart flight shapes.
Cost of Replacement Dart Flights:
As with most sports equipment, there’s quite a range in cost for replacement flights. You’ll encounter anything from the more expensive molded-plastic flights, sold in a single set for around $8-15ish, to the extreme value sets of 30+ sets of flights for $15-20 with a tremendous number of flight packages falling between those extremes.
Flights are consumable and will need to be replaced over the course of playing darts; no flights will last forever, but there’s quite a range in cost (and quality). In the end though, replacement flights aren’t extremely expensive.
If you’re new to darts, it can be nice to try out a wide variety of flights to figure out the best dart flight shape for you without buying the high end versions just yet. Experiment with this Ignat set to find what you like.
Design/Appearance
In addition to the wide range of styles, shapes, and weights, dart flights come in a dizzying array of designs, from bright colors and geometric patterns to unique graphic design prints, flags, and so so much more.
As fun as your choices may be, though, when it comes to choosing replacement dart flights, appearance shouldn’t be a primary consideration. Luckily, though, most flights come in either very classic/minimalist style designs or in at least some brighter colors or patterns.
Dart Flight FAQs
How do I choose the best dart flight for my game?
Honestly, the best thing you can do to improve your game is experiment! Now that you have a solid understanding of the basics impacting your best dart flight choice, you can pay attention to your throws (accuracy? speed? hard/fast or lob? stable flight? tip or tail dipping?) and start making adjustments accordingly.
For the average dart player, we recommend the Harrows Retina Mixed Color packs (we find these to be the best slim or standard dart flights for most players: solid quality but without the level of expense that comes with the next tier up molded flights). Still, testing out several top choices will allow you to tweak your darts and improve your overall game. Luckily, even the best dart flights are relatively inexpensive, so experimentation won’t set you back too much! You can find most of our dart flights on Amazon, so you pick up a couple versions and figure out what you like best.
Make sure you consider your darts (body/tip) and board, as well; remember, you want to be throwing at a decent board! See our review of the best electronic dart boards if you want the fun of darts but with increased safety and easy, electronic scoring (great for families/kids). We think the best soft tip dart flights are the slim versions of the Harrows Retina.
How do I keep my flights symmetrical?
Before throwing your darts, you’ll want to ensure the fins are symmetrical, sitting at 90 degree angles to each other. If your flight has deformed slightly, spread the fins back into proper place.
You can also purchase flight protectors to eliminate the need for spreading your flight before throwing the dart. Molded plastic flights, such as the Fit Flights and L-Style flights, as well as integrated shaft/flight combos like the Cuesol ROSTs, will retain their shape and won’t require spreading.
How long should a set of flights last?
This is based largely on the durability of your flights and your skill level/play style (kids learning to throw darts and hitting the wall, the ground, etc. with the tail are going to have more wear and tear on the flights than an amateur with a couple years of playing). Cheap poor quality flights might only last a game or two, whereas more durable, better quality flights could last numerous games in the hands of a skilled player.
The best way to tell when it’s time to swap out the flight is to pay attention to the accuracy of the flight path. If you start to notice your dart flying more erratically, replace the dart flight. Of all the parts of a dart, the flight are going to need changing the most often. Luckily, they’re also the cheapest to replace!
How tight should flights fit?
Flights should fit tightly into the shaft with a snug, secure fit, allowing for a smooth and steady flight. If the flight moves freely or feels wobbly, it’s not properly secured in the shaft. If you notice flights not staying in the shaft, it’s also possible your shaft has worn out and needs to be replaced.
Do All Flights Work with All Shafts?
No. Some flights only work with certain shaft systems (like Cosmos Fit Flights, for example), so make sure you look at how the flights should attach to the shafts to ensure you have the proper combination.
What dart flights do the pros use?
Bottom line? Pros use the darts and flights that best fit their personal style and integrate perfectly with their entire dart construction. The consider weight, shaft length, flight shape –all of it– as a unit. Many pros use standard shaped dart flights, but not all; it comes down to personal preference.
If you want to play with the setup of some of the pros, check out these options (but be prepared: these are entire setups, and even a single set of darts will cost you!)
- Red Dragon Peter Wright Snakebite Mambas: used by Scottish pro Peter Wright, the 2020 World Darts Championship winner
- Unicorn 2019 Edition: as used by World Champion Gary Anderson (including his personalized Ultrafly Flights; you can really see what dart flights the pros use here)
- Target Darts RVB95: named for their user, the Dutch pro Raymond Van Barneveld
- Target Darts Power 9Five Generation 5: used by the wildly successful (and 6 time PDC player of the year winner) pro Phil Taylor
Which Dart Flights Are Best?
Hopefully by now you’re realizing that to choose the best dart flight, you have to consider your play style, skill level, goals, and overall set up. If you’re uncertain where to start, we recommend sticking to our top choice for replacement dart flights: the Harrows Retina (Mixed Color) Flights, in Standard or Slim shapes, as seen below.
These are an excellent starting point and a great choice for recreational dart players wanting good quality flights that are more durable and help to improve the speed and consistency of their throws.
Overall Best Dart Flights: Harrows Retina Mixed Color: Standard or Slim
Best Dart Flights Wrap Up
In the end, you’ll have to work through some trial and error to decide the ideal replacement dart flights for your particular game/throwing style, but here’s a quick overview of the flights we’ve discussed here today. Do you have a favorite dart flight shape or a replacement flight you recommend that didn’t make the list? Let us know in the comments below!
Dart Flight Value Set
If you’re hunting for the budget friendly option designed more for purely recreational settings, look no further than this value set. They aren’t the same level of quality as those above, but they’re great for hosting large parties or for kids and families just playing around at home!