Picks
The Best Electronic Dart Boards
Automatic scoring is the whole point. Here is which boards do it well, and what you give up to get it.
How these picks were made: from published manufacturer specifications, governing-body standards and the room arithmetic - not from first-hand use. We have not played on these tables. Read the method.
Electronic boards exist for one reason and it is a good one: scoring. The arithmetic in 501 and the bookkeeping in cricket are what stop casual players playing, and a board that handles both keeps people at the oche.
What electronic boards do well
- Scoring, obviously. No paper, no arguments, no one person stuck doing maths all evening.
- Handicap modes. Letting a strong player start from a higher score is what makes a mixed-ability group playable, and it is built in.
- Game variety. Twenty to forty game modes, many of which you will never use and three of which will become house favorites.
- Safety. Soft tips do not punch holes in drywall and are far less alarming around children.
- Noise, in one sense. No thud into sisal. (They make a different noise instead; see below.)
What they do badly
- Bounce-outs score as misses. A dart that hits a segment divider and falls out is recorded as a zero, and there is no appeal. This is the single biggest complaint about electronic boards and it is inherent to the design.
- Segment feel. Plastic with holes does not feel like sisal, and the dart does not sit the same way.
- Noise, in the other sense. The clatter of a plastic tip plus the electronic voice announcing scores is, for many people, louder overall than a sisal board.
- Lifespan. A sisal board self-heals for years. An electronic board lasts until its electronics fail.
Quick picks
| # | Product | Best for | Board type | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arachnid Cricket Pro Electronic Dartboard | A dedicated game room | LED display, large game list | |
| 2 | Gran Board 3s Bluetooth Electronic Dartboard | A shared house | Bluetooth, app scoring | |
| 3 | Viper 787 Electronic Soft-Tip Dartboard | A first electronic board | Entry, many game modes | |
| 4 |  Winmau Blade 6 Triple Core Dartboard | The sisal alternative | Steel tip, no scoring |
The picks
#1 · A dedicated game room
Arachnid Cricket Pro Electronic Dartboard
Soft-tip electronic scoring with a long game list and an LED display. Scoring is the feature; the throw is quieter than steel tip.
The full-featured electronic board: automatic scoring, a long game list and an LED display that several people can read from the oche. The game list is genuinely used in a house with mixed ability.
- What works
- Large, readable display
- Deep game list including handicap modes
- Established, widely supported
- What does not
- Loud - the plastic clatter plus the electronic voice
- Bounce-outs register as misses
#2 · A shared house
Gran Board 3s Bluetooth Electronic Dartboard
Bluetooth scoring to a phone app with online play. Also the quietest electronic board most people have thrown at.
Scoring runs to a phone app rather than an on-board display, which makes it quieter and opens up online play against other boards. In an apartment or a house with sleeping children, the noise difference is the deciding factor.
- What works
- Quietest electronic board here
- App scoring is clearer than an LED strip
- Online play against real opponents
- What does not
- Requires a phone and an app each session
- Smaller segment area than a full cabinet board
#3 · A first electronic board
Viper 787 Electronic Soft-Tip Dartboard
An entry electronic board with the usual pile of game modes. Soft-tip darts mean no holes in the drywall behind it.
The entry point. The usual pile of game modes, basic display, soft tips that do not mark the wall. Fine for a family room where the alternative was no board at all.
- What works
- Lowest price here
- Soft tips mean minimal wall protection needed
- What does not
- Sensor accuracy is the weakest here
- Display is hard to read from the oche
#4 · The sisal alternative
Winmau Blade 6 Triple Core Dartboard
The league standard. Dense sisal and very thin wire, so bounce-outs drop and the segments stay tight after a season of use.
Included as the comparison. If nobody actually needs automatic scoring - and a phone app scores a sisal board perfectly well - a league sisal board is the better board by a wide margin.
- What works
- Better feel than any electronic board
- No electronics to fail
- What does not
- No scoring; steel tips need wall protection
Reducing bounce-outs
- Use the right tips. Worn or deformed soft tips bounce. They are consumable - replace them rather than persevering.
- Keep the darts light. Soft-tip boards are designed around lighter darts; a heavy steel-tip-weight dart bounces more and stresses the segments.
- Check the board is square to the wall. A board mounted with the top tilted out catches more darts on the dividers.
- Replace the segment faces when the holes widen. Most boards sell replacements, and it restores grip.
How these were chosen
On published scoring capability, display type, game list, connectivity and intended throw distance. Bounce-out behavior is a property of the plastic-segment design rather than a measurement we took - we have not thrown at these boards.
