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After comparing reviews from experts on the best dartboard setups and putting in nearly 15 hours of research and testing, our top pick for the best basement dartboard this time around is the Viper Shot King Regulation dartboard. Made of tough, compressed sisal fiber, it comes with a staple-free bullseye to avoid bounce offs, and six steel tip darts are included.
In choosing the best basement dartboard for your game room, we looked for the best electronic dartboard as well as the best regulation size bristle dart boards. We looked for durable materials like galvanized steel and dense sisal fiber. We also checked for clear markings and extras like scoreboards and a dart holder. Keep reading to learn about high-quality basement dartboards and other sports equipment available for purchase.
Award: TOP PICK
WHY WE LIKE IT: This regulation size dartboard is made from tough, resilient sisal fibers and has galvanized steel wires and a removable number ring that you can rotate in order to let the fibers heal.
This durable bristle dartboard is made to regulation size and has proper markings for a real game of darts. It’s made of compressed sisal fiber, which gives it very good durability and allows darts to stick with very few bounce offs. It also has a staple-free bull’s eye which helps avoid bounce-outs throughout your man cave.
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The number ring is moveable, allowing you to rotate the dartboard and adding durability, a must-have feature if you’re looking for the best commercial dartboard. It doesn’t come with a dart holder, but 6 steel-tipped darts are included as well as all necessary mounting hardware and a user manual.
Award: HONORABLE MENTION
WHY WE LIKE IT: This high-quality electronic dartboard comes with durable polymer segments and an ultra-thin spider for fewer bounce-outs. It measures 13 inches in diameter and includes an extended numbered catch ring to help save your basement walls.
This convenient electronic dartboard comes with over 40 games built-in, including cricket. It supports up to eight players using its built-in scoreboard. The dartboard itself is made of a tough, durable, perforated polymer which is ideal for soft-tipped darts. A thin “spider”–the lines around the bull’s eye– helps keep darts from bouncing off.
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Unlike a full dartboard cabinet, this electronic dartboard is portable and easy to set up in minutes. It does require three AA batteries to get started, however. Six soft-tipped darts are included.
Award: BEST COMPETITIVE
WHY WE LIKE IT: This bristle board is endorsed by the Professional Darts Corporation for tournament use and comes with easy to see segments and a staple-free bull’s eye.
This tournament-style dartboard is 18 inches in diameter, making it regulation sized for most forms of the game of darts. A tough, durable bristle board good for steel tip darts, it has ultra-thin steel wires and is made with entirely staple-free construction, making it more satisfying to play on thanks to fewer bounce offs.
The numbered catch ring is wide enough to offer some protection for your backboard and the walls of your game room or basement, and the markings of the sectors are very easy to see thanks to well defined contrasting colors. It doesn’t come with a dart holder or darts, but it does offer easy rotation thanks to its center-screw mounting hardware.
Award: BEST COMPUTERIZED DESIGN
WHY WE LIKE IT: This plug-in electronic dartboard set comes with a generous 12 darts included. The dartboard features a bright LCD screen and easy-to-see sectors on its durable polymer bull’s eye.
This set includes all you need to turn your basement into a game room for fun, competitive games of darts. It comes with an electronic dartboard measuring 13-inches in diameter with a 16.5-inch outer diameter, plus twenty soft-tipped darts and an A/C power adapter. If there’s no convenient plug, you can also power this electronic dartboard with batteries.
A great option for occasional dart practice or friendly competition at parties and family game nights, this dartboard set is distinguished by the generous number of darts and dart accessories it includes. It comes with 20 high precision, CNC machined darts and 40 extra tips.
Award: BEST STARTER KIT
WHY WE LIKE IT: This is a great choice if you’re looking for the best dartboard cabinet that includes scoreboards and dart holders and looks nice even when not in use. It comes with everything you need to get a game of darts started in your basement or garage.
This handsome dart board cabinet comes with a real wood finish and high-quality brass hinges that let it stay closed when not in use, making it an unobtrusive way to add the fun of darts to your basement or game room. The cabinet design also has room for a dart holder that fits two sets of three darts, plus two sets of replaceable chalk scoring displays. As an added bonus, it comes with an electronic touchpad scorecard too.
The dartboard is of the bristle board type and is regulation-sized, measuring 18 inches in diameter. It features a rotating number ring and clear, easy-to-see sector markings on the bull’s eye.
Award: BEST QUALITY
WHY WE LIKE IT: This regulation size bristle dart board has ultra-thin wiring to minimize bounce-offs, increasing scoring area by as much as 9mm. It also uses high carbon steel to ensure added durability despite the razor-thin wires.
With its extra-thin yet highly durable carbon steel radial wires and its convenient radial lock mounting system, this Winmau dartboard is a good choice for those interested in the best dart board. UK and internationally endorsed by the British Darts Organization, it is used often in pubs and for practice by serious dart enthusiasts.
Now in its fifth generation, this bristle board has a bulls-eye that features ultra-thin wires, adding up to an extra 15 mm of scoring area compared to previous iterations of the Winmau blade dartboard. The use of high carbon steel in the rings adds durability.
Award: BEST ARCADE STYLE
WHY WE LIKE IT: This free-standing arcade-style electronic dartboard comes with an 82-inch tall cabinet and features 24 pre-programmed games with up to 132 variations for one to 8 players.
If your aim is to recreate the look and feel of a vintage arcade game of darts, this free-standing electronic dartboard is a great option for your basement or game room. It has a tall, 82-inch high plywood cabinet and unlike most electronic boards, it doesn’t have to be mounted to the wall. It runs on A/C power rather than batteries.
This dartboard comes with 24 different games programmed into it, allowing for up to 132 variations depending on the number of players and custom scoring options. The scoring displays are vintage-style LED and will likely be familiar to anyone who has played darts in an arcade. Six soft tipped darts are included.
In order to narrow it down and help you choose the best basement dartboard, we looked for dartboards that featured easy to see sectors, preferably in regulation colors. We also looked for durable high-quality construction, such as sisal fiber for a bristle dartboard or dense nylon for electronic boards.
We awarded bonus points for dartboards that came with darts included along with accessories like instruction booklets and a dart holder. We preferred dartboards that were of regulation size, meaning 18 inches in diameter and with regulation-sized bullseye sectors. We also liked dartboard backboards that were excellently designed and ultra-durable.
For electronic dartboards, we considered smaller sizes, which may be more fun if you have limited space. We looked for pre-programmed games and for multi-player as well as single player options.
Different darts pros and enthusiasts have different takes on what’s the best dartboard. UK pubs often use Winmau or Unicorn Eclipse dartboards. Common choices for the best commercial dart board as well as the best arcade-style dartboards are the Arachnid Cricket Pro and the DMI Sports.
In order to help save your walls from errant darts, it’s helpful to put a backstop behind your basement dartboard. You can use cork, soft plywood, or even an old bulletin board.
Depending on the game and the region, different pros use various brands, but for the most part, they use regulation size bristle dartboards, measuring 18 inches in diameter.
While it may have been beneficial to soak an antique cork dart board, it’s not recommended to soak a bristle board. And definitely do not soak an electronic dartboard.
