The thing about darts is that if you don’t know what you’re doing, it’s easy to get thrown off your game. Bottelsen Dart Company is a leader in the darting industry when it comes to research, design and manufacturing for the professional and mass market. Since they claim to hold more patents on darts and related products than any other company in the world, I targeted them to see if they could help my game…

Dear Dart Dealers:

I’ve played darts a few times and really enjoyed it. My aim wasn’t very good, but I know I had plenty of velocity behind my flings because some of the darts were very hard to pull out of the wall. What advice do you have for getting my tosses closer to the target or even on the same wall? Do Bottelsen Darts help with accuracy?

I once dreamed I was the goalie of a dart team. I was wearing a fencing outfit under ice hockey goalie equipment and a facemask made of thick wood with plexiglas eye shields. Professional dart throwers were firing at me left and right, but I stuck with every shot. I bring this up because I’d like my future real life dart experiences to be less nerve-racking. Which one of your darts gives rookies the fewest nightmares on the dart playing field so that I’ll know what I’m looking for when I visit my local dart dealer?

I don’t know how Dartanian got started, but I’d appreciate any tips you can offer.

A Bottelsen Dart Company Customer Service Representative responded with:

Thank you for your letter. It sounds as if you are enjoying the game and that you’ve got great enthusiasm for the sport. I’m sending you a throwing guide that shows the different parts of the barrels and describes many of the darts attributes.

There are several dart books available, but I think that Darts American Style, written by Fred H. Holmes is the best guide available. The forums and articles on www.crowsdarts.com are very informative. I hope this information lets you enjoy the sport.

Happy darting,
“Them”

Final Thoughts: What I like most about Bottelsen’s response is it was totally focused on helping and educating the customer. Including “Precision Throwing Instruments — The complete guide to the world’s finest darts” was a nice touch. But also recommending a book and online resource shows that Bottelsen really cares about customers and is genuinely dedicated to helping them improve their game. Bravo Bottelsen for understanding what it takes to win someone over as a fan!

Choosing the right dart to complement style and skill levels is a challenge in itself. There are darts made of brass, tungsten and super alloy (an environmentally preferred “brass alternative”). Plus, there are many factors to consider such as barrels, weights, diameters, grips, grooves, knurling, flights, shafts, tip types, and more. The dart definitely does make a difference. Then again, jumping onto a racehorse doesn’t make you a jockey, so you still need to master the art of throwing.

Many of the names Bottelsen gives their darts are also very cool, such as: Ooh…Ahhh, Buzz Bombs, Berzerker, Devastators, Gorilla Grip and Kick Ass. There was no mention of a Guided Missile model being developed for players like me with really bad aim.

Whether you’re looking to get started, or up your current game, look for Bottelsen Darts. However, if you’re after product information or advice, one way to see if the manufacturer will or will not dart your questions is to Write The Company.