Deadeye Thunder 22g Darts

As most people that visit the Deadeye Darts web store know, Deadeye Darts has a comprehensive range of “house” brand darts as well as the Big Names.

Unlike other outlets the house brand isn’t sourced from China, they’re not junk or poorly made “toy” darts, they are the real deal – just quality. The Deadeye house brand range is sourced from the home of the game – England, the quality is flawless and they really are great value for money.

At the time of writing there are 28 “Ranges” with weights from 17g to 38g. Within each range there are numerous styles of dart. Deadeyes branded darts are available in 80%, 85% and 90% Tungsten as well as Brass Darts.

Looking for a great set of quality darts, but you don’t want or need to splash out big dollars? Whether you’re just starting out, on a budget or want to try a different style check out the Deadeye Range of darts, they are available as “Barrels Only” or as a complete setup that includes a Somersby case, 2 sets of Deadringer shafts and 2 sets of Deadeye 100 Micron Flights. Both are modestly priced and represent great quality and value for money, the complete set up is only a few dollars more than the bare barrels!

The 22g Thunder darts are a timeless design, the nose of the dart is elliptical, assisting when darts are closely grouped, allowing barrels to slide past each other when thrown. Definitely some of the best darts I've worked with, This allows for much closer grouping. Being an 80% Tungsten dart it should be thicker than its 90% cousins. At 6.8mm it feels thicker but there is less than a mm in the equation. The barrels are also a touch over 49mm long and parallel or pencil shaped in design. The grip is very simple, 3 sets of equally spaced rings, 5 rings to be precise about 0.5 x 0.5. Each 5 ring group is separated by a single groove around the same size to give the grip continuity and visual balance.

This set arrived as Barrels only so, I fitted them with my favourite short stems and standard flights and took them to visit the Oche.

At 22g they are a bit heavier than what I have been playing with, but with almost no effort at all the first throw came in at 140, so close to a maximum it was nuts.

I continued running through my practice drills with them and could not fault the feel, the grip at all.

Visually they are a shiny dart, with a glossy surface and the rings are black filled but they did not feel slippery at all, the grip would rate at 2 out of 5, it’s there you just don’t notice it’s there.

The Black points provide a good basic grip in the best board and the point length is just right for the barrel length. I had a great time with these and was more than pleasantly surprised at how easily I adapted to them, more to the point where the transition happened without thought or effort on my behalf.

For many of us trying to play with the same barrels as the players we follow and respect just doesn’t pay dividends. The Deadeye branded barrels levels the playing field without the big price tag.

I’d rate the Thunders at 4 out of 5. Great barrels at a great price and a platform that will let the average player experiment with his barrel shapes, dart weights and styles without breaking the bank.