Target Scott Williams Gen 1 Swiss Point 23 gram Steel Tip Darts - 2023
Specs as reviewed
Weight - 23g
90% Tungsten
Length – 43.5mm
Max Diameter – 8.4mm
Barrel Shape – Torpedo
Ok let’s call out what really ticks me off with most new darts – points.
These Swiss Point darts come with 26mm long plain silver points. I may have a board that is a little old and probably a little firm but I got really fed up having to pick one dart up off the floor when I retrieved them from the board. They even put Nano grip points in the Gen 9 Taylor darts how much extra would it reduce profits if they replaced the slippery “falley outey” points with something that will stay in the board ? Rant over.
So obviously one of the first things I did was to swap out the plain points for a set of 26mm DX Points. Instant difference, not one dart looked like it was going south from then on.
The barrel design is actually quite simple; an elliptical nose that is around 10mm long, ending at the point the dart reaches its maximum diameter of 8.4mm. From that point the barrel actually tapers down in diameter. The barrel basically is 10mm nose followed by 28mm which comprises 2 shallow cut u grooves and the balance of Shark grip with 6 axial grooves on the rear portion of the nose.
The last 5 or 6mm are made up of 3 fine ring grooves and a micro groove at the very end of the barrel where it tapers to meet the shaft.
The Shafts are Yellow Target Pro Grip Midi length with Yellow Shaggy Themed Flights.
Overall a good looking set of darts, however, the short barrel profile and the ‘thicker’ barrels will dissuade a lot of people from the beginning.
The barrel profile is a little like the Gen 1 Taylor darts and if the 95% Tungsten barrel had been used the thickness could have been reduced a bit as well, but not so.
As I said in the beginning I had to change the points (I didn’t want to scuff these, it just wouldn’t be right).
It only took a few minutes and I had them flying the way I liked, I used to throw a few shorter barrels in the past but moved on, it wouldn’t take a lot to have me throwing these. In the original configuration they fly really well, and land almost at 90 degrees to the board surface. What I was a little concerned about was the diameter. On several occasions I managed to line up the darts in a line above, below and in the treble twenty without drifting into the five or the one so they definitely are not too thick.
I can’t say whether it’s the compact barrel combined with the shark grip profile but I found it hard to do anything outrageously wrong during any of the drills, all shots were on target and very well grouped. This is another set that was really enjoyable to review. The grip is really only middle of the road but, the larger profile shark grip with a sharper finished edge will annoy or even deter some players. My advice would be if you like a shorter barrel these are well worth a try. The grip, 3.5 out of 5.0 and overall, for a well thought out barrel layout, nice grip and quality accessories but deduct points for the crappy slippery points 4.25 out of 5.0 a really nice set for lovers of short barrels.