Roundup
The best dartboards for no bounce-outs
Bounce-outs are a hardware problem, not a you problem. Two details on a board decide how often they happen.
By Ryder M. · Last updated September 27, 2026 · How we pick
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Short answer: buy a bristle board with very thin blade-style wiring and a staple-free bullseye. Those two features between them remove most of what causes bounce-outs. No board eliminates them entirely, and anyone claiming otherwise is selling something.
The mechanism
What actually causes a bounce-out
A bounce-out is a dart that hits something hard instead of sisal and is pushed back out. There are four causes, and only the first two are about the board.
| Cause | What is happening | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Thick wire | The dart lands on the spider and is deflected | Thin, shallow-mounted blade wiring |
| Staples at the bullseye | Metal staples sit exactly where everyone aims most | A staple-free bullseye |
| Blunt or damaged points | The point skids instead of penetrating | Sharpen or replace the points — nothing to do with the board |
| Dry or worn sisal | Hard, compacted fibres resist the point | Rotate the number ring; replace a worn-out board |
That third row matters more than most people expect. A dart with a rolled or over-sharpened point bounces off a tournament board too. Before blaming the board, look at the points — it is free, and it is frequently the whole answer.
Quick picks
Tap any row to jump to the full write-up.
| # | Product | Best for | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Best overall for bounce-outs Winmau Blade 6 Triple Core Dartboard The thinnest wiring on the market, on dense self-healing sisal. | Anyone who takes the problem seriously | Check price on Amazon |
| 2 | Best tournament alternative Unicorn Eclipse HD2 Pro Dartboard Professional-grade wiring that maximises scoring area. | Competent players and league play | Check price on Amazon |
| 3 |  Best value for fewer bounce-outs Viper Shot King Bristle Dartboard A staple-free bullseye at an entry price — the upgrade that matters most. | A first proper board, or replacing a cheap one | Check price on Amazon |
| 4 | Best mid-range option Winmau Blade 5 Dual Core Dartboard The previous-generation Blade, still far better than most boards. | Buyers who want blade wiring without the newest price | Check price on Amazon |
| 5 |  Best for electronic play Arachnid Cricket Pro 800 Electronic Dartboard If you are on soft tip, segment design is what reduces deflections. | Households that want automatic scoring | Check price on Amazon |
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1. Best overall for bounce-outs
Winmau Blade 6 Triple Core Dartboard
Winmau
Bounce-outs are caused overwhelmingly by darts striking the wire rather than the sisal, so the single most effective fix is thinner wire mounted at a shallower angle. The Blade series is built around exactly that, and it is why it dominates this conversation.
The wire is so thin that darts which would deflect off a conventional board are steered into the bed instead. Combined with a staple-free bullseye, it removes the two worst offenders at once.
Denser sisal helps too: a harder board resists the point and pushes darts back out, while dense, properly conditioned sisal parts around them.
What we like
- Very thin blade-style wire, mounted shallow
- Staple-free bullseye — the worst bounce-out point on any board
- Dense sisal that self-heals and holds darts
- What a great many clubs and serious home players use
Worth knowing
- More expensive than entry bristle boards
- Still needs wall protection behind it
- No board eliminates bounce-outs entirely
Who it’s wrong for
A household that mainly wants automatic scoring. That is an electronic board, where bounce-outs have a different cause.
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2. Best tournament alternative
Unicorn Eclipse HD2 Pro Dartboard
Unicorn
Unicorn's tournament board uses the same principle — ultra-thin wiring designed to turn as much of the board as possible into target rather than obstacle.
For a good player the practical effect is more of the treble bed being actual scoring area. For a beginner the effect is fewer discouraging deflections, which matters more than it sounds when you are learning.
What we like
- Ultra-thin professional wiring
- Very dense sisal that handles high dart volumes
- Excellent segment definition and visibility
- Tournament specification
Worth knowing
- Premium price
- Wears under very heavy use like any board
- Needs a surround or cabinet
Who it’s wrong for
A casual player who will not perceive the difference from a good mid-range board.
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3. Best value for fewer bounce-outs
Viper Shot King Bristle Dartboard
Viper (GLD Products)
If the budget is tight, the single highest-value feature to insist on is a staple-free bullseye. On budget boards the number ring and wire are held with staples, and the staples around the bull sit exactly where everyone aims most.
This board delivers that on genuine compressed sisal rather than the cork or coiled-paper boards that look similar in photographs and wear through in months.
The wire is thicker than the premium boards above, so expect more deflections than a Blade — but far fewer than the board it is replacing.
What we like
- Staple-free bullseye at an accessible price
- Genuine sisal, not cork or paper
- Rotating number ring to spread wear
- Widely available with good spares
Worth knowing
- Thicker wire than premium boards
- Less dense sisal, so it wears faster
- Basic mounting hardware
Who it’s wrong for
Someone playing several times a week — they will outgrow it within the year.
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4. Best mid-range option
Winmau Blade 5 Dual Core Dartboard
Winmau
Blade wiring did not start with the current generation, and the earlier version is still thinner than the wire on most boards sold today. When it is available, it is usually the best value route into this technology.
For a home player the difference between generations is far smaller than the difference between blade wiring and conventional round wire.
What we like
- Thin blade-style wiring
- Staple-free bull
- Dense sisal
- Better value than the current generation when stocked
Worth knowing
- Availability varies
- Superseded design
- Still a premium over entry boards
Who it’s wrong for
Nobody in particular — this is a sound buy if you can find it.
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5. Best for electronic play
Arachnid Cricket Pro 800 Electronic Dartboard
Arachnid
Electronic boards get bounce-outs too, from a different cause: darts deflect off the raised plastic dividers between segments rather than off wire. It cannot be eliminated, because the dividers are what hold the segments apart.
What reduces it is thinner dividers and a larger scoring area per segment, which is where the better electronic boards put their engineering.
Soft-tip points also blunt and split, and a worn tip bounces far more than a fresh one — so replacing tips regularly does as much as the board does.
What we like
- Reliable segment scoring
- Larger scoring area than entry electronic boards
- Soft tips cause far less wall damage
- Handles multiple players
Worth knowing
- Deflections off dividers cannot be removed entirely
- Segments wear and crack over time
- Soft-tip play does not transfer to a steel-tip board
Who it’s wrong for
Anyone learning to play properly — they should be on bristle with steel tips.
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Things to ignore
What does not reduce bounce-outs
- Heavier darts. Weight does not change whether a point that lands on wire stays in. Throw what you control best.
- Cork or coiled-paper boards. They do hold darts, but they are permanently punctured rather than self-healing and develop a crater in the treble twenty within weeks. A wrecked board bounces more, not less.
- “No bounce-out” marketing on cheap boards. The phrase is unregulated. Look for the two features that actually matter: thin wiring and a staple-free bull.
- Wetting or oiling the board. Old advice that circulates and damages modern sisal. Rotate the number ring instead.
Before you buy anything
The free things that help
- Check your points. Lightly conditioned, not needle-sharp — an over-sharpened point can skid off the sisal as easily as a blunt one.
- Rotate the number ring every month or two. It moves the heavily used segments onto fresh sisal and keeps the board holding darts for years.
- Check the board is mounted vertically and at the right height. A board leaning even slightly changes the angle at which darts arrive. See dartboard height and distance.
- Replace bent flights. A damaged flight destabilises the dart in the air, which changes how it lands.
- Light the board from above and in front, so you are not throwing at a target in your own shadow.
Questions
Common questions
What dartboard has the least bounce-outs?
Why do my darts keep bouncing out?
Do staple-free bullseyes really reduce bounce-outs?
Do electronic dartboards have bounce-outs?
Does a more expensive dartboard stop bounce-outs?
Sources
Keep reading
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