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Dartboard Setup Gear: Surrounds, Lights, Oche Mats & More

A dartboard on a bare wall works, but a few small additions make a big difference. A surround protects the drywall from missed darts. A throw line or oche mat keeps everyone at the same distance and saves the floor. A lighting ring gets rid of the shadows that make it hard to see where a dart landed.

The other accessories are spare parts. Flights rip, shafts bend and tips go dull. Keeping a small stock on hand saves a game night.

Picks to compare

Dartboard surround

Good for: Catching missed darts before they hit the wall.

Check before you buy: Surrounds are sized for a standard 18-inch board. Check the inner diameter.

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Throw line / oche mat

Good for: Marking a correct, consistent throw distance and protecting floors.

Check before you buy: Check that the mat marks both the steel-tip and soft-tip lines if you play both.

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Dartboard lighting ring

Good for: Shadow-free light all around the board.

Check before you buy: Look at how it mounts (to the board, the surround or the wall) and whether it uses USB or a wall plug.

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Flights (assorted shapes)

Good for: Replacing torn flights and trying different shapes.

Check before you buy: Standard shape is a safe default. Slim and kite shapes fly differently, so change one thing at a time.

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Shafts / stems

Good for: Replacing bent or snapped shafts.

Check before you buy: Nylon is cheap and forgiving. Aluminum is slimmer but bends. Most darts use a 2BA thread.

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Dart case

Good for: Carrying a set or two to league night without bending the flights.

Check before you buy: Count the slots. Many hold one set plus spares, and bigger ones hold two.

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Dart sharpener

Good for: Smoothing burrs on steel points so they grip the board.

Check before you buy: You want a slightly rounded point, not a needle. Over-sharp points can cut bristle fibers.

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Scoreboard (chalk or dry-erase)

Good for: Keeping score for 501 and Cricket by hand.

Check before you buy: Check that it has both X01 and Cricket layouts.

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What to look for

  • Light from more than one side A single overhead lamp casts shadows from the darts. A ring light or two side lights fix that.
  • Protect the floor too Dropped steel-tip darts chip tile and dent wood. A mat along the throw line helps.
  • Measure before you drill Our setup guide covers the 5 feet 8 inch bullseye height and both throw distances.

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