Paul Nicholson 26 Gram Onyx Grip Darts Review

For some time now I have been tempted to get these darts. The sheer look of them is enough to make me want to throw them for hours. I had my doubts about the Onyx Grip, to be honest, I didn't even know what it was so I decided to do some reasearch and found out that it offers more grip with a black coating over the dart. That was me sold!

I visited RedDragonDarts.com and the next day when I arrived home from work I was surprised to see them in my postbox in the usual packaging with a case and signature Paul Nicholson flights, great service as usual. The first thing I noticed about these beautiful pieces of Tungsten was that they were HUGE! Well the thin barrel and large stems gave them that impression. Straight to my practice room and the first 3 darts didn't go so smoothly, 26 scored (possibly the score I hate most). Another 3 brought the same result, I noticed the flights were touching my eye on each throw so I changed the stems to small ones and had a go. Bearing in mind I have only scored 180 twice in my short career, hitting one with new equipment was a big ask, but after 2 hours of playing it happened. 

I couldn't beleieve it, they are now actually challenging my Thorntons for number 1 spot on my list of favourite darts.
The Nicholson Darts are weighted and gripped towards the rear which makes for perfect flight. To get  maximum grip from them, holding further back on the dart would be preferable but if this isn't your style, don't worry, the Onyx Grip makes it 'grippy' all over the barrel and it eliminates any slips. The white and green grooves that you can see in the picture offer grip in 3 separate parts of the dart and allow many different styles to use them. Red Dragon rates the grip 4/5 (1= smooth, 5= aggressive).

These darts need to be tried by every darts enthusiast, they are nothing like any dart I have ever thrown and I would highly recommend them. 

Thornton 26 Gram Review

Robert Thornton is getting yet another mention on this blog. I'm sure if you have read a few of my other posts, you will have realised that I am a big fan. This post, however, is not about 'The Thorn' himself, but about his darts.

My first 'decent' set of darts were the Unicorn Raymond van Barneveld Super Darts 23 gram from my local Argos store. I noticed myself beginning to throw better with these darts, I loved them, but one Saturday night I decided to bring them to the local pub to show them off, this was a pointless exercise because the bar was far too busy to play and 8-10 beers later the darts were gone. Gutted would be an understatement. 

The next morning, in my fragile state, I went on a hunt for the perfect replacement. A simple Google search threw up a website called RedDragonDarts.com. I had seen this advertised on a few players' clothing before so I gave them a go. I stumbled across Robert Thornton 26 gram and the first feature of this dart that caught my eye was the rough grip that received a 4/5 rating (1= smooth, 5= aggressive) so I decided to go with my instinct and purchased them for a reasonable £25.90.

Two days later they arrived and from that point onward I have never considered throwing another dart. The weight, thin barrel and amazing grip are what keeps me throwing at a good standard and in the past I have struggled maintaining a consistent throw due to an awkward throwing style that consists of using 3 fingers (one being on the stem and another slipping onto the point from time to time) but these feel like they were made just for me. Highly Recommended.

A mention to Red Dragon Darts for their speedy delivery and easy to use website, I have since used them to buy other darting equipment (Flights, stems etc.) and the products have arrived within 3 working days on every purchase, I would also highly recommend them.