Thank you to Paul from Performance Darts for kindly sending me their latest release, the Supreme Performance Darts!
The darts come in the usual Performance Darts clamshell style packaging with the nicely designed paper inserts including the detail on the Performance Darts range and principles on the rear insert.
Inside the outer packaging you get a hard plastic case that contains the 3 darts in a point protector, a set of inbetween length black nylon stems and a set of custom standard size Hillbilly Performance Darts flights. They are available in 24g and 26g and I will be reviewing the 24g model.
Weights and Dimensions
| Dart 1 | Dart 2 | Dart 3 | |
| Barrel Weight | 24.0g | 23.9g | 23.9g |
| Fully Setup Dart | 25.9g | 25.8g | 25.8g |
| Dart Length | 52.1mm | 52.0mm | 52.0mm |
| Dart Front Ring Grip | 6.3mm | 6.2mm | 6.3mm |
| Dart Recessed Ring | 6mm | 6mm | 6mm |
| Dart Rear Micro Grip | 6.3mm | 6.2mm | 6.3mm |
We have the usual top-notch production quality from Performance Darts. The measurements of the darts all came up identical on my callipers and the weight of the darts all within 0.1g of each other. Excellent.
Darts Grip and Feel
The darts come fitted with a standard 26mm black point, a short smooth tapered bull nose leading up to the first of the 3 main grip sections. The first grip section consists of 7 ringed razor grips, with the base of each razor cut having a blue pvd coating. This is quite a unique grip that I have not seen on too many darts. The grip itself consists of a shallow cut taper, like a razor cut, but with a flat ring top followed by a standard shallow ring cut. The close up picture hopefully shows this in detail. The grip has a nice feel to it and provides a medium level of grip with no sharp edges as you would usually expect from a razor type grip.
Following this initial section we have 3 smooth rings with the third of the rings being recessed slightly. The base of each ring cut has the blue pvd coating. The recessed ring must be to provide a reference point on the barrel for the grip of James Hurrell. You can definitely feel the recessed ring as you run your fingers along the barrel, so as a reference point it works rather well.
The last of the 3 main grip sections is the classic PD micro grip. There are 2 micro gripped rings here with the first ring being a standard ring size and the second being a larger section that sits nicely on my thumb. Again, the base of each ring cut has the blue pvd coating to add to the look of the dart.
At the rear of the dart we have a smooth taper to meet the shaft with the PD logo laser engraved.
Both the front section and the micro grip rear section provide a medium level of grip with the micro grip section for me being slightly stickier due to the nature of the very thin cuts.
Throwing the Darts
The darts have a real solid feel to them when in the hand, which instils confidence in the throw. The slightly tapered nose allows for tight grouping and the grip is adequate without being aggressive or slippery. The grip is a medium to low medium grip for me. There is no real bite to it so if you like a grip that sits nicely in the fingers and doesn’t stick to them then these are well worth a try.
My natural grip is on the front grip section, but for the review I also experimented with the rear grip to feel the micro grip section and this area is really nice to hold and throw if you are a rear gripper. Gripping towards the back you also get the benefit of using the recessed ring as reference point, which is a nice design feature.
The grip all along the barrel provides a dart that will suit any number of players as there will be grip no matter where you grip the dart.
Conclusion
These are a really striking dart with the blue pvd coating in the ring cuts and the different grip variations. A dart that will definitely stand out from the crowd, but also one that has a very practical design. A winning combination!
I would recommend these darts to anyone that likes a medium level grip dart regardless of where you grip it on the barrel.
The darts are available from Performance Darts and also many of the top darts retailers
