As a darts player, you’d agree that this game remains unmatched in the level of enjoyment you get from it. It doesn’t only keep you engaged mentally and physically – it’s also a game that you can play with the whole family. With that said, adding the perfect dartboard cabinet to your home will be worth it.
Haven’t played darts before? Well, this is one game that you won’t need any special training to get started. With the help of an experienced friend or by even watching online videos, you’d be good to go.
Some dartboards are meant for practice purposes, others for tournaments and some can serve both purposes. In this article, we’ve listed the best dartboards available on the market for you to choose from. So, no matter your budget, taste, and the purpose you’d want the cabinet to serve, we’ve got you covered.
Let’s begin…
Contents
Best Dart Board Cabinet: Editor’s Top Picks
The Best Dart Board Cabinets Reviews:
1. American Heritage Billiards Cavalier Dartboard
When it comes to classy and brilliant design, the American Heritage Dartboard is hard to beat. It’d work perfectly for your games room and even make your home appear more ‘homely’. Even if you live in the most expensive apartment, this cabinet won’t look out of place.
It’s made from solid wood and weighs about 29 pounds. It also comes with a Bristle board – it’s not as good as some PDC-approved boards but is good enough for home use. So, it’s safe for us to say that this cabinet justifies its price as it will meet your expectations and needs.
Whether you’re an experienced player or a beginner, we’re quite sure that you’ll be making an awesome choice with this model. But the only downside with this cabinet is the quality of its board which needs improvement. However, it’s not hard to replace them.
So, if you’re looking for a model that displays class then this is the cabinet for you.
Key Features.
- Handcrafted cabinet with an elegant brown and mocha finish.
- Two blackboard style scoreboards for keeping track of your games.
- It comes with six darts and a storage rack for the darts. This rack won’t obstruct the blackboards [scoreboards].
- The Z-Brackets pre-mounted on its back makes it quite easy and simple for you to mount on the wall despite its weight.
- An MDF with veneer.
- A neat eraser is included.
2. Barrington Collection Bristle Dartboard Cabinet
The Barrington Collection Bristle Dartboard Cabinet isn’t only the best quality dartboard available. Darts also tend to stick better and heal up faster as it’s denser than most boards.
You can customize its sleek design in five different ways. It’s also made from fine basswood [veneer].
What’s more? The LED lights above the dartboard improve gameplay and highlight the cabinet’s craftmanship. On the other hand, the 17.75-inch Barrington’s self-healing board has a staple-free bullseye target. This increases its longevity and resilience. No wonder the board is a perfect choice for tournament purposes.
With all we’ve said, you must be wondering if installing or mounting this cabinet will be easy.
The good news is it’s quite easy to mount on your wall and will stay at the right tournament position/height. Also, looking for what you could use to protect your dartboard from wear and tear? Then this cabinet will suit your needs perfectly.
Key Features.
- Its sturdy box joint mechanism [plus premium hinges] makes it easy for the doors to be opened easily and smoothly without slamming.
- Easy to mount on the wall.
- It comes with six quality darts [steel-tip] with spare flights.
- An eraser marker for the scoreboards.
- Lightweight and goes perfectly with Barrington Billiard products.
- Its country-arcade design is quite impressive.
3. Viper Neptune Electronic Dartboard
The Viper Neptune Electronic Dartboard is a classy electronic 15.5-inches dartboard. It comes with a well-lit, brilliant LCD scoreboard that makes it easy for you to view each player’s statistics and scores and thus, eliminates the need for you to tabulate and record your scores manually. Sounds great, right?
Exactly, you can refer to it as the ‘electronic form of a manual dartboard’. With the Viper Neptune, you won’t need batteries as it’s powered by an external power source. This dartboard is made out of high-quality nylon rings that are durable and make for a less noisy game.
The complete package also comes with:
- A wooden cabinet,
- Dart storages sufficient for 2 darts and extra dart points,
- Six soft tip darts,
- An external adapter,
- A mounting tool
Looking for a high-quality cabinet that will beautify your gaming room? This premium model is worth considering.
Key Features.
- With its ultra-thin spider, the chances of darts bouncing off the target are lessened.
- It comes with 57 games [like Minnesota and Spanish cricket] with about 307 selections.
- This dartboard can conveniently accommodate up to 16 players.
- A fantastic color mixture of black, red and silver.
- Includes a large catch ring to protect the wall from being damaged by stray darts.
- Classy-looking electronic dartboard.
4. Trademark Gameroom Darts and Dartboard Sets
The Trademark Gameroom Darts and Dartboard Sets is the most affordable dartboard cabinet ever made from the company. With such a low price, we won’t be surprised if you question its durability but don’t conclude yet.
This cabinet also features chalk, six steel-tip darts, a dry eraser, and two eraser cricket scoreboards. With its steel-tip darts, you won’t have your expectations cut short. No matter how ineffective you might think this dartboard is. Installing/mounting this dartboard is easy, as there’s no need for a mounting device.
If you’re a casual player or a beginner who doesn’t like to spend most of your time gaming then we recommend this for you. Looking to have more than just a cabinet/dartboard on the wall? Then this cabinet is beginner-friendly and a quite affordable choice.
Key Features.
- Easy to mount.
- The cricket scoreboards installed on the door helps to record and keep track of scores.
- Nice, stylish wood finish.
- It comes with a standard dartboard that has two games on either side of its curved doors.
- It’s made from thick, black foam rubber and is 18-inches – the standard tournament size.
5. Centerpoint Solid Wood Dartboard Cabinet
The Centerpoint Solid Wood Dartboard Cabinet has been skillfully made from high-quality poplar hardwood. With its dark cherry, rich finishing, this cabinet will add that classy, modern touch to your game room.
An 18-inch dartboard – made from sisal fiber – comes with this cabinet as well. It also comes with two sets of steel-tip darts with nylon dart flights that are long-lasting. Behind the dartboard and cabinet’s surface is a velour fabric backdrop.
This provides that ideal vintage complement to your dartboard. There’s a marker for you to write with and an eraser to correct your errors on the other side of the marker.
To prove its product confidence, the company also added a 180-day manufacturer warranty. It comes with the guarantee that if there are any issues, replacement parts will be sent at no extra charge.
Generally, this cabinet set will give you, your family, and your friends unlimited hours of fun. So, if you’re looking for some serious dart cabinets, you should consider this model.
Key Features.
- It is 25.5-inches tall, 22-inches wide, and has about 3.75-inches in diameter making it easy to fit any size of dartboard in it.
- The board is self-healing.
- The rounded frame ring target on the board helps to reduce bounce-outs.
- Its doors are made from high-quality stainless-steel hinges and are easy to open.
- The cabinet doors have two dry-erase scoreboards that allow for score tracking and recording.
6. Fat Cat Electronx Electronic Dartboard
The Fat Cat Electronx Electronic Dartboard is an interactive and fun dartboard choice for the basement or game room. Looking for the ideal night of family fun? Then the easy-to-use controls of this dartboard will leave everyone spoilt for choice.
This is one dartboard that won’t easily bore you, your friends, or your family if you love spending memorable nights with friends and family.
The user interface includes 11 functional buttons. This allows you to do different things from playing unique, fun, and interactive games such as against the AI, getting rid of scores to tracking your bounce-outs.
What is the best part? The dartboard is child-friendly. It supports a large catch ring that helps to create a 360-degree safe landing zone and keeps the walls safe. So, your children can be part of this fun without any cause for worry.
The downside with the Electronix is that it’s not as durable as we want it to be. Frequent use leads to wear and tear and finally makes it crack and break quicker than most dartboards.
Key Features.
- Electronic and interactive dartboard.
- Easy-to-navigate control panel.
- 11 functional buttons on the user interface.
- Large catch ring that helps create a 360-degree safe landing zone.
- It has 38 games and 167 game variations.
- It comes with an LCD side display and an ultra-thin spider.
- Includes built-in storage racks that hold up to 4 darts sets.
7. Bullshooter Cricket Maxx 1.0 Electronic Dartboard Cabinet Set
The Bullshooter Cricket Maxx 1.0 has got more features than most basic dartboard models. It will look great in your games room. Thanks to its rustic colors and attractive cabinet doors.
The built-in board has a dark walnut finish touch to its doors. The doors make it easy for you to conceal the target when not in use and protect the board so it could last longer.
The Bullshooter comes with six darts in two different colors -three in black and the remaining in red. This will help when you’ve got opponents that you’re playing against. On the inside of each door are brackets/slots for you to store your darts.
It can also accommodate about eight players and has about 34 games with 183 game variations. Your family and friends won’t get bored easily.
What we like most about the Bullshooter is its heckler feature. You can use this feature to praise good shots and mock bad ones if you want. We’re quite sure this will serve as extra entertainment for you and your family or friends.
Key Features.
- Its beautiful cabinet doors fit into any game room
- Includes 34 games with 183 variations for long playtime
- There’s a door-mounted Cricket LCD
- Traditional soft tip 13.5-inches bristle target
- It comes with a Solo play and heckler feature
- Has got built-in dart holders
- It comes with 6 soft tip darts and a wall AC adapter.
8. Viper Stadium Cabinet & Shot King Sisal/Bristle Dartboard
For that special classic touch to your game room, the Viper Stadium Cabinet & Shot King is the right fit. It’s made from solid wood – with a unique walnut finish – that absorbs even the toughest impacts. As a beginner, stray darts will be frequent. And since you’re using steel-tip darts, your wall stays protected.
It also comes with a magnetic door lock to prevent the cabinet’s door from swinging out as you play. This prevents stray darts and obstructions and keeps the door in place.
Attached to the doors are storage racks for the darts and dry-erase scoreboards. Some slots hold the six darts beneath the bristle dartboard area as well.
Besides its reliability, the Viper Stadium will stand out and compliment your game room décor. Even if you’re the most casual darts player, you can defend your wall from stray dart throws with this model.
Key Features.
- The dartboard’s movable number ring makes for the dartboard’s durability.
- Classic walnut wood finish that complements the décor of any game room.
- Built-in dry erase scoreboards that support Cricket and ’01. It also accommodates about four players or teams.
- Constructed from high-quality and self-healing compressed sisal fibers.
- Includes mounting hardware for quick setup and a preinstalled dartboard mounting bracket.
- Includes six darts.
9. Imperial Officially Licensed NFL Dart Cabinet Set
The Imperial Dart Cabinet Set is officially licensed by NFL. It’s weighty and sturdy as it’s made from high-quality solid pinewood. It also has an 18-inch high-quality bristle dartboard.
One of its great features is that you can get your team name and logo painted on its interior and board’s center. There are also six NFL logo steel-tip darts on the flights. Now, you’ve got the opportunity to show off your team spirit proudly.
There’s enough space for any size of dartboard you’d want to put in and enough storage for 12 darts and marker.
It’s quite easy to mount as it comes with mounting hardware. This cabinet will attract attention even in your living room but you can also have it installed anywhere you’d want it to be. If you want to advance your career as a darts player, this cabinet set will suit that purpose as you play in your home.
It comes with all the essential accessories and will fit with everything in your ideal game room.
Key Features.
- It is NFL Licensed.
- It comes with a high-quality Bristle Dartboard.
- Includes NFL logo steel-tip darts.
- For recording scores, there are two blackboard scorers with eraser and chalk.
- Made from solid pinewood for a rigid, well-built look.
10. Franklin Sports Bristle Dartboard with Cabinet
The Franklin Sports Dartboard with Cabinet is an ideal addition to any game room. The company shows they know a lot about making a high-quality bristle dartboard with this one.
The cabinet’s doors come with pre-assembled bumpers that help protect the cabinet. With the two built-in scoreboards, you can record and keep track of the scores. It also comes with six darts with replaceable nylon flights. And mounting hardware that makes it easy to install and ready to play.
How durable is it? Everything is made of metal from the hanging tabs to the hinges. Once you’re done playing, you can neatly store everything away by just closing the doors.
Looking for a dartboard that’s long-lasting and will serve you for a pretty long time? Then this cabinet is your go-to.
Key Features.
- Its laminated wooden cabinet design gives off a look of elegance.
- With the movable metal number ring, you can easily rotate the dartboard.
- With the round metal wire, there’s enough room for competitive play.
- It comes with six steel-tip darts.
- Mounting hardware for easy and quick set-up.
- Excellent sisal for improved play.
- Knife edge for tournament/professional play.
11. DMI Sports Deluxe Dartboard Cabinet Set
The DMI Sports Deluxe Dartboard Cabinet comes in three finishes for you to choose from; oak, cherry and rosewood. The cabinet is long-lasting and durable thanks to its finger joint frame construction. It has elegant self-closing brass hinges.
It also has enough storage for two sets of darts on the doors. Since there are no gaps in the cabinet doors, the dartboard is protected from dust and makes it last longer.
The cabinet comes with an 18-inch bristle made from many high-quality sisal fibers. With the replaceable scoreboard on the door’s interiors, score recording is quite easy.
Its big size helps protect the way from bad or accidental throws and stray darts. When it’s not in use, it’s easy to keep the cabinet doors closed and keep your dartboard protected.
Who is this for? If you want an affordable good-quality cabinet set then this cabinet has got you covered. You should know that this cabinet is among the popular options for those who play in tournaments. This means if you’ve got a tournament you need to practice for, you should give this a try.
So, if you don’t have a dartboard or you’re planning to replace your old one, this cabinet will work best for you. It won’t look out of place in your game room as well.
Key Features.
- Has self-closing brass hinges.
- It’s long-lasting
- Includes an 18-inch Bristle dartboard
- There’s enough space for the darts
- Includes scoreboard inside both doors
12. King’s Head Light Wood Dartboard Cabinet Set
The King’s Light Wood Dartboard Cabinet is one beautiful cabinet. It will attract you on the spot. It’s made from self-healing fiber that leaves room for the dartboard to last as long as possible. There won’t be any holes or marks left as well.
All the accessories and hardware needed are a part of the cabinet’s package. You’ll also get six steel-tip darts, an Official-sized 18-inch dartboard made from sisal, and a scoreboard with this cabinet set.
It stands out from the others as it’s made from light wood. This makes it ideal for places where dark wood wouldn’t fit into the room’s style. For an easier and faster set-up, there’s wall mounting hardware available.
Its dartboard might not be the best quality out there. But it works perfectly for casual play and it’s well-built and durable. So, if you love to play a lot, then this cabinet set isn’t for you. Because its board isn’t a high-quality bristle and is quite hard. If you play a lot, then this isn’t the set for you.
However, this is a great choice for occasional play. So, looking to take your game room to the next level and make your darts experience much better? Then, this cabinet is the one for you. Its price matches its quality and your friends will be glad you invited them over as well.
Key Features.
- A self-healing sisal fiber.
- An official 18-inch sized dartboard.
- Six steel-tip darts.
- A door-mounted chalkboard ‘Cricket’ scoreboard.
- A wall mounting hardware.
Things to Consider When Buying a Dart Board Cabinet
Deciding on which dartboard cabinet to go for can seem tricky especially if you’re going for a cabinet with a built-in dartboard. There are some factors you should consider before you decide to take the plunge. In this buying guide, we’ll tell you all there’s to know, so you can go for the cabinet that suits you best.
Here’s what you should be looking out for:
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Cabinet Size:
Most people tend to neglect their wall’s measurements before getting a dartboard cabinet. Make sure the cabinet size fits your wall. You can do this by taking your wall’s measurements first. Once you’ve done this, get a cabinet that’s either smaller than or equal to the wall’s size.
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The Cabinet’s Design:
There are different styles and designs available on the market for you to choose from. It’s either you go for dark or light wood, a plain or embossed surface and so on. You could even decide to have your cabinet customized.
Some manufacturers could give room for you to have your name carved on the wood. This is a good option if you’re looking to get it for your bar. If you like, you can have your favorite brand, football team, etc. engraved instead of your name.
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The Cabinet’s Material:
The material used in manufacturing the cabinet is a major pointer in telling how durable it is. The commonly used materials are mahogany, poplar hardwood, and cherry wood. A cabinet made from solid wood keeps your darts in perfect shape. It also protects your dartboards from dust and moisture. Nowadays, cabinets made from carbon fiber and steel are available.
In the end, quality is all that counts whether you want a cabinet made of steel, carbon fiber or wood.
Want to mount your dartboard cabinet outside? Then, we advise that you go for a waterproof dartboard cabinet.
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The Scoreboards:
The efficiency of your dart game is not only based on the dartboard. It also depends on the cabinet as well.
Do you have a bristle dartboard or any other type that can’t record or track scores automatically? Then having a scoreboard is a no-brainer. Most cabinets come with scoreboards. They’re usually found behind the cabinet’s door and help improve your performance.
Scoreboards come in many forms; electric boards, blackboards, and even whiteboards.
As you search for the perfect cabinet, you have to be keen on its scoreboard type and if it will meet your needs. To avoid extra expenses, you should consider cabinet sets that come with whiteboard pens or chalks for the scoreboards.
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The Set-up Process:
Every dartboard cabinet you’ll ever come across will either be fixed or hanged. This gives you the freedom to choose the cabinet you want based on how you’d want it to be installed or mounted.
Before making a decision, you need to factor in the available space you have and for long the cabinet will be there.
So, if you want cabinets that are easy to move around and use anywhere then you should go for cabinets that you can hang. They’re easier to mount and won’t limit you to only one spot as you can move them anywhere you want.
Cabinets that need to be fixed would need some bit of skills to be mounted. However, they’re considered to be the safest option as long as you install them the right way. This is because you won’t need to worry about getting knocked over or falling as they’d always be in one spot.
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The Darts Type:
You’ll always find darts in every cabinet set you buy. For electronic dartboards, the darts are lighter and safer to use. Professional darts are usually made from tungsten or brass.
Tungsten-made darts are denser than brass-made ones. It also allows for higher scores as a result of close groupings. If you’re a beginner, you should start with nickel or brass-made darts and then build up to tungsten darts.
Types of Dart Board Cabinets
Dartboard cabinets are usually sold as a set. So, you need to know the dartboard type that works well for your playing style and level of expertise. Even if you decide to buy the cabinet on its own, choosing the dartboard type you’ll prefer still comes first.
- Electronic Dartboards:
These dartboards are ideal for both amateurs and beginners as well as casual players. The dartboard is usually made from plastic and also has plastic-tip darts. If you’re looking to get a dartboard for your children then you can give this some consideration. Since everything is made from plastic, they’re lightweight and child-friendly. Your children can play or hang around without any fear of accidents.
- Bristle Dartboards:
These dartboards are used by experienced dart players and also by professionals. They’re made from sisal fiber and are self-healing. This means they return to their initial status after you take out the darts. We don’t recommend this dartboard for children since the darts used are steel-tipped. Most cabinets that come with this dartboard are also steel-tip as steel-tip darts can damage your wall.
- Magnetic Dartboards:
These dartboards are a combination of electronic and bristle dartboards. The best thing about this dartboard? Its magnetic property. It attracts the darts and leaves them stuck.
A magnetic dartboard will give you all the fun of a real dartboard all in a safe, child-friendly package. They’re less expensive than other dartboard types. If you’re getting a magnetic dartboard for your children, they’ll find it to be more fun. This is because they’ll learn to work on their math skills and hand-eye coordination.
FAQs: Frequently Asked Questions
Q-1: Is There a Recommended Height for Hanging a Dartboard Cabinet?
Official regulations specify that the floor’s height to the bullseye should measure 5 feet 8 inches [1.73 meters]. Make sure you get as close as you can to this measurement when mounting your cabinet.
You can use masking tape to mark the space out and then work up to where the bullseye should be. This will help you make sure that you’re doing it right.
You’ll need to create enough space that’s dedicated to the darting area no matter your wall’s surface. For you to know where you can properly place the throw line, here’s how to go about it:
- First, measure how thick the dartboard cabinet is.
- Next, measure an exact 93 ¼ inches out from the floor, also along the floor.
- Then, add this to the dartboard cabinet’s thickness and use masking tape to make the throw line’s front.
You might need to adjust the dartboard cabinet’s placement slightly on the wall. This will leave sufficient room for you to account for the mounting hardware’s thickness.
Tip: If you’ve got drywall, we recommend that you use a wall stud for mounting the cabinet. This is because the stud will give enough support to handle the weight of the dartboard. In the end, you’ll prevent the dartboard’s weight from ripping out the mounting screws from the drywall.
Q-2: What’s the Official Distance to the Throwing Line?
The official distance to the throwing line should be 7 feet 9 ¼ inches (2.37 meters) away from the dartboard’s face and not from the wall. An 18-inch dartboard is roughly about 1 ½ inches thick. If you’re aware of how thick your backing surface is then you can easily know where to measure the distance from.
You should also know the thickness of your backing surface. This will make it easy for you to estimate where to start measuring the throwing line distance from.
However, mounting the dartboard at the right height first is much easier. Once you’ve mounted the dartboard at the right height, you can then go ahead to drop a string or plumb line from the bullseye’s center to the floor. From this point, you can measure 7 feet 9 ¼ inches to the throwing line’s front.
If you’re using soft-tip darts [for an electronic dartboard] then you should measure 8 feet instead.
Please Note: Make sure that there are no obstacles or obstructions in the area from the wall to the throwing line. Also make sure that your darting area isn’t located in a hallway that’s between rooms. Or anywhere that people frequently pass and might not realize on time that a darts game is ongoing.
Make sure that the wall area has at least a few clearance feet on either side that’s away from the windows, cabinets, electrical boxes and anything that is at risk of being damaged by stray darts.
Give about two feet of clearance or more behind the throw line so that you can have enough room for aiming and throwing darts.
Q-3: Is It Recommended to Use A Steel Tip Dart on An Electronic Dart Board?
Our answer is “No”. Just the same way soft-tip darts are recommended for electronic dartboards, steel-tip darts are also mainly recommended for bristle dartboards. Why? Soft-tip darts are lighter than steel-tip darts so, using steel-tip darts on an electronic dartboard will damage it. So, to protect your electronic dartboard, only use soft-tip darts.
Q-4: Can I Use a Dartboard without a Cabinet?
If you don’t hang your dartboard with a cabinet then you’re exposing your wall to damage. Whether you’re a beginner or a professional dart player, missed shots can always happen. To prevent damages to your wall, using a dartboard is necessary. Hanging a dartboard with a cabinet can be done within a few minutes and some tools.
Tip: If your dartboard is loose then you can use a screwdriver to make your dartboard tighter so that it doesn’t play as you play.
Final Verdict
There you have it… our top 12 best dart board cabinets of 2020. From all we’ve discussed, you can see that a dartboard cabinet helps to keep the board and wall protected and so, it’s more of a necessity than a luxury.
If you’re a beginner or a causal dart player, we recommend the bristle or magnetic dartboard cabinets. If you’re a professional or experienced dart player, the electronic dartboard cabinets will work best for you. We’re also quite sure that whatever your choice, you’ll enjoy a great game of dart with your family and friends.