Product test

Play like a pro: The "Bull's James Wilson Black Edition" player darts tested

13/10/2023

Translation: machine translated

The "Bull's James Wilson Black Edition Steeldarts" enable a small barrel diameter thanks to their extremely high tungsten content of 97 per cent.

Play like a darts pro for once. This is possible with player darts from a wide range of brands. Whether you are successful in the same or a similar way depends on your talent and practice. I tested the "James Wilson Original 97% Tungsten Black Edition Steeldarts" from Bull's for you. I opted for the 22-gram barrels.

Dart arrows

Bull's James Wilson Stone Dart, 97% Tungsten

22 g

James «Jammy Dodger» Wilson is a 51-year-old English darts player. Between 2007 and 2015, he played in the BDO and even became number one there. In 2015, Jammy Dodger switched to the world's best-known darts association, the PDC. He celebrated his greatest successes in the BDO, including winning the BDO World Trophy in 2014, while his best results in the PDC include two quarter-final appearances at the World Grand Prix 2019 and the European Championship 2016. He uses the song «Daydream Believer» by «The Monkees» as his warm-up music.

Optics and shape

At first glance, the darts make a good impression. I like the look of them and the workmanship is also impressive. As the product name suggests, the darts are made of 97 per cent tungsten. This enables a small barrel diameter of just 6.20 millimetres. The darts have a black titanium coating and a straight barrel shape. They have standard black tips with a length of 25 millimetres. The length of the barrels is 49 millimetres.

The barrels have a length of 49 millimetres.
Source: Kim Muntinga

I weighed the individual barrels as I did in the previous test. A larger difference in weight between the darts can be quite noticeable, because darts is a precision sport: a single millimetre can make the difference between 60 and one point. Or make the difference between winning and losing. The first barrel weighs 22.06 grams, the second 22.05 grams and the third 22.04 grams: a difference of 0.02 grams between the lightest and the heaviest dart. I can't complain about that. Most manufacturers specify a tolerance of 0.05 to 0.1 grams.

The design of the barrel is kept simple. It starts out slightly conical, with a conical area measuring six millimetres that widens slightly at the back. Vertical millings with a silver background are engraved at this point. This shape makes it easier for the darts to slide past each other and be thrown into the dartboard side by side. Directly adjacent to the straight barrel is a precision ringed grip with small grey indentations. The end is formed by a smooth surface. The edges of this surface are each highlighted with vertical milling and decorated with an engraving of the Bull's logo and the player's signature.

The transition to the shafts does not feel as smooth. There is a noticeable bump from the shaft to the barrel. However, this does not interfere with throwing. The 48 millimetre (without thread) long B-Grip-2 CL shafts made of polycarbonate from Bulls are reddish transparent. Including an aluminium ring for a better grip, the shafts weigh 1.2 grams. For the flights, Bull's uses the B-Star flights in the special white and red "James Wilson aka Jammy Dodger" design. They have a standard A-shape with a surface area of around 47 square centimetres and a thickness of exactly 100 microns. This results in a weight of around 0.7 grams each. The combination of the included flights and shafts adds approximately 1.9 grams of weight per dart.

In addition to the barrels, shafts and flights, a Bull's Pinpointer is also included in a small box.
Source: Kim Muntinga

Playing behaviour

I find the playing behaviour of the darts solid. The grip of the darts is okay. I would describe it as light to medium. So it slips out of the hand more easily, but is also not as grippy. That's a matter of taste. I got on well with it after a bit of familiarisation. The barrel has a central centre of gravity and can be played front-, middle- or rear-heavy thanks to the continuous grip.

The barrel length of 49 millimetres is ideal for me. I love smaller rackets. I particularly like how thin they are. I often have problems with thicker barrels. But I know enough other dart players who have completely different preferences. For example, a friend of mine never plays with darts smaller than 52 millimetres. He needs this space just to be able to grip the darts with four fingers. So you can only answer the question of what is right for you yourself. I always recommend testing and trying things out. This is the only way to find your own optimum setting.

The nickname of 51-year-old Englishman James Wilson is «Jammy Dodger».
Source: James Wilson

In my test of the barrels, I chose three setups: one with the included flights and shafts, one with the L-Style system ("L-Style L-Shaft Carbon Lock Straight Black" with a total length of 39 millimetres) and one with the 35 millimetre long "Winmau Vecta Shafts" in red with standard flights. The shafts and flights supplied are fine in my opinion. The flights have the player branding, but otherwise look a bit careless. The shafts are far too long for me personally and seem very fragile, but have held up well so far. The additional aluminium ring gives the flights a better grip. That's a plus for me.

With my new set-ups, I was able to play much better straight away, but you will certainly know this experience if you play darts more often yourself. As far as the durability of the barrels in terms of the coating is concerned, I'm still a little ambivalent. The black coating has already come off in two small places and the silver is shining through underneath. It would be a pity if the manufacturer had slipped up here. Another point of criticism for me is that I think the darts are held too loosely or slightly in the board.

The barrels of the «Bull's James Wilson Black Edition Steeldarts» are rather plain in appearance. I like the silver highlights as well as the engraved Bull's logo and the player's signature.
Source: Kim Muntinga

Personal conclusion

As entry-level player darts, the "Bull's James Wilson Black Edition Steeldarts" are definitely an option from my point of view. However, the darts can only convince me with limitations. Whether it's the durability, which I have slight doubts about, or the fact that I feel the darts are too loose in the board, or simply the unkind flights. On the other hand, I like the player engraving on the barrel and the silver highlights. I can't deny the dart a certain elegance.

Another point worth mentioning for me, especially with player darts, is the name behind it: James Wilson is probably not a big name for most darts spectators or current beginners, for example. He is currently only just in the top 100 of the PDC world rankings. The tour card he won in 2022 should therefore expire at the end of the season and he would therefore have to take part in Q-School in January to win a new tour card.

A little hint for you: The darts are also available in 24 grams in our shop.

Dart arrows

Bull's James Wilson Stone Dart, 97% Tungsten

24 g

I have already tested the "Winmau Blackout Steeldarts" for you. You can find my analysis and evaluation in the following article. If you are interested in the topic, then take a look here.

Product test
Great grip, throws on point: my verdict on Winmau’s Blackout steeltip darts
by Kim Muntinga

Do you have any favourite darts or a product from this area that you would like me to test for you? Let me know in the comments.

Cover photo: Kim Muntinga

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Kim Muntinga

Editor

Kim.Muntinga@galaxus.de

My interests are varied, I just like to enjoy life. Always on the lookout for news about darts, gaming, films and series.

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