Out of all of the available tools that dart players have at their disposal some are more obviously useful than others, but all serve their purpose. 

One of the less obvious tools we’ve found is also one of much debate, the flight protector.

What Is A Dart Flight Protector?

Dart flight protectors are small caps made from metal or plastic that slot onto the end of your darts flight, and as the name aptly suggests, they protect your fragile flights from damage.

Using a dart flight protector is easier than you are probably thinking. These things simply slide onto the end of your darts and, voila, your flights are now protected.

But that’s not all. Dart protectors have many other benefits, some of which may even enhance your game.

Dart Flights Are Easily Damaged

Understanding how the different flight shapes, textures, and sizes affect the way your dart behaves in the air is one of the most important mastery thresholds you can learn as a player.

Dart flights, as it turns out, are very fragile, especially when you consider the degree of wear and tear to which they are subjected day in and day out. Most flights are made out of vinyl, nylon, or some other type of thin plastic. This makes them very vulnerable to chips, cracks, or even splitting right in half.

Dart flights without flight protectors

This is why flight protectors exist. 

Flight protectors are small end caps designed to protect your flights mostly from the incoming darts you are throwing towards it. They look like slim, small bullets and have 4 long grooves into which the base of the flight fits snuggly. Dart flight protectors can be made out of plastic or metal and are very lightweight.

How Do You Use Dart Flight Protectors?

To use a dart flight protector, take a dart that has a flight in place and evenly spread out the 4 fins. Once the fins are evenly spaced out, simply slide the slots of the flight protector on the back of the flight making sure that all four fins sit securely in each slot.

That’s it. You have applied for a dart flight protector. Now rinse and repeat for each one of your darts.

Dart Flight Protector

Using dart flight protectors is very easy to do. The same way you fit your flight into a shaft, you slide on a protector.

What Are The Benefits Of Using Dart Flight Protectors?

One of the funniest things about playing darts is that the better you get at the game, the more common it will be to clip one of your darts already on the board with the following throw. This happens because as you increase your accuracy and precision, you gain more control over where your darts land. This will inevitably lead to increased wear and tear for all of your darts.

Dart flights, once in place, will take the brunt of the force caused by collisions between your darts. Thus, the use of flight protectors leads directly to a prolonged life for your flights. Dart flight protectors will save you money in the long run.

However, that is not the only benefit of using dart flight protectors.

Because you have to evenly spread out your dart flight in order to slot in the protectors, and because the flight sits tightly and securely in the protector slots, your darts gain incredible stability during flight.

Straight Flights
Look how straight the flights are even before being inserted into the shafts.

Using dart flight protectors can stealthily make you a better darts player!

Are There Any Downsides To Using Dart Flight Protectors?

I am an avid believer in the benefits of sticking on some dart flight protectors. I genuinely recommend them to everyone that will listen. However, I won’t deny that some people believe that using dart flight protectors can hurt your performance.

I would have to disagree with these people. But, to be fair, I will admit that there are a couple of things players need to keep in mind when using dart flight protectors.

Some argue that due to the rigidness of the protector, a collision can increase the chances of a bounce out. Whereas if a point came into contact with a flight, the flight would just give way, Or in some cases, let the point in.

It is also worth mentioning that even though flight protectors are very lightweight, there is weight. Increased weight on a light dart can technically change the dynamics of your throws.

Should You Buy Flight Protectors?

Dart flight protectors are cheap enough to give a try for the casual player, although I have yet to see a pro use them. 

They work with any standard dart regardless of shape, enhancing the durability of your flight. They also eliminate robin hoods if you are hitting them frequently in matches. The increased benefits they provide to amateur and veteran players are definitely something to be considered.