We Review...
Powercore Competizione Series Darts
Dart suppliers Dart Locker have secured
exclusive UK distribution rights to a range of
Powercore Darts, a new brand to the UK market
that originates in Italy. The darts incorporate
a unique grip pattern, said to be inspired
by F1 and building on the manufacturers
engineering background, that is very different
from the norm and as such they are named
after the famous Italian motor racing circuits
of Mugello, Imola and Monza.
The model that I tested were the Imola in 24g, which
are a straight barrel design with two very distinct
grip patterns on the front and the rear sections of
the barrel. The front of the dart is slightly rounded
off, after which starts the a normal grip pattern,
which subsequently changes to sets of grooves that
are much tighter together just after halfway along
the barrel. This pattern is repeated to the rear of
the barrel, where the Powercore logo is also etched
on.
What really sets the grip apart from the norm
however is the faceted grooves that run along the
length of the dart from front to back, providing a an
incredibly grippy feel when the dart is held in the
hand.
At first the darts felt like they had a grip that was
almost too severe, but after a few hours of throwing
I became very comfortable with them and found
that they needed little or no effort to produce a very
positive release of the dart.
I found that, when used with the excellent setup that
is supplied with the darts, they were ideal for my
throwing style and I was able to produce immediate
results, hitting my first 180 inside five minutes.
The darts fly very well through the air and I had no
problems adjusting to the unusual grip, which I have
to say was actually easier to throw with than my
usual standard ring grip barrels.
The 24g model is 50mm in length with a constant
width of 6.8mm and is a centre balanced design,
making them extremely well balanced to throw and
easy to gain high degrees of accuracy with.
The darts are supplied in a well designed presentation
box and come with Laro shafts of 40mm length and
Powercore flights inspired by the Italian Flag that
are 150 microns in thickness, all in all a high value
and excellent setup is provided with the darts.
In summary these are a really well made and
designed set of high quality 90% tungsten darts,
they offer a distinctly different grip variation, which
I found works extremely well and also gives them
a superb look. I would definitely recommend you
give these darts serious consideration, especially if
you fancy trying something a little different in grip
configuration, they are easily a 10/10 for me!
Dave Shacklady