A dart flight punch works like any other hole punch works, but it is specifically designed for the flights of darts. Some have specific spaces for the flight to fit in to be punched, whereas others are more free. When the flight is in the right position, you press down like with any hole punch and make a hole.
You then fit the hole with a ring. You put the shaft of the dart through this ring when putting the flight on, and it keeps the flight in place when you throw your dart, and when you are throwing more darts at the board the flight will stay on instead of being knocked off by the other darts.
There are a variety of dart types, and going beyond this there are a wide variety of different flights, rings, and flight punches. Regardless of the player’s need they can find the right dart flight punch for them.
What Is a Dart Flight Punch?
A dart flight punch is just as the name describes, a hole punch specifically designed for punching holes for dart flights. Why would someone want to punch a hole in their dart flight though? It seems like it would not make sense for darts.
Generally this would be true, but a dart flight punch is meant only for punching a hole in a very particular part of the flight, and this hole does not just stay there with nothing else added to it. A dart flight punch works when the player then puts a ring in the flight that the dart shaft can go in.
Depending on the punch and the player’s need though, there are many different kinds of punches and rings. Some of the punches are:
- Viper Flight Punch
- Red Dragon Darts Flight Punch
- ToBeIt Flight Hole Punch
- L-Style Shell Lock Flight Punch
- Dynasty Portable Flight Punch
Each punch has different pros and cons, and with each flight hole, there are many different rings that can be used that also have their own unique pros and cons. Different players use rings ilke:
- Pigeon Rings
- Champagne Caps
- Titanium Lock Rings
- Standard Rings
They are very small and come in a variety of makes and models, but they consistently give the player a punched flight that they can use in their play and keep their dart and flight together. Some do not have a precision flight slot to make the hole as centered as possible, some come with their own flights, and others come with their own rings.
A dart flight punch is not something that every dart player needs, but if you are a dart player that is working to practice their grouping or even just throwing, a dart flight punch might not be a bad idea.
We recommend the Viper Dart Flight Punch. Click here to check the current price and availability on Amazon.
Why Would You Punch Holes in Dart Flights?
For a lot of professional, as well as casual, dart players, one of the more tedious and annoying parts of darts is the constant bending over to pick up flights that have fallen off of their darts or been knocked off by other darts. A dart with a punched flight looks to alleviate this problem..
A dart flight punch allows the flight to stay attached even if the dart is hit by other darts or if they bounce from a bad throw. For any professional athlete, practice is an important thing, and this is absolutely true for dart players as well. Problematic for them though, is the limited amount of space there is on a dart board, and the limited amount of darts they have.
This means that there is going to be a lot of walking back and forth, and unfortunately, a lot of bending down as well. When the dart board becomes more crowded, or even if the player is just working on their grouping where they try to have all of the darts hit the same target, flights can come off very easily.
Having punched flights is very good for practice, as this problem can be alleviated and the flights will stay on. Additionally, when the flights stay in you are more likely to see deflections, where the flight of the dart in the board hits the other darts away, and you will see less breakages in your dart.
For professional games though, it is wise to not use these punched flights as you may even want your flights to come off. If your flight does come off, you can avoid bigger deflections, also called robin hoods, and instead of your dart changing trajectory from hitting the other dart it will instead go where you aimed it.
How Do You Use a Dart Punch?
To use the tool you:
- Take the flight you want to use in your dart
- Insert the smaller end into the tool
- Make sure it is flush with the tool
- Push down on the tool, thus punching a hole in the flight
After doing this you can:
- Bend your flight open
- Take one of the stem rings that come with the hole punch tool
- Insert into the flight hole that the punch just made
- Take your dart shaft and insert it into the flight, and through the stem ring
Final Thoughts
Doing this will make your dart and flight much more tight and secure, and you will no longer need to worry about the flights coming off whenever you throw your darts. No more bending down to pick up your flights!
When you punch flights and put and put your dart shaft through the rings you insert on the flight, you will spend a lot less time picking flights up off of the floor, and save your back in the long run. More than this though, you will be able to practice much faster without having to worry about your darts breaking by hitting each other!
All of the different flight punches discussed here are unique and have many benefits for the players using them, so no matter which product you choose you will be saving yourself a lot of time and energy and overall improve your game much faster.