As much as people like playing darts, what most of us secretly like most is getting the ultimate darts setup.
Normal people take pictures of house décor, gym pics, and renovation projects but here at Decent Darts, we like to have an aesthetic dart setup.
One of the keys to a good home setup is high quality lighting. Not only is this essential for practice as you need to clearly see what you’re throwing for but it’s also good just to enhance your overall dartboard setup.
Why buy a top line dartboard and surround if you’re not going to do it justice with good lighting?
Therefore, as most people look to get a dartboard light at some point, it’s always worth us checking out the best options from each brand.
Read on because today we’ve got the Target Corona Vision Dartboard Lighting System review.
It’s a long title but does the quality of the product justify it…
At Decent Darts we test all dart accessories with the same editorial policy and testing criteria and you can find out more on how we test all products here
Table of Contents
Target Corona Vision Dartboard Light Review: Our Verdict
The Target Corona Vision Dartboard Lighting System is quite simply a leading product in the category.
We’ve tested a few overhead and cabinet dartboard lights before and while they provide relatively good lighting, there’s always some issue with mounting them or shadows on the board.
The Corona Vision, though, has full light coverage of the entire dartboard with its 360 degree LED strip.
It’s easy to mount and the consistent lighting that’s mains powered makes this the only light you’ll need to either enhance your dartboard setup or to have a consistent lighting solution for serious practice sessions.
It’s a bit expensive which we’ll of course get onto but if you want our immediate opinion, it’s one of the best lighting systems around.
When looking at all factors, we’d rate the Target Corona Vision dartboard light 9.5/10.
Honestly, it’s almost a perfect product but the only drawbacks is that the price may be out of budget for many casual players (we can appreciate it’s hard to justify a premium price for a light) and the cost of a replacement LED strip is also a bit eye-watering.
Overall though, it’s the best dartboard light on the market and owning one will really take your darts setup to the next level.
Pros
- Full 360 degree lighting coverage on the dartboard
- Consistent and bright illumination for your board
- Quick to set up
- Compatible with most dartboard setups (with one exception)
- Most bought and highest rated dartboard light on the market
Cons
- Premium price
- Not compatible with electronic dartboards (unless you use another accessory to mount it)
- Expensive replacement strips
Who Should Buy It
If you’re a competitive player and spend a lot of time on the practice board, you’ll appreciate this light.
If you’re considering buying a dartboard light (which presumably you are reading this) then this should be a go-to option.
We don’t say that lightly because of the price but for the brightness, quick setup, and lack of shadows it really is one of the best options.
If you can afford it and play darts at least 3-5 hours per week, this is going to be the light for you.
Who Shouldn’t Buy It
Anyone on a budget. The Corona Vision dartboard light isn’t cheap – we bought it to review and I bought one for a Christmas present but it’s not really a suitable price for the casual player.
While it provides elite level lighting, you’d need to pay more than the cost of the dartboard for the privilege.
So, while we think the Corona Vision is the best dartboard light on the market to date, if you’re not playing daily or competitively practicing then you don’t need this light.
A cheaper option will definitely satisfy the casual player.
Target Corona Vision Review: Product Overview
Design
While some brands have stepped up their accessory game in recent years (Mission darts in the UK being a great example), Target really set the industry standard for a dartboard light when they brought out the Corona Vision.
The 360 degree light with magnetic feet provides full light coverage to the playing section of a dartboard (more on that shortly) and
Compatibility & Setup
The innovative design with magnetic feets means that this dartboard light can be connected to almost any bristle dartboard regardless of your setup.
The magnetic feet attach to the steel ring around the board so you need to worry about fixing it into place.
This means it’s compatible with the following setups:
- Dartboard and surround
- Dartboard and cabinet
- Dartboard only
Typically, you get some dartboard lights like the Target Arc (see our review here) which can only be mounted to a dartboard cabinet and therefore reducing its versatility and compatibility.
The Corona Vision is therefore one of the most versatile options.
The exception to this would be if you have an electronic dartboard.
Electronic dartboards don’t have a steel ring and most have a plastic casing so you’d need a unique solution to make it compatible. If you have an electronic dartboard I’d look to choose a wall mounted light instead.
For compatible and comparable models you can check out our roundup of the best dartboard lights – spoiler alert, the Corona Vision is our top pick.
The Corona Vision can be assembled and connected in less than one minute. I got my dad one for christmas and he had it setup just as quickly as it had taken him to unwrap it!
Compatibility – 9/10
Brightness
123 LED lights and a mains powered solution means that this dartboard light has unparalleled brightness.
We’re not just saying that to exaggerate, take a look at this picture of a low level lighting room and then the comparison when we turn on the Corona Vision:
I’d say the picture above speaks volumes. You could play in complete darkness and the Corona Vision is bright enough to compensate.
Brightness – 10/10
Light Coverage
The Corona Vision is one of a few dartboard lights that provides full dartboard coverage. The 360 degree coverage eliminates any shadows on the playing surface of the board that you’ll often see with overhead dartboard light.
When turned on, the light doesn’t just illuminate all of the dartboard but it’s also bright enough to illuminate your room or dart space in general.
Check out our brightness test below for the Target Corona Vision:
This is key for an elite level dartboard setup but it’s interesting to note that some savvy players create the same effect by attaching LED strips to a bike wheel. Either way, the light coverage gets top marks.
Light Coverage – 10/10
Price
Make no mistake, for the features that come with the Corona Vision Light, you’ll need to pay a premium price.
For most competitive players training daily or even the casual player that dedicated a good few hours a week to playing darts, it more than justifies the premium price, it’s arguably the best dartboard light on the market.
The only downside is that it costs just as much and in some cases even more than a professional standard dartboard!
Priced around £70 ($75), it’s not a purchase most people are willing to make lightly, however, we’re here to provide an unbiased opinion and for the quality of the light, it’s probably justified.
There isn’t a competitive player who won’t be able to appreciate the quality this light adds to a home setup.
The real drawback on pricing however is that while there’s a unique LED design for maximum brightness and coverage. The cost of a replacement strip sets you back £25!
For context, you can buy a decent dartboard lighting solution for that price alone…
We can accept a higher price for a truly premium product, however, the cost of the replacement LED strips reduces the value for money.
Price – 7/10
Conclusion
A dartboard light isn’t essential, if you already have your dartboard in a well lit room then you really don’t need the additional expense (unless darts is your passion of course).
For some however, you do need a light to improve the set up or have a dedicated practice area with consistent light.
Our honest opinion is that the Target Corona is expensive when you consider what it is, however, for anyone that has gone past the beginner phase and is a relatively serious player, we don’t think there are many dartboard lights that can compete.
It does everything you need for high quality, consistent lighting and if you ignore the price, we’ve never known anyone to play on it and have a bad experience.
The design is spot on so if you can afford it and are really working on building a great dart setup then we think this should be a go-to option.
Other Dartboard Lights to Consider
We’re still trying to review all the lights on the market to truly find the best option but at the moment, we think the Corona Vision is the best.
Having said that, it’s not the best for everyone so if you are looking for a cheaper or different lighting solution we’d recommend the following.
The Target Arc dartboard light and Viper Shadow Buster are the two best alternatives that we’ve tested.
Both are excellent budget alternatives but don’t quite provide the same level of light coverage so that is the sacrifice. They are also more restricted when it comes to mounting them.
For a truly comparable alternative, you can also check out the Winmau Plasma Light which is basically the same design as the Corona Vision but slightly more expensive so we wouldn’t really justify the additional cost.
