If like me, you are a fan of darts but need to protect the walls in your home from any loose darts, you only really have two options. These are a dartboard cabinet or a dedicated dartboard surround.
There are pros and cons to each product but if anyone wants something that will hold the dart in place protecting both the wall and floor from darts, my recommendation would be to opt for a dartboard surround.
Dartboard surrounds give your darts set up a professional look and in this article, I’ll be reviewing one of the most popular and highest rated dartboard surrounds – The Winmau Dartboard Surround.
I’ve personally owned the Winmau dartboard surround for around 18 months now and feel that I’ve tested it enough to be able to provide an honest and in-depth review for anyone considering a dartboard surround.
Quick review – the Winmau Dartboard Surround is one of the best dartboard surrounds I’ve used, it looks great, has a dense foam so holds any loose darts in place and is very inexpensive compared to some other brands. If you are interested in this product you can find it here.
Table of Contents
Who is Winmau
Winmau, pronounced ‘win more’ is a worldwide leading darts manufacturer producing professional and tournament standard dartboards, darts, and accessories. Winmau is one of the most established dart brands on the planet and is a headline sponsor for a number of tournaments, leagues, and world championships.
What is the Winmau Dartboard Surround
The Winmau Dartboard Surround is the most basic surround in the Winmau range, though it’s worth pointing out that it’s not a basic dartboard surround when compared against other brands – far from it in fact.
Winmau Dartboard Surround Review
Price
I paid £34.95 ($47) for the Winmau Dartboard Surround in January 2021 and the price has held firm ever since. A budget dartboard surround is priced at £20 ($27) while a more premium dartboard surround comes in at around £55 ($74) so the Winmau dartboard surround is a mid-range price point.
Just note that US-based players might need to pay shipping fees on top of this price.
For the quality and functionality though, this is very good value for a leading brand known for manufacturing good quality products. My dartboard gets used daily and is showing no signs of wear and tear to the dartboard surround so this product is providing excellent value for money to date.
Design
As is the case with most dartboard surrounds, this product features a minimal design in terms of branding. Dartboard surrounds typically come in two shapes:
- Round
- Rectangle
The Winmau Dartboard Surround has a relatively slim and round design. It comes in a variety of colors but the most popular option back far is black. In honesty, there isn’t too much to say when it comes to the design of this product.
It’s minimal, subtly branded (for those that like to have a branded setup), and fits perfectly around standard-sized bristle dartboards.
For reference, the colors available are:
- Black
- Blue
- Red
- White
- Man Cave (limited edition design)
Functionality
The Winmau dartboard surround takes seconds to set up. It comes as one single piece and snugly fits all standard-sized bristle dartboards.
I use mine combined with a Winmau SFB Pro dartboard.
The product dimensions are:
- 43.6cm Inner Diameter, 67.5cm Outer Diameter (17 inches Inner Diameter, 25.6 inches outer diameter)
- 69cm x 69cm (27 inches x 27 inches)
When comparing this against the Target Darts Pro Dartboard Surround or the Viper Defender II this surround not only has the most ratings (on Amazon) but also the highest ratings meaning that more people are buying the Winmau surround and preferring it.
It’s smaller than the Target Darts Pro by a 1cm circumference so these surrounds are essentially the same size but it’s much smaller in surface area compared to the Viper Defender II. Despite the Viper Defender II having more surface area, it’s a much thinner surround and customers complain that darts are penetrating through to the wall so it’s not necessarily serving its purpose.
The Winmau surround and Target surround are very similar products in terms of price, size, and functionality so I don’t think there is much to choose between them, I just prefer the Winmau brand but both products are an equally good option.
I’m terms of serving its purpose, the Winmau dartboard surround is thick enough to hold stray darts in place whilst also protecting the wall (or surrounding area) from damage caused by darts missing the board.
The main purpose of a dartboard surround is to protect the area around it from missed darts so this dartboard surround definitely ticks that box. The only thing to consider is that this isn’t the largest dartboard surround on the market so it might not be big enough for absolute beginners who frequently miss the dartboard – and often by a large distance.
Overall Rating
9.5/10
For the price point, longevity, and overall quality of the product I find it difficult to fault the Winmau dartboard surround. The only thing holding it back is that there are some dartboard surrounds with a larger surface area.
These are obviously better suited for absolute beginners who can’t throw a dart properly but for anyone that is capable of throwing a dart, the size shouldn’t be an issue. I prefer the slimmer profile as it fits my setup better.
Other than that minor point, I’d recommend this dartboard surround to 99% of the dart-playing community. It’s a justifiable price (not premium-priced), looks good, and does exactly what you need from it by catching darts that miss the board, and protecting the wall behind.
Who is the Winmau Dartboard Surround Best Suited for
The Winmau Dartboard Surround is definitely best suited to an intermediate-advanced level darts player or a serious hobby player. The main reasons being that at a mid-range price point, it won’t have the same appeal to a casual player who isn’t really investing in their darts setup.
It’s also not the largest surround so again, not best suited to absolute beginners.
For the product quality, design, and functionality, a more experienced player will definitely appreciate this as an addition to their setup.
If mine ever got damaged for some reason, I wouldn’t even look to a different product, I’d just order this one again!
Do You Need a Dartboard Surround
Not every dart setup will require a dartboard surround.
Those using a dartboard surround will do so for specific reasons. I use a dartboard surround because I combine it with a dartboard stand and play in an open area. This means I need it for both a safety aspect and because I own my own home so don’t want to damage it with a load of dart holes in the walls and floor!
My strong recommendation would be to get a dartboard surround if you don’t have one already, not only do they act as an important safety item to protect your wall from darts but they also look great and give your dart setup a professional look.
This is often an overlooked aspect but something that is useful for motivating you to practice and for also enhancing your play/practice time at the board.
Final Thoughts
I’ve previously made a roundup article to recommend the best dartboard surround and it shouldn’t come as a surprise that the Winmau Dartboard Surround ranks as the highest-rated on that list!
It’s one of the better products on the market, while there are some solid options like the Target Pro Dartboard Surround, this is still one of the best options.
