A new flight costs a few dollars and changes where your darts land, which makes it the cheapest experiment in the sport. Swap a standard No. 2 for a slim No. 6 and the dart holds its speed and arrives flatter, without touching the barrel at all.

Shaft length does the same job from the other end, setting how far back the flight sits and how much leverage it has at the tail. Point length shifts the balance forward and steepens the entry.

These are consumables as much as components — flights crease, shafts split at the slot and points blunt against the wires. Keeping spares in the case is what separates finishing a match from borrowing a flight off your opponent. The range runs from club-standard gear to the moulded flights and titanium shafts thrown at professional level.