Compressed sisal is remarkable stuff. The fibres part around an incoming point and close again as the dart is drawn out, so a good board keeps a smooth, even face through many thousands of darts.

Density is what drives that, and it is the specification worth comparing. Tightly packed sisal reseals faster and holds its surface long after a softer board has started to show its treble twenty.

The wiring matters just as much. Ultra-thin profiles and staple-free bullseyes leave less metal standing proud of the sisal, which gives an incoming dart less to strike and puts more of them in the bed. Several boards we stock are built to come off and go back square in minutes, which makes rotating them — the cheapest thing you can do for a board — something you will actually keep up.