Board Thread:General Nerf discussion/@comment-27306930-20180909022342

I finally broke down a bought a Zilink jewelers scale so I could measure some of these darts I've been touting. If you've ever thought about getting a scale, this one is extremely affordable and accurate to 1/1000 of a gram.

Here are some preliminary results in grams:

Nerf Elites      1.005

AccuClones   1.139

Red Z-Darts   1.146

K'Nex Darts   1.158

Blue Z-Darts  1.168

Waffle Head   1.411

This explains some of the performance characteristics I've seen. Just on speed alone, Nerf Elites would be great if they weren't completely unpredictable. AccuClones and Z-Darts are excellent for both FPS and consistency. My personal favs, K'Nex are a tiny bit heavier, but I suspect there's something going on with weight distribution. And waffle heads are very consistent but the range kinda stinks.

Dart weight does determine initial velocity. But it's not all about FPS. Heavier things actually fly farther and more consistently. Remember my billiard ball - crumpled up paper analogy ? So it turns out it's a balance between weight, speed, and aerodynamics. Kinda like the Three Bears. Not too hot, not too cold ... just right. 