Dart head

Various dart head examples. From left to right: whistling, streamlined, Velcro-tipped, suction, spiraled, flat, and waffled.

A dart head (also known as a dart tip) is the tip that is on the end of any dart. They come in a variety of colors and designs.

Types of heads

Whistling heads

Whistler Darts, an example of darts with whistling heads.

Whistling heads are hollow rubber tips with a small hole in them. When darts with whistling heads are fired, air moves through the hole and makes the whistling sound the darts are often named for. The faster the dart goes, the more it whistles. Some blaster darts are slow, so they are silent. Using whistling headed darts can increase range due to the heavy whistling head.

Darts that feature the use of whistling heads include Whistler Darts, Sonic Micro Darts, Tagger Micro Whistler Darts, Screamin' Micro Darts, Screamin' Mega Darts, Screamin' Arrows, N-Strike Mega Mega Darts, Mega XL Darts, and ULTRA Sonic Screamer Darts.

Suction cups

Micro Darts, an example of darts with suction heads.

Main article: Suction cup

Suction cup heads are the most recognizable and iconic head of any Nerf dart. They are able to stick onto certain surfaces, such as glass or tile. Darts with suction cup heads were the most popular darts for the entirety of classic Nerf, but in modern times, the rapid-fire and clip system capabilities of blasters have made the suction cup less used. Darts that feature the use of suction cup heads include Micro Darts, Mega Darts, and Suction Darts.

Streamlined heads

Elite Darts, an example of darts with streamlined heads.

Also known as rubber heads, streamlined heads are a blanket term for rubber dart heads that are simple, often hollow for compressibility, and do not have any notable special features. The dart head itself is smaller in diameter than the dart body. The dart is shaped in such a way to be compatible with clip system blasters and clips. If fired fast enough, some darts with streamlined heads will whistle due to the hole in the side that allows air to escape the head when compressed, much like a whistling dart head. This is caused by air moving over the small circular hole on the dart head. Rubber heads are arguably the most durable of dart heads. Most modern darts feature streamlined heads.

Darts that feature the use of a rubber head include Streamline Darts, Elite Darts, Elite 2.0 Darts, Collectible Darts, Zombie Strike Darts and ULTRA Darts.

Velcro-tipped heads

Tagger Micro Darts, an example of darts with Velcro-tipped heads.

Darts with Velcro-tipped heads darts allow them to stick to certain fabrics. They are primarily used for Dart Tag. The Velcro may come off after heavy use.

Darts that feature the use of Velcro-tipped heads include the Tagger Micro Darts and the Tagger Micro Whistler Darts.

Spiraled heads

AccuStrike Darts are the only darts to feature spiraled heads.

Spiraled heads allow darts to be more accurate and have a flatter trajectory by supposedly making them spin when fired. The Nerf AccuStrike Dart is the only dart from any major brand to use the spiraled head, although many third-party companies manufacture their own spiral-headed darts for use with Elite Dart-compatible Nerf blasters. There are also third-party companies that make their own Mega-sized darts with spiral heads. Some Nerfers consider spiraled heads as a variant of waffled heads.

Flat heads

AccuStrike Mega Darts, an example of darts with flat heads

Darts with flat heads function similarly to AccuStrike darts as they're designed to be more accurate than other darts. Flat heads are usually hollow inside, unlike spiraled or waffled heads.

Darts that feature the use of flat heads include the AccuStrike Mega Darts, Adventure Force Pro Darts and the AccuStrike ULTRA Darts.

Smart Stick

Smart Stick Darts are the only darts to feature smart stick heads.

Smart Stick heads are only found on BOOMco. Smart Stick Darts. The head was engineered by Mattel chemists, and allows the dart to stick to surfaces such as Smart Stick Targets and Smart Stick Shields.

Waffled heads

K'Nex Darts, an example of darts with waffle heads.

Also known as coned heads, waffle heads are dart heads designed to be easily compressible. Indents in the head create compressible space in the rubber. These types of darts are more accurate than other designs that rely on a hole in the side of the head to let air escape during compression from impact. Many waffle head darts are manufactured by third-party companies for use with Nerf blasters.

Darts that feature the use of waffled heads include the K'Nex Darts, Sureshot Series Super Darts, and the Stacked Waffle Darts. Other types of waffle head darts with slightly different head designs include Red Diamond Darts and Max Accurate Darts.