Max took a closer look at the Winmau Diablo 1 torpedo darts, putting this short, bomb-shaped barrel through its paces to see who they really suit. Out of the box they look every bit as “devilish” as the name suggests: deep red sections broken up by black rings, a matte black point and a chunky mid-barrel that tapers down at both ends. They’re a proper torpedo profile – short, wide and weighty in the hand – clearly aimed at players who like to grip towards the front or dead-centre and want something that feels solid rather than slim or whippy.
The Diablo range is one of Winmau’s tour-proven lines, built around their even-flow double-ring grip concept and finished with a tough Vetalic (titanium nitride-style) coating. On the torpedo version Max reviewed (24g, 90% tungsten), the grip is all focused in the business area of the barrel: alternating bands of vivid red and black, with the red sections carrying a single thin ring and the black bands cut with twin rings. In the hand that pattern gives a very distinctive feel – clean, obvious reference points for your thumb and finger without being ultra-aggressive – and the short overall length makes the dart feel compact and punchy.
On throw, Max did exactly what he expected to do with a short dart: started strongly, then had to work a bit to find his comfort zone. He opened nicely with a ton followed by a 69, and although the finishing let him down a little, he eventually took out the 32 in two darts for an 11-dart 201. The darts themselves flew straight and grouped well; the challenge was more about his usual grip sitting further back on a longer, parallel barrel. Once he pushed his grip forward – even sliding that second finger right up towards the point – the weighting and balance felt good and the dart behaved predictably.
In short, the Winmau Diablo 1 torpedo is a short, centre-weighted 90% tungsten bomb-shaped barrel with an alternating single-and-twin ring grip that Max rates 3/5 for aggressiveness: plenty of feel without being overly sharp. At around £39.95 at the time of review, they sit in a very fair mid-range price bracket for a big-brand 90% tungsten set. They won’t suit everyone – especially players who like to hold right at the back of a longer dart – but for front and mid-grippers who prefer a heavier, more compact barrel, they’re a very strong option.
- Darts: 3 × Winmau Diablo 1 90% tungsten barrels (torpedo / bomb profile)
- Packaging / Case: Classic Winmau retail box with large viewing window and EVA foam insert with Winmau point holder, holding barrels, flights and shafts
- Flights: 1 × set of Winmau Diablo flights (standard shape)
- Shafts: 1 × set of Winmau Vecta shafts (short)
- Points: Matte black steel-tip points, factory-fitted
- Tungsten: 90%
- Barrel profile: Short torpedo / bomb-shaped barrel (chunky mid-section, tapered front and rear)
- Balance: Centre-weighted (weight focused around the middle of the barrel despite the short length)
- Surface / colour: Vetalic / titanium-nitride style red coating over black, with machined rings exposing crisp edges for traction
- Nose: Longer conical nose tapering smoothly from the matte black point into the first grip rings for clean entry into the board
- 24g – 6.95mm x 43.2mm
- 26g – 6.95mm x 43.2mm
- 28g – 6.95mm x 43.2mm
- Grip Zone: Focused main grip section (best for front and middle holds rather than rear)
- Grip Type: Alternating single and twin ring grip
- Grip Level: 3 / 5
The Review
Diablo Torpedo Winmau Darts
These darts are the torpedo edition of the Diablo range, and as such are a shorter barrel than one that I would normally throw. However, despite this, after adjusting my grip and throw, I found that these darts flew nice and straight. I really liked the grip of the barrel which felt nice in my hands too, but I did struggle to throw them a bit due to its centre placement (which goes against my throwing preference). With that being said though, these are well balanced and I think these would be great for front or mid grippers.
PROS
- Look great
- Nice barrel design
- Good grip
- Well balanced
CONS
- Couldn't find any
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