Folded dart flights are what most people would typically imagine if they pictured a regular flight, however moulded flights have become more popular and offer something a little different. In this article, I’ll compare the pros and cons of folded and moulded flights so you can decide which type to go for.
Folded vs Moulded Flights
Folded dart flights are cheaper than moulded flights but are not as durable. Moulded flights are thicker than folded flights so they take less damage from incoming darts and do not need to be replaced as often. Folded flights work with standard stems but some moulded flights require proprietary stems.
Foldable dart flights (image links to Amazon)
Moulded dart flights (image links to Amazon)
Foldable Flights
Folded dart flights are typically made from nylon and can come in different thicknesses ranging from 75 microns to 150 microns. Folded flights are used by most professional dart players and are very affordable so can be frequently replaced. Folding flights are packaged flat so to install them you simply need to place the flight on the end of the stem and push it in, then pop the sides out.
Moulded Flights
Moulded dart flights are usually made from plastic such as polycarbonate, and are often around 300-400 microns thick. Moulded flights are a more recent invention than folded flights and are designed to last longer so are typically more expensive.
Some moulded flights can be used on regular stems but many need special stems to be able to fit them since they have a plastic hole at the bottom which is used to hold the flight securely around the stem.
Many brands make moulded flights including:
- L-style
- Condor
- Harrows
- Designa
- Unicorn
- Cosmo
- Bulls
- Robson
L-Style Flight (image links to Amazon)
Cosmo Flight (image links to Amazon)
Robson Flight (image links to Amazon)
Looking to find the best dart flight shape to improve your game? Check out my complete guide to flight shapes to learn everything you need to know.
Which is the Best Type?
Now let’s take a look at the differences between moulded and regular folded flights so you can decide which is the best option for you.
| Folded Flights | Moulded Flights |
| Cheaper | More expensive |
| Thinner | Thicker |
| Less durable | More durable |
| Work with regular stems | Most need proprietary stems |
| More prone to robin hoods | Less prone to robin hoods |
Stem Type
Folded dart flights work with regular stems, however many moulded flights do not work with normal stems and need a specialist stem to be able to secure them. So, if you are currently using normal folded flights, you may need to change the stem you are using to accommodate moulded darts. There are some exceptions to this though, such as the L-style moulded flights which work on normal stems.
Many moulded flights come with stems included and some even have an integrated design where the stem and flight are made from one piece which cannot be separated.
Thickness
Moulded dart flights are usually much thicker than folded dart flights. Folded dart flights are between 75 microns and 150 microns thick, with the most common sizes being 75 microns and 100 microns. However, moulded dart flights are usually around 300-400 microns thick.
Thicker flights are more durable and can provide a more stable flight path to avoid “fishtailing”, which is particularly useful when using longer shafts or if you throw the dart with a slower, looping style.
Durability
Moulded dart flights are thicker and sturdier than regular folded dart flights. This means that moulded flights are less likely to take damage from incoming darts so typically last much longer than folded flights which can get damaged very easily, particularly if they are quite thin.
There are reports of moulded dart flights lasting for over a year on forums, however they usually look pretty battered by this point. On average, you can expect moulded dart flights to last for a few months compared to folded flights which may only last a few days or weeks.
The durability of the flights also depends on how good you are at playing darts. Better players will group the darts more closely together successfully, meaning the flights will take more damage and need replacing faster. So it really depends on your skill level whether you’d notice a huge amount of difference in durability. For beginners, the added durability of moulded darts may not be that noticable.
Professionals still use folded flights despite this durability because they want to make their darts as aerodynamic as possible, so will replace them frequently. Some professionals will replace their flights a few times during a game to ensure they are getting the best performance on their darts, so again the durability of the moulded flights isn’t that helpful here either.
Cost
Folded dart flights are much cheaper than moulded dart flights. For a set of three moulded flights, the average price is between $5-$10 (or £5-£10 in the UK), however for a set of 3 folded flights the average cost is $1.00-$1.50 (or £0.75-£1.25 in the UK). You can also purchase folded flights in much larger quantities which is what most players do. A pack of ten folded flights usually costs around $4-$8 (or £4-£8 in the UK).
However, when you take the durability of each type into account, the moulded darts usually come out as the best option. Check out the table below to see how much value for money each type of flight offers and you can see that moulded flights are a much better option, and this assumes that they are 10x more durable than folded flights but in some cases it may actually be a fair bit more.
| Type | Average Price for 3 Flights | Durability for the Average Player | Cost for 300 hours of Playing |
| Folded | $1.25 | 10 hours | $37.50 |
| Moulded | $7.50 | 100 hours | $22.50 |
Robin Hoods
One of the advantages of moulded flights is that they are less susceptible to “robin hooding” than folded flights. A robin hood in darts is when a dart lands directly in the back of another dart on the board so they are stuck together. The flight design of most moulded flights such as the L-style prevents this from occurring as frequently.
Check out my article on robin hoods to learn more about how and why they occur, and how to prevent them.
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