Harrows vs Unicorn: A Dart Comparison
Here at Hot Shots we have carried both Unicorn Darts and Harrows Darts for as long as they have been available to us. Each brand has both World prestige and sponsors some of the most well recognized names in darts.
Eric Bristow and Maureen Flowers signing their sponsorship deal with Harrows Darts
Lets start with the Harrows Brand. They began in 1973 in a small darts shop located in Enfield, North London. Today Harrows Darts manufactures in four purpose built factories in Hoddesdon, England. In 1985 Harrows Darts decided to sponsor Eric Bristow (aka The Crafty Cockney) who is a 5 time World Champion and 5 time World Master as well as the “First Lady of Darts” Maureen Flowers in the largest player endorsement deal of the time. The deal was actually signed on national TV! Harrows Darts was also a founding member of what is now known as the P.D.C. (Professional Darts Corporation). Their production is still located 100% in England for all products.
Unicorn Darts began in 1937 and were the first company to sell darts in sets of 3. In 1949 Unicorn Darts was also the first company to sell darts classified by weight (as compared to buying darts out of a bin where all darts were thrown together and you could buy as many as single darts as you wanted). They have been industry innovators with such products as SlikStik and were the first company to officially sponsor a dart player. At present Unicorn Darts sponsors 5 World Champions as well as a variety of other professional dart players – 26 in total. Currently Unicorn Darts entire production has been moved to China.
Original prototype of Unicorn Darts “Silver Comet” dart set from 1937
So that is a brief overview of both companies. Since we sell both brands, I have heard feedback from our customers for years. The feedback that I get from most players is that although Unicorn Darts offers more selection, especially in the top end range (dollar value), the quality of the barrel itself isn’t as good as the Harrows Darts brand. The mixture of tungsten and steel that Unicorn uses for darts manufactured in China versus the tungsten and steel that is used to manufacture a dart in England feels different. I have heard Unicorn Darts described as more “brittle” feeling. I have also had more Unicorn Darts come back to us due to manufacturer defects such as one point shorter than the other 2 and barrels being not being threaded properly to receive shafts. That being said, Unicorn Darts will replace defective darts. It is frustrating for the customer though to have to go through the process of returning the darts. I have never had to replace a set of Harrows Darts due to manufacturers defect and have found that the quality of their products – for example the knurl on the barrel – will stand up better over time.
I will say that more often customers come in to our showroom asking for Unicorn Dart products. Unicorn Darts sponsors more professional darts players and has really innovative products. Their Sigma product line sold very well for us as well as any Phil Taylor dart set. When Ontario’s own John Part was sponsored by Unicorn Darts, we sold many of his sets as well! Unicorn Darts product line is also larger – they have more selection of sets of darts available for sale as well as flights, shafts and cases. They have really given thought to what dart players really want in a case and come up with designs such as pink patent leather for the girls!
Overall I would say that in our showroom, both lines sell well. I would also say that I have had less complaints about Harrows products than Unicorn products. I’m interested to know – do you play with Harrows or Unicorn brand darts? Leave your comments below!
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Game Room Thoughts 
Thank you for the honest review.
I disagree! Well, I would wouldn’t I! Harrows had very little to do with the PDC. Yes they were there in the very early days (1992/3) with ourselves, Nodor, Winmau & Datadart, but they declined to invest at a critical time in what became the PDC. Unicorn were the only company to put our money where our mouth is by investing in the PDC and working with it.
As it so happens, I am the longest serving PDC Director, Unicorn is the second largest shareholder in the PDC after Matchroom Sport. No other dart company chose to keep an involvement when things were very tough. All dart companies had the same opportunity as Unicorn. I note how Harrows portray the current massive success of the PDC as if it is something they have contributed to. It is not, they are hanging on the coat tails of the PDC without spending the time or money.
In terms of manufacturing, I would research more carefully what Harrows “make” in the UK.
Kind regards
Edward Lowy
Hi Edward!
I understand what you are saying and agree that Unicorn Darts plays a prominent and important roll in the PDC. When I referred to Harrows as a “founding member” I was making reference to what is posted on their website:
“We were founder members of the World Darts Council (W.D.C.), which was an organisation created to increase the profile of darts and encourage sponsors and T.V. back to the game.
Following a protracted legal battle with the British Darts Organisation, which culminated in a high profile court case, the W.D.C. agreed to drop the “W” and re-brand itself the Professional Darts Corporation (P.D.C.). The P.D.C. has gone from strength to strength, and today its roster of tournaments enjoys massive TV exposure worldwide.”
Unicorn Darts products, particularly the Eclipse Pro dartboard and all of the higher end range (World Champion dart sets of all finishes and the Sigma dart sets specifically as well as the Phase 5 and Phase 6 dart sets) are all good sellers in our showroom. People often come in and ask about the “dartboard they see on TV” as the one they want.
As far as where Harrows Darts manufactures their products, I can only go by what we see on their packaging. All of the dart sets, dart flights and dart shafts that I have in my showroom say “Made in England” on them. If they are manufacturing them somewhere else, please send me the link so I can investigate further.
I apologize if you didn’t like my post. We sell both Unicorn and Harrows brands in our showroom and I can only post what I know after selling these products for the past 9 years. I receive feedback from our customers on both products and tried to show that in the post. I believe that Unicorn Darts as a brand has come up with more innovative products such as SlikStiks and the Sigma flight range. I definitely sell many pink dart cases, all of which are Unicorn products!
Thank you for expressing your thoughts!
Kelly Breard
I like to know where my darts are produced, for the simple reason that the working siutations in Asia and or Africa are close to slavery with no social protection and very low paid.
Over the years, I have played with both Unicorn and Harrows products. Both have served me well, but in the last 3 or 4 years there has been a definite drop in quality from Unicorn. This seems to go hand in hand with their move to China. I do respect them for all of the effort they have put into the PDC, as they have done a good job. But I think their products have suffered as a result. In my opinion, having Phil Taylor on their books helps to disguise their poor quality to the general public. On the flip side, Harrows seem to have improved their game; they have brought out many new dart designs that continue to impress my team, and other teams in my league. And I know for a fact that they still produce their products in the UK too, so the suggestion that they do not is unfair. To be fair, I do currently play on a Unicorn dartboard as I managed to purchase it at a great price, and it has lasted well. But I will not be buying any more darts from them. There are also some newcomers to the game that I think are taking market share from Unicorn too – and rightfully so. I don’t think Unicorn will be able to use the slogan ‘The big name in darts’ for very long. I speak not only from my own experiences, but also from the experiences from my other dart friends.