Red Dragon Amberjack Pro 2 25 gram Steel Tip Darts
Interestingly enough the Red Dragon Amberjack Pro 2 isn’t just a copy or reproduction of a current or existing Amberjack model.
They arrived in the standard Red Dragon White box packaging with shafts fitted, supplied with a set of orange and black Hardcore flights. Unfortunately this set was fitted with one point that was 3mm shorter than the other two, a minor issue that was simply resolved by repointing the darts.
The barrels themselves are 45.7mm long and at their widest point 7.7mm in diameter.
This set of darts is actually rear weighted and torpedo or bullet shaped.
The nose is elliptically shaped and makes up the first 16mm of the barrel, the next 20mm are parallel leaving the last 16mm to taper away to meet the shaft.
The barrels have a Black PVD coating highlighted with 2 amber or orange rings either side of the centre plain silver section. The standard black points fitted are 26mm long and the darts are fitted with short length (35mm) .Amber (read Orange) VRX Polycarbonate Shafts. The darts are completed with the Hardcore flights that match the stylised package of orange and black.
While for many people reading this styling is something that means little, what it highlights in this instant is
i) Value for money
ii) Pride in the product
iii) Standard workmanship and quality
This design is similar to the Carnage 3, however in the Amberjack Pro 2 the centre of balance has been moved forward by 8mm or so.
My normal practice with a shorter barrel would be to experiment with shaft length. In this case I ran with the bits supplied, straight out of the box so to speak.
They were definitely not disappointing in anyway. Even though they are a 25g dart they feel a lot lighter, I know that sounds a bit odd but that’s what they feel like, to prove it to myself I even weighed them, twice.
From the first throw at the board these were perfect.
I experimented with front and rear favouring grips, resulting in minimal deviation in the way the darts fly or enter the board. Initially focusing totally on grouping, I worked around both random doubles and triples, the darts were always very close to whatever I threw at. Going through a few different drills I found that I was able to control them better than most pencil shaped darts I have reviewed in the past.
I’m not sure if they were just a set that really suited my style of throw or if I found them easier to throw because of the more compact or compressed grip required to hold them.
In any case the Amberjack Pro 2 has a very positive very comfortable Grip. The rings are a U profile, rounded at the bottom giving a square cut shoulder at the top. It’s the square shoulder that gives the dart a comfortable but positive grip and push point. The grip rates about 2.25 - 2.5 out of 5.0, positive but in no way distracting. I defy anyone to find a better quality and value set of darts at this price point. Easily rates 4.5 out of 5.0 overall.