Former professional Vincent van der Voort, who also works for Winmau, has weighed in on the ongoing controversy surrounding the Winmau Blade X dartboard. Speaking on the Darts Draait Door podcast, Van der Voort acknowledged the concerns from players but pushed back against the harshest criticism, including Gary Anderson's recent claim that the board is “the worst ever.” Van der Voort stated, “I don’t agree with him, but if so many players are focused on it, you have to listen and take it seriously.”
The debate reignited after German star Martin Schindler, frustrated following the World Cup of Darts, dumped a Blade X board—packaging included—into a trash container. Footage of the incident spread rapidly on social media, adding fuel to months of complaints from both professionals and amateurs about excessive bounce-outs. Two-time world champion Gary Anderson had previously called the board “absolutely rank” and “the worst dartboards ever” in a press conference with DartsNews.
Van der Voort stressed that Winmau is taking the issue seriously. “There are definitely concerns and this will be resolved,” he said on the podcast. He confirmed the manufacturer is investigating the cause, with temperature being one suspected factor: “Everything is tested at Winmau. They suspect it’s due to cold. It has to come from somewhere.” While no definitive cause has been identified, Van der Voort emphasized that the brand’s reputation is at stake.
Despite the problems, Van der Voort highlighted the board’s durability. “It’s the best board in terms of how long it lasts, but that doesn’t mean anything, because you might as well hang up a wooden plank, that lasts even longer.” He added that for elite players, performance during matches is paramount. Given the board’s retail price of around 150 euros, Van der Voort insisted that structural issues are unacceptable: “That can’t happen. That must not happen. Then there’s something wrong with the board.”
Van der Voort expects changes to be made. “The board at the PDC has to be good, top quality. There will be changes. The problem is of course being taken seriously.” He concluded that Winmau is not brushing aside the criticism and is working on solutions, though the debate over the Blade X is far from over.
