WTP Fissile – The Darts That Slowly Won Me Over

If you've followed The Orm Storm for any length of time, you'll know I enjoy trying different bits of darts equipment and finding out what actually works for my throw.

That's pretty much how I ended up with the WTP Fissile.

I've now spent a decent amount of time with them through practice and Road to 70, which means I've had the chance to get beyond those first few throws and form a proper opinion.

So, rather than another quick first-impressions review, here's how I've actually got on with them.

What's The Point?

What's The Point – or WTP – are probably better known by many darts players for their points than their barrels.

That was certainly how I first knew them.

They've built a huge range of replacement points and have gradually expanded into their own darts and other bits of kit.

The Fissile is one of those darts.

It's a 90% tungsten straight-barrel design with several distinct grip sections rather than one pattern running the entire length of the barrel.

On paper, fairly straightforward.

In the hand, there's a little more to it.

A Dart Doesn't Need To Look Like A Chainsaw

There are some absolutely mental barrel designs around now.

Huge cuts. Shark grips. Milling going in twelve different directions. Bits seemingly removed simply because the machine was already switched on.

The Fissile isn't like that.

Visually it's quite restrained, but look closer and there are clearly defined sections along the barrel.

For me, the important bit is the feedback.

I don't particularly like an aggressive dart that feels as though it's trying to remove my fingerprints. I want to be able to pick the dart up and have something that naturally helps me locate my fingers consistently.

That's where the Fissile works well.

There's enough going on to provide that reference without the grip becoming the main event.

They Weren't An Instant Hit

This is probably the most interesting part of my experience with them.

When I first got the Fissile, my reaction was basically:

Yeah. They're alright.

I could throw them fairly well. Nothing felt overly wrong and there wasn't anything I particularly disliked.

But there wasn't an immediate wow moment either.

Then something happened that I hadn't really expected.

I just kept enjoying them more.

There wasn't one huge scoring session that suddenly changed my mind. It was simply the result of spending more time at the board with them.

Things that I'd barely noticed initially started making more sense. I became more familiar with the barrel and everything began to feel increasingly natural.

My opinion changed through actually using them rather than trying to convince myself that a new purchase was brilliant.

And I quite like that.

Making Them Mine

A barrel is only part of the finished dart, and I've now got the Fissile set up how I want it.

I'm using them with my custom L-Style setup, and 40mm points which is the combination I've settled on.

There's no complicated theory behind that decision.

I know what I like to see from a dart through the air and how I want it to sit in the board. This combination gives me that and, more importantly, feels comfortable.

It's also part of what I enjoy about setting darts up.

You can take exactly the same tungsten barrel and make relatively small changes around it that alter the overall feel of the finished dart.

Once I'd got the Fissile set up my way, the whole package came together.

The Screwed Point System

Then there's something WTP understandably know quite a lot about: points.

The Fissile uses WTP's Screwed point system rather than relying on a traditional press-fit point.

That's a feature I genuinely appreciate.

Point length and grip can have a noticeable effect on how a dart feels, and being able to make a change without getting a traditional repointing tool involved makes the whole process considerably easier.

It also fits particularly well with what WTP are known for.

A company with such a huge range of points producing a barrel that makes swapping between them straightforward just makes sense.

Will changing your points suddenly have you throwing like Luke Littler?

Sadly not.

But at least changing them is easy.

What Are They Actually Like To Throw?

This is ultimately the bit that matters.

You can list tungsten percentages, dimensions and grip patterns all day long, but none of that tells somebody exactly what a dart is going to feel like when they stand at the oche.

For me, the word I'd use for the Fissile is comfortable.

My fingers find their position easily, the barrel doesn't feel overly busy and there's nothing about the release that I find distracting.

I also like having plenty of usable barrel.

I'm not being forced towards one tiny grip zone or feeling as though the dart has been designed around one very specific type of throw.

Obviously that's personal.

Someone else could pick up exactly the same dart and have a completely different experience, which is why I've never really understood reviews that declare a dart objectively brilliant or terrible.

All I can tell you is how it works for me.

And for my throw, it works very well.

Putting Them Through Road to 70

One advantage I've had with the Fissile is being able to use them properly rather than basing this article on a quick practice session.

They've been part of Road to 70, so they've been thrown when everything is flowing and they've been thrown on the days when apparently I've forgotten which part of the dartboard I'm supposed to be aiming at.

More importantly, those sessions aren't judged purely by feel.

I've got the Scolia data behind them.

Average, scoring average, checkout percentage, best legs – the numbers don't care whether I've convinced myself I played brilliantly.

That's useful when assessing equipment because a dart can sometimes feel great without the performance necessarily backing that feeling up.

Likewise, a frustrating session doesn't automatically mean there's something wrong with the equipment.

Spending proper time with the Fissile across normal sessions has given me a much better understanding of them than a couple of hours ever could.

Probably The Best Endorsement I Can Give Them

I don't particularly like scoring darts out of ten.

What does an 8.7 actually mean?

And my 8.7 could quite easily be somebody else's 5.

There's a much simpler way I can explain where I've ended up with the Fissile.

I bought two more sets.

These weren't sent to me by WTP. Nobody asked me to use them and nobody asked me to write this article.

I bought the first set because I wanted to try them.

After spending proper time with them, I liked them enough to go back and buy another two.

So I now own three sets of Fissiles.

Considering my first reaction was basically "yeah, they're alright", I think that probably tells the story better than any score out of ten ever could.

That's about as uncomplicated as an endorsement gets.

The Orm Storm Verdict

The Fissile has ended up being a really good fit for what I want from a dart.

It's comfortable in my hand, gives me the feedback I want from the grip and works brilliantly with my custom L-Style setup.

I also genuinely like WTP's Screwed point system. It's practical, easy to use and makes particular sense on a dart carrying the What's The Point name.

Would the Fissile suit everybody?

Of course not.

No dart does.

But if you're looking at them and wondering whether they're worth trying, I can say that my experience has been a very positive one.

Three sets later, I think I've probably made my mind up.

The Fissiles are staying in the case.

And around here, that's a pretty decent result.

On to tomorrow. 🌪️