Many have referred to Josh Rock as the future of darts – a title well suited to the 21 year old. Hailing from Northern Ireland, ‘Rocky’ has made an immediate impact in his debut year within the PDC, rising to No. 36 in the world, aided by a trio of last 16 appearances in the European Championship, Grand Slam and, more recently, the World Championship.
Mission snapped up the youngster shortly after earning his PDC Tour Card, with Josh’s range of products, including darts, flights and shirts, released over the following year.
- Product: Mission Josh Rock Darts
- Steel Tip – 22g (Used in this Review*)
- Length: 52.80mm x Width: 6.3mm
- Tungsten Percentage: 95%
- Price: £54.95
Introduction:
The darts are fairly universal – most players preferring straight barrels should be able to pick up and use these with little difficulty. The barrels, reminiscent of the older ( Perhaps Phase 1) Unicorn Phil Taylor darts, feature a full-length grip, with just approximately a centimeter separating the end of the grip and the end of the barrel.
In More Detail:
The grip itself is more of a ‘sticky’ feel, as opposed to a sharper cut. The thinly cut grooves provide a noticeably high level of grip, while offering a smooth release. Those with a more delicate grip may struggle to use these darts to their maximum potential, as I’ve found you really need to apply pressure to the barrel in order to feel the full effect of the ‘varying ringed-grip design’.
The darts have been PVD coated in black, with the groves re-machined and painted in silver and electric-blue, to keep the barrels consistent with Josh’s brand at Mission. The PVD coating, while durable, is likely to begin to chip away fairly quickly toward the front of the barrel. The taper itself is a bull-nose, meaning it will be subjected to a higher level of impact than a tapered barrel, such as Mission’s Josh O’Shea darts (review coming soon!).
Overall, after 12 hours on the board, the darts still looked in fantastic condition, though wear was evident around the lip on the taper – this was minimised, however, with the use of Mission’s Sniper points, which I’d added to match the setup used by Josh in competition.
Open The Box
The boxed setup includes the new Mission Sabre shafts in blue/black, designed to reduce the risk of robin-hood shots, maximising your scoring potential. The No. 2 flights keep the dart in the air longer, perfectly suited to those that tend to float the darts, rather than a particularly aggressive throw.
- Points: Mission Glide Black 32mm
- Stems: Mission Sabre Black/Blue Medium
- Flights: Mission Solo No. 2 Josh Rock
For those that prefer an alternate style of flight, Mission provides a wide range of darts accessories, for you to truly personalise your setup.
Debbie Downers:
The only real issue I found while using these darts is how much attention you have to pay when picking up the darts while throwing. The long, thin barrel with a consistent grip means that wherever you hold the dart, it will feel the same. While this can be viewed as a positive, it can lead to some erratic darts if you’ve not picked up the dart in the correct way, and thus are throwing further from the front or rear than you are used to.
Summary:
All-in-all, these are a particular highlight from the 2023 launch. The ease of use is what sets these darts apart from the competition, and I’m sure Josh Rock will enjoy much success in the years to come, with Mission darts supporting every dart he throws.
A huge thank you to Mission for sending these darts out – keep an eye out for more over the coming weeks!
—–ENDS—–
Words: Joe Reid
*Additional variations are available:
Steel Tip – 24g
Length: 52.80mm
Width: 6.5mm
Tungsten Percentage: 95%
Points: Mission Glide Black 32mm
Stems: Mission Sabre Black/Blue Medium
Flights: Mission Solo No. 2 Josh Rock
Price: £54.95
Steel Tip – 26g
Length: 52.80mm
Width: 6.7mm
Tungsten Percentage: 95%
Points: Mission Glide Black 32mm
Stems: Mission Sabre Black/Blue Medium
Flights: Mission Solo No. 2 Josh Rock
Price: £54.95
Steel Tip – 28g
Length: 52.80mm
Width: 7mm
Tungsten Percentage: 95%
Points: Mission Glide Black 32mm
Stems: Mission Sabre Black/Blue Medium
Flights: Mission Solo No. 2 Josh Rock
Price: £54.95
Soft Tip – 18g
Length: 50mm
Width: 6.35mm
Tungsten Percentage: 95%
Points: Mission Titan Black
Stems: Mission Sabre Black/Blue Medium
Flights: Mission Solo No. 2 Josh Rock
Price: £54.95
Images: PDC (Graphics:Mission darts)
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