I have used/had a number of dartboards, cabinets, and surrounds, and I have to say that my takeaway, after having pieced it together, is that it's just unimpressive. The price is decent, and if you do not particularly care about full-coverage protection, looks, etc., then this is a decent bid for your money. However, mine just got sent back due to a few significant issues, as I will list. PROS: - PRICE; Not much in this category of product beneath the $75+ Winmau surround rings (which I LOVE) - THICKNESS/QUALITY of foam; Some people have complained that it's not thick enough, or doesn't seal well after a dart has penetrated it, but I never had a problem, and I throw both hard and heavy (25 gram tungsten). I believe that the amount that the foam self-heals is within expectation for the price paid. - SIZE; This, realistically, is about as large as can be handled in a reasonable manner. It also could work especially well in a diagonal orientation, if you want just the tiniest bit more coverage beneath the board. Hopefully, you don't need more than that ;) CONS: - FIT; The packaging and advertising all clearly claim that this has a "compression fit", which would imply that it has some measure of elasticity, and wraps snugly around the dartboard. It was loose on my Winmau Blade 4, and I double-checked with a few friends who had a Blade 4 dual-core, and Unicorn Eclipse. Each had a varying degree of empty space, leaving an effective gap, which made mounting the thing tedious, and exposing anywhere between 1/4 to 3/4" at the bottom, if the surround were left hanging on the top of the mounted board. Perhaps I expected too much, since I love the expensive Winmau surrounds, which stretch to fit snugly around almost any competition-class board. - FOAM; Yes, I said that this was a pro, but it's also a con. I don't put much stock in the "State of California" warnings about carcinogens, knowing that toxicity levels are pretty low, and unless you're licking the product (which I wouldn't recommend, as it smells like rubbish), it won't likely be an issue. The actual problems are that it smells, and it's loaded with a hefty amount of some sort of corrosive acid that will potentially discolour paint, walls, cabinets, or wherever you choose to play. It's nothing that will eat your skin away, but it's definitely there. Litmus paper for testing swimming pools acidity/alkalinity/salinity will readily light up to verify this. Sorry, I didn't take a picture. - STYLE; The surround can be used both frontways (with the logo emblazoned in an overly large fashion across one of the corners), or backwards, though the reverse is lacking the full texture and covering of the front, so it looks much cheaper. I'm not a fan of having huge, meaningless logos everywhere, nor am I a fan of having an ill-fitting piece of moderately ugly foam (the reverse side) hanging around my otherwise beautiful Blade 4. TL;DR / CONCLUSION: While this may be a decent solution for some, and particularly those on a budget, be aware that you will likely have to deal with a poor fit, some rubber/foam odors, and be careful of placement due to the acidic content that could ruin walls or paint. If you are not concerned by those issues, or your board magically seems to fit well, then I am very glad for you. However, I will be investing in the more expensive, but well-proven Winmau surrounds, as I want longevity, without horrible scents, or allowing darts (thrown by others - I never miss that badly:) ) to get bent because they somehow manage to find that 1/2" gap between the bottom of the board and the surround. Because I sent mine back, didn't take pictures, and don't want to bother with another, I cannot verify that this was anything more than a manufacturing fluke, though I would be surprised if they were not all essentially the same, mass-produced foam pieces. Happy hunting, and hope you find your mark!
