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Unlike steel-tip, the difference of soft-tip is in the width of the opening of the barrel, not the action of the point. Your two choices here are ¼" and 2ba.
¼": This is definitely the wider of the two choices. Though I do not know this for a fact (do you), I suspect this was the first size that came out with soft-tip darts.
 2ba: Much narrower and much more common. It's been my experience that if you walk into a pub with soft-tip machines, you are more likely to find a box or bowl of 2ba replacement tips than you are of the ¼" variety.
A light weight dart with a soft plastic point is thrown at a board consisting of a perforated plastic face. Each hole in the board is sized to fit the dart point and has beveled edges to facilitate entry of the point. A series of sensors and circuits behind the face of the dartboard note the impact and inform the central computer processor, which calulates and displays the score for the players to see.
 The score displayed by the machine cannot be corrected, and for league play "the machine is always right!" No matter how badly it actually mis-scored. In early 1999, the recommended maximum weight for soft tip darts was raised to 18 grams, for league and tournament play. The actual machines used in bars can accomodate darts up to 25 grams or more, without damage to the board. However, darts over 20 grams tend to break lots of tips, so their use is discouraged. Check with your local league to see if they enforce any weight limits, as some are quite strict, and other leagues may not care what you throw.
Most coin-op machines in the USA are made by Arachnid or Medalist. The major coin-op manufacturers also help setup leagues to play on their machines, and have national competitions.Quite a few companies import and market home versions of soft-tip darts machines.
Most games are played about the same way as for steel-pointed darts, except that the throwing distance is 8 feet for soft-tip machines. The height to the center of the board (the Bull) is 68 inches, the same height as an English Clockface Bristle board. Rules of play and weight limits for Soft-tip darts are generally set by the manufacturers at their annual meetings.
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