Iron Will Solid vs Vented Broadheads (2024): A Comprehensive Comparison for Hunters

Two types of arrowheads are present in the market, i.e., iron will solid vs vented. Both of these types are used to fulfill the same purpose, i.e., hunting of the animals. Human psychology comes into action whenever there are two things in the market aiming for the same purpose. A debate is always open between biased users.

These debates often prove helpful to beginners thinking of shopping for one of these two products. The same happens with the iron will solid vs. vented head arrows. In the following, you will find a detailed discussion about their features and some variation points. In the end, you will find a quick-for-quicker table, which will help you to understand the whole discussion in a glimpse.

Iron will solid vs vented 

We will introduce both arrowheads, and you can decide which is better for you, between iron-will-solid vs. vented.

Iron will solid arrow

The old ones and the famous ones, the solid head arrow, are one of the most common types of arrows among bow hunters. These have been in action for centuries and are on a mission of helping the entire human race in hunting and self-defense. These arrows have unmatched accuracy, speed, and sound-dampening ability. Moreover, it’s also known as a bone breaker, which badly damages targeted hunts. Here’re some prominent features of solid head iron in the following. 

Features

• It weighs only 0.60 pounds.
• Steel fabrication made it suitable for all weather conditions. 
• It has an excellent ability for deep penetration. 
• Flight to the target is quiet. 
• It ensures your safety while shooting on the target. 

Vented head arrows

Vented-head-arrows are a little bit newer but not a baby in the field. These arrows have also been a great companion of humankind for centuries. The vents on the head make them fancy and deadly for the aimed target. These arrows show a great performance in terms of accuracy. You can never underestimate forgiveness in the field, and a vented head arrow stands out in forgiveness. Here are a few features of vented head arrows in the following. 

Features 

• These are light in weight.
• It is easy to resharpen any vented head arrow. 
• It offers a 16” cutting diameter. 
• They can go well with field conditions, i.e., damped weather, snowy or muddy bow, untuned bow, etc.

Which one is better?

Here are a few points which will clear you to land on the result, which one is better, i.e., iron will solid vs. vented. 

Sound

Sound is a key factor in the field and becomes more prominent when you’re in real-time hunting situations. Both of the types vary a lot in terms of sound production. In case of a vented head arrow, a lot of noise will be there when the arrow is on its way to hitting the target due to the presence of vents on the arrowhead. On the other hand, the solid head arrow caused a minute sound while approaching the target. 

If you’re hitting the target from some near distance, then the noise produced by arrow flight means nothing. You’ll get your target. But I recommend you to use solid head iron if you’re getting your mark from some distance, i.e., more than 100 yards. By following it, you’ll save your bucks. 

Flight speed

Speed is another factor that makes them vary from each other. More speed means that you will hit your target faster, and it becomes crucial when you are out on a hunting trip as the vented head iron will face more friction due to multiple surface edges on the head. Therefore, you will see a noticeable reduction in arrow flight speed. Moreover, spinning will also reduce the accuracy of the shooter. 

On the other hand, a point-headed solid arrow will approach the target more quickly and accurately. Faster speed means deadlier for the targeted animal. But, like the previous one, speed also matters much in the case of long-distance and Olympic competitions. 

Accuracy

Accuracy matters a lot for bow hunters. Any factor that reduces efficiency and accuracy matters a lot, and they want to eliminate those factors. According to science and veterans, a vented head arrow reduces the shooters’ accuracy. While spinning, the arrow will receive more deflection in the case of vented head iron due to the passage of air through the arrow’s vents. On the other hand, there’s not such a thing present in solid head iron. Therefore, they’ll hit the target more accurately and prove deadlier for the deer or any other targeted prey. 

Vented and solid heads behave similarly in case of closer shots. So, pack both kinds of arrows in your hunting bag. 

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Penetration

When you are out on a hunting trip, the penetration of your arrow into animals matters a lot. Both types vary in terms of penetration. Solid iron with a pointed head proves deadlier. Hunters say it will penetrate deep into the target’s bone and leave the target helpless from any moment. This is because they move in a streamline and the effect of friction is minute on them. All of these things make a more lethal shot with solid head iron. On the other hand, vented heads get more rotation in flight and pull the hairs of targeted animals. 

By looking at these points, it’s recommended to use a vented head on shallow fur animals like deer. Solid head iron works great for poles and thick fur animals. If you’re a veteran hunter, then whatever the type, you will be on your target successfully with a deep lethal shot. 

Forgiveness

The other feature that makes a difference between these two types is forgiveness. When you’re in action on the field, you have to face multiple unexpected conditions, i.e., weather conditions, where you are going to hunt, etc. For such a situation, you need gadgets that help you reach your target successfully. Vented head iron is at the top in terms of forgiveness. It’s a better companion in bad or damped weather conditions and untuned bows. 

Conversely, solid head iron looks perfect for perfect weather and field conditions. A vented head will never let you down and helps save your bucks compared to solid head arrows. 

Re-sharpening

Arrow’s resharpening is a great way to keep your bucks in your bag. In the case of resharpening, vented head arrows help a lot. Veteran and seasoned bow hunters claim they get on multiple animals with a single vented arrow as it’s easy to resharpen a vented head. A hunter claims to have hunted 5 animals with a single resharpen vented arrow. Another guy claimed he hunted 15 animals with a single resharpen vented head arrows. 

On the other side, solid head iron lags in terms of sharpening. It isn’t easy to resharpen a solid head arrow. Therefore, most of the time, hunters like to use vented head arrows.  

Quick comparison table

Here’s a quick comparison for quick readers. You can get the crux of the article in a single glimpse.  

	Vented head iron	Solid head iron
Penetration	×	✓
Forgiveness	✓	×
Accuracy	×	✓
Re-sharpening	✓	×
Arrow flight speed	×	✓
Sound	×	✓

Final words

Solid head iron steps forward as a sound damper, higher arrow flight speed, accuracy, and bone breaking. In comparison, nothing matches with vented head arrows in forgiveness and reuse.