Been wondering about this myself. The way I see it, vents can not help penetration. I will probably switch to non vented heads this year. They should be quieter and maybe stronger whether they penetrate better or not.

Dr. Ashby addresses this completely in his writings.  Broadheads w/o vents do not run the risk of this potential drawback and there are plenty of them out there to choose from.  I have shot thru animals with and without vents.  I have also had excellent results with the 190 Ribtec, which as you know, has the stamped/vented ferrule which "should" create even more drag/resistence than a vented blade(subjective).

My personal preference is to use non-vented BH's
as I believe they fly quieter, may be stronger and have less potential to "hang up".  

Having said this, I would still use a vented head if it appealed to me!

Kris

They do reduce penetration but you're just not gonna notice it.

I have used both vented and non-vented and I have not noticed ant difference.The only thing that is really in=mportant is that they are sharp.

I personally dont think it makes any real life difference either.........but it is a pain to get the blood and dirt out of my snuffers once they dry.

Comparing penetration on foam and flesh is like comparing apples and oranges. While shooting foam, there are a lot of things like shaft size, shaft material and vents which may impede or limit penetration.. In flesh these things me noda..

Good Question TJ...I've read Dr Ed's stuff, but have been wondering about other people's experience.  I have shot mostly solid heads so I'm not really able to offer much.