What got me out of the wooden stand game was mainly economics.
We always have been very cautious about stand safety and making sure they were solid, so we built everything out of treated lumber. Well, over time, the price of that lumber and the fasteners has gone up and up and up... So suddenly we were looking at over $100 to build a solid stand in most places.
And then when you build it out of wood, it requires maintenance every year and generally it lasts 5-7 years before parts need replacing. More time, more $.
So I started doing the math and I can get decent quality metal ladder stands for $100 or so each. I use the "double" stands so that everyone has extra room to move and see behind them. There's no telling how long these things will last. I've had some 10 years already and they show no signs of wear of safety issues. I check bolts and nuts, inspect for cracked welds, etc. Never found a problem that seriously compromised a stand.
We throw all ratchet straps away every 3 years and replace them with new ones. I use 2 ratchet straps per stand, so there is redundancy.
Metal ladder stands for me are cheaper, safer, lower maintenance, faster to build and put up in the tree, faster to take down and move, and they last longer. I cannot see any reason why I would ever go back to wood nailed in a tree.
Grouse