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[Patriot3]

I like both.  I think it would depend on what kind of a home you have.

[sceniccoast]

@Desert Lily 

I love the 2nd & 4th photos.  Very pretty & not too busy of a design.

Thanks for sharing.

[millieshops]

in a very modern setting, I prefer Iron.  In a more traditional home, wood.

[RedTop]

I like the look of iron, but am not a fan of multi level homes and staircases.

[QVCkitty1]

Wooden, no contest .

[BirkiLady]

 #1 looks like it belongs in a Church and #7 looks like it is windswept antlers. The others I have a couple of traditional favorites, but could live with any of them. 

[mspatmac]

While I tend toward wood it all depends on the homes style.  IMO a center hall colonial screams for wood while an ultra modern would most likely look bettter with iron.  

[Snowpuppy]

As a kid I slid down the wooden bannister until my butt hit the newell post in my Grandma's house. Efficient. 😁

@Desertdi   we have no termites up here. They don't survive the winters.

[gardenman]

In many cases, the "iron" is now aluminum for ease of maintenance. It all comes down to individual taste. My favorite balusters ever were in a clothing designer's home (Versace?) where each baluster was unique and shaped in the silhouette of a woman wearing the fashion of her time. It was very impressive. (Maybe not legal due to spacing issues, but impressive looking.)

Silhouette banisters are becoming more of an option in high-end construction with CNC laser cutters able to cut out all kinds of designs. You can get patterns for forests, wildlife, and more from various artists to use as banisters. I'll toss some photos in below of some. They can be pretty impressive.

[kaydee50]

I've had both and I like both.  It just depends on the style and configuration.  I like most of the pix here except the third one.  Can't exactly tell what it is.  Love the design of the second and the second the third from the last.