Hahaha brother, if only there was such a thing as being an Oud wood artisan, or could there be?
What do you personally prefer?
Navigating wood can get much trickier than navigating oil.... Sourcing real high-grade wood can be a daunting task, especially if finances are a concern. I guess if I'd focused on woods the way I have on oils over the years, I'd have a very different kind of collection now. But surely, whatever has happened was for the best.
I much prefer oil to wood. It's like taking the tree and putting its soul into a little bottle which you can keep in your pocket and revisit anywhere. Even when you're 40,000 feet above ground in the dead of night, and everyone around you is asleep. You can drink the oil, use it for aromatherapy, Chinese medicine, etc. Whereas the wood is just for burning. The only 'art' related to it is the identification and grading.
There is one exception to this preference of mine, and it is if the wood is kinam. In that case, I'd take the wood over oil any day.