I replaced a toilet seat. At Home Depot they had a large selection of
various materials - wood, plastic and molded wood. The old one was a
molded wood seat that came with the house.

There seemed to be more molded wood models than any other. The paint
had worn off the old one in spots and it actually cracked which is
what finally prompted me to replace it. I went with a plastic model
with a "quiet close" hinge and a quick release feature which seems
like a really good idea for convenient, thorough cleaning of the
toilet.

I went with plastic because it doesn't have paint to wear off and I'm
guessing won't break on the load bearing area like the old molded wood
one did and will hold up better over time.

What's the benefit of a molded wood seat? Some of them were pretty
expensive, so it doesn't seem to be just a "cheap" alternative.