I put three fixed stands up on my property this year. When I was puchasing, I looked at price, size, whether or not it had a footrest, the whole deal. I purchased the biggest stand possible with armrests, a swivel seat, a flip up seat and a foot rest. Now it was steel, not aluminum, which kept the price down. 25+lbs is heavy. It sure is comfortable, but putting it up was a huge task, especially if you don't have help. If you're going to leave the stand in the tree for a couple months at a time, certainly go for comfort, not weight(arm rests and foot rests and a flip up seat, esp. for bowhunting. If you're going to be moving your stand, get something that is aluminum(lightweight) and has a quick attach mechanism. If your stand is hard to move, you won't move it. If it's not comfy, you won't be in it very long.

If you've got the extra cash and you know where you're going to put the stands, go for the Gorilla Silverback(aluminum) edition and get the biggest one they have. They seem to have the most comfortable setup for a big fixed stand and it's light because it's aluminum. If you're planning on moving the stand around, go with api or summit fixed stands. The newer ones have nice quick attach mechanisms and they are light as a feather. They also come with fantastic safety harnesses - very important.