Tenor resonator questions

Considering getting a tenor resonator can someone tell me the difference between metal body and wood body in terms of sound quality and tonal differences? Also most are concert I've only seen the Kala and Ashbury in the under $500 range for tenors, any opinions on which is better? I know National and Beltona make high end tenors but I don't want to spend that much. Any other tenors you'd like to suggest besides the Kala and Ashbury please let me know.

The Kala/Gretsch wooden reso's I have heard don't sound that 'reso'y' imho. As I understand it the body of reso is meant to be inert, all of the sound coming from the cone, not the movement of the top.
My Recording King concert metal body is jangly metallic in sound, great for fingerpicking, my Beltona tenor is a little more refined, but you would not mistake if for not being a reso! Both can be loud when you dig in, although both can have more refined quiet moments, especially the Beltona.
I'd suggest you try and listen to anyone local to you who has a reso, don't know where you are located so that may be a problem, alternatively, listen to some you tube video's, they may give you an idea. Be aware though that the you tube videos will be recorded on different settings and set ups on top of which you tube can also mess with the sound when downloading. However it may give you some idea of the differences.
h

Here's a Gretsch:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kVQ1kZoGZwk
Here's a Kala:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0WhfIfgeWc
Here's Ashbury/recording King et al concert:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TX9Wl4T5sfo
Here's a Beltona:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cL5azGb7RLM
And a whole collection:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TIsnIK7N19U
h

I've owned several resonators.
First I had one of those $400 range metal body resos that is sold under several different brand names. It was never loud enough or reso enough. I spent additional $ on getting is equipped with a pickup, settting up the whole instrument and fine tuning it. It never got any better. It was actually sized between a concert and a soprano
I tried a used National but found that those were sized the same. The National felt a lot better and sounded better but by that time, I had decided to stick to tenors.
I ordered a Mya-Moe tenor resonator and went whole hog in the ordering. It was expensive but the sound was very rewarding. Mya-Moe uses National cones.
While waiting for the Mya-Moe to be completed, I bought a used Russ Morin Big Rusty. It turns out that he also used National cones and that this one sounded as good as the Mya-Moe.
The wood used is unimportant. The cone is the trick. There are several people spinning their own cones so you ight want to check them out too.
If I were shopping right now, I would probably look at possibly building a cigar box ukulele using a National cone .