5 years with Thermory ash siding vs my neighbor's cedar: honest comparison with photos coming

My neighbor and I built the same year (2020), similar exposure, both south-facing in Maryland. He went CVG western red cedar with semi-transparent stain. I went Thermory ash from a specialty hardwood supplier, no finish, letting it silver. His after 5 years: restained twice ( each time), replaced 6 boards that cupped badly, one section has early rot at a butt joint. Total maintenance spend: Mine after 5 years: zero maintenance. Silvered evenly by month 18. One board has a small check at the end grain, I hit it with wax. Total maintenance spend: The thermal modification process (215C for 48+ hours) breaks down the hemicellulose so there's nothing left for fungi to eat. EMC drops from cedar's 12% to about 4-5%. Now, cedar DOES look warmer if you keep up with the stain. And CVG cedar installs easier because it's softer. But if your goal is "install it and forget it for 25 years," thermally modified wins and it's not close. Thermory or Abodo Vulcan, both perform similarly, just different species (ash vs pine). The Thermory cost me vs his CVG cedar. So I paid less AND spent nothing on maintenance.