Glass gives the most complete view and has the practical benefit of blocking wind on an exposed deck, which matters on the bluff. Cable asks for far less cleaning and nearly disappears at any distance. Some Tacoma projects use both, glass on the windward side and cable elsewhere.

More often than inland, and it is worth knowing before choosing it. A coastal deck collects salt spray alongside rain spotting and dust, and glass shows all of it. Cable or metal is the substantially lower maintenance choice if regular washing is not something you want to take on.

In a renovation they often work extremely well. A minimal glass or cable railing set against original craftsman or Victorian woodwork reads as a deliberate contemporary intervention rather than a mismatch. The failure mode is a railing caught halfway between period and modern, which is why we would rather commit to one direction clearly.

Close to the water, yes. Standard stainless grades spot within a few seasons in salt air, and on a minimal railing that corrosion is fully visible since there is no ornament to disguise it. The cost difference is modest against the railing as a whole and it is what keeps the hardware looking new in a decade.