Oil V stain V semi transparent stain for outdoor decking

[Zoffany]

When we first had our decking (soft wood, flat planks) laid, about 2-3 years ago, we had it stained using a Ronseal solid stain product. Big mistake as not only was the colour completely different to the what it was meant to be but it also started to come away and look patchy very quickly. A couple of winters later and it is really looking worn.

We are getting someone in to sand it down and re-treat it but the question is, what do we use on it this time? Any ideas? I would be very happy to pay more a good quality product but just not sure what to go for so any advice/recommendations would be very welcome. I've come across Liberon Aqua stop, Sandolin and Owatrol - anyone used any of these? If so, were any of these any good? Also, which do you think is better - oil, semi-transparent stain, solid stain etc?

Thanks.

[kbaby]

We've used both, although Dh can't remember which is best. I know stain has a habit of peeling after a while as it sits on the service whereas the oil forms a protective layer instead. We normally jet wash and recover every 2 years.
Last year we went to a local fencing place and bought big tubs of stain/oil much cheaper than Ronseal etc