It is really a matter of personal preference. Neither one is better or worse than the other. The snake will feel secure in either as long as there are plenty of places for him to hide. After all, snakes in nature aren't closed in on three sides. As for picking him up, a hatchling is going to feel threatened by a giant hand closing in on him from the sides as well. In nature, snakes are preyed on by more than just birds. Some predators come after them from ground level.
All of my tanks are glass, and I've never had any problem keeping them warm. And my electric bill has not increased since I started keeping snakes, either. If you are going to have multiple hundreds of them, then yes, heating vivs will affect your power usage. But for just a few, the wattage used to heat vivs is really not that much. And I would not have either a wooden tank OR a glass one without a heat source. Since most people don't keep their houses 82-85 degrees year round, a heat source is ALWAYS going to be a necessity.
If you were to get one of the glass tanks with a sliding lid, they just as secure as the front sliding doors.
There are advantages and disadvantages to both, and neither will be the perfect solution. So just decide for yourself what you want and go for it.