Octree Types

When creating Octrees for use with small, highly tesselated models, does it matter what type of Octree you use? By this I mean, for many things, I''ve found that using Loose Octrees are faster than strict Octrees. Also, does the type of bounding volume make a huge difference in speed? Right now I am set up to use AABBs for my nodes, but they can be easily replaced by almost any type of BV. Thanks, Angelboy