Steve, I highly recommend a road trip, in the interests of science, of course . And yes, clarman, the HHT is frustrating, I can only say that I hold the razor at about 30 degrees to the filament and pull it across very briskly. The Dai-Riki 4X works fine but if it is difficult for you to obtain, try any monofilament of 0.007" diameter and I'd say it would probably work. Happy stripping!!!