I don't use the same method on everything because the condition of what needs to be stripped is often different.
Chemical works good on paint, but can be a lot of work if there is multi coats of paint and has no effect on rust.
Sand takes almost everything off, is messy, and leaves the metal rough if the blaster gets carried away and in some cases can even distort the metal.
Cost is not always the main concern because you sometimes have to use the method that gives the end result you're after.
I haven't seen what you're working on so I can't make that call.
Dan
