I do think media blasting of some sort is fastest and most effective but around here expensive - last frame I was going to do was over $150 for the blasting and another $300 for the single colour coating. Professional painting started at $800+ for a single colour!

I have not used chemical strippers for much the same reason as the OP, but my last 2 frames turned out great using elbow grease and various grades of sandpaper. I also tried brush painting last time for some components as I was doing this In the house and it also worked out pretty well (thanks randyjawa for the tutorial online).

To me sanding was nowhere near as onerous as it seemed it would be.