I never use a scraper for the reasons you describe. I use a combination of stiff and flexible putty knives, usually 1.5 or 2". I will also use an orbital sander if it is practical.

Sometimes I use a big stiff wire brush, or skinny one (with blade on the end) and to get the flaky parts angle it a bit. Can go pretty quickly with that sometimes, depending on condition. Not a fun job, that's for sure.

For me, wetting the surface a few minutes before scraping makes the work more productive.

Well, thanks to you all! At least I know I'm not crazy. I appreciate the helpful input. I'm going to mess around with all three ideas and see how it goes.

Okay, so months later, here's what worked best for me: Orbital sander for the flat parts - definitely the way to go in my opinion - and Peelaway #6 for the grooves in the novelty siding.

FYI, the Peelaway worked really well. Just letting people know because it made a really tough job way easier and if it had been recommended by anyone at the beginning, I would have used it off the bat and saved myself lots of trouble.

You have to put it on pretty thick. In my case, I left it on overnight. Next day I easily got through two old layers of paint. Had to reapply in places to get off all of the third, deepest layer, but it truly was so much easier than trying to elbow grease my way through it. I highly recommend it and I'm surprised it's not discussed more often in this forum. It's supposed to be relatively non-toxic. I certainly wouldn't eat it, but it didn't have any nasty fumes at all, and it cleans up with water. Also, since the paint comes off in elastic-y strips/clumps, you're not showering yourself and your surroundings with chips and dust.

So, there's my two cents for future posters facing the same project. Good luck!