I used VPX CEX all the way up to the last week before a contest and I was plenty dry. As good as CEX is it gets pretty expensive. IMO I'd stick with CEE over mono, since mono just never really did much for me. CEE absorbs better without the bloat and need for another transport system, such as sugar, like mono does. And on top of that you can get bulk CEE cheap just like the other cats said.