I just use the ripper that comes with my machine. I also use that technique of every 6th or 7th stitch and then pulling thread from other side.
What helps me the most is the lamp that my husband bought me from Lowes. Very bright donut shaped bulb with a magnifying glass in the center.
I have never done the Eleanore Burns method of using the rotary cutter. But, when I was a kid, my Aunt taught me how to use a regular razor blade. I would hold one end of the fabric in my mouth and use one hand to hold the other end then cut the threads with the razor blade. Never cut the fabric or myself. Would I use that method today? No, nor would I allow a kid to do it.