diff --git a/bench/bench.cpp b/bench/bench.cpp
index 6925a5dd..588c3423 100644
--- a/bench/bench.cpp
+++ b/bench/bench.cpp
@@ -433,17 +433,24 @@ main(
                 load_file(argv[i])});
     }
 
-    std::vector<std::unique_ptr<any_impl const>> vi;
-    vi.reserve(10);
-    //vi.emplace_back(new boost_vec_impl);
-    vi.emplace_back(new boost_default_impl);
-    vi.emplace_back(new boost_impl);
-    vi.emplace_back(new rapidjson_impl);
-    //vi.emplace_back(new nlohmann_impl);
+    try
+    {
+        std::vector<std::unique_ptr<any_impl const>> vi;
+        vi.reserve(10);
+        //vi.emplace_back(new boost_vec_impl);
+        vi.emplace_back(new boost_default_impl);
+        vi.emplace_back(new boost_impl);
+        vi.emplace_back(new rapidjson_impl);
+        //vi.emplace_back(new nlohmann_impl);
+
+        benchParse(vs, vi);
+        benchSerialize(vs, vi);
+    }
+    catch(system_error const& se)
+    {
+        dout << se.what() << std::endl;
+    }
 
-    benchParse(vs, vi);
-    //benchSerialize(vs, vi);
-        
     return 0;
 }
 
diff --git a/include/boost/json/impl/serializer.ipp b/include/boost/json/impl/serializer.ipp
index 75e372e1..2fc7486d 100644
--- a/include/boost/json/impl/serializer.ipp
+++ b/include/boost/json/impl/serializer.ipp
@@ -338,7 +338,7 @@ loop_str:
         *p++ = '\"';
         stack_.front().st = state::str2;
         BOOST_FALLTHROUGH;
-#if 1
+
     case state::str2:
     {
         auto s = str_.data();
@@ -356,16 +356,19 @@ loop_str:
                 break;
 
             // fast loop
+            char const* ss = s;
             while(s < sn)
             {
                 auto const ch = *s++;
                 auto const c = esc[static_cast<
                     unsigned char>(ch)];
                 if(! c)
-                {
-                    *p++ = ch;
                     continue;
-                }
+                auto const n = (s - ss) - 1;
+                std::memcpy(p, ss, n);
+                ss = s;
+                p += n;
+                *p++ = ch;
                 *p++ = '\\';
                 *p++ = c;
                 if(c != 'u')
@@ -377,6 +380,9 @@ loop_str:
                 *p++ = hex[static_cast<
                     unsigned char>(ch) & 15];
             }
+            auto const n = s - ss;
+            std::memcpy(p, ss, n);
+            p += n;
         }
         while(p < p1 && s < s1)
         {
@@ -442,106 +448,6 @@ loop_str:
             state::str3;
         BOOST_FALLTHROUGH;
     }
-#else
-    case state::str2:
-    {
-        auto s = str_.data();
-        auto const s1 =
-            s + str_.size();
-        if(static_cast<unsigned long>(
-            p1 - p) >= 6 * str_.size())
-        {
-            // fast loop
-            while(s < s1)
-            {
-                auto const ch = *s++;
-                auto const c = esc[static_cast<
-                    unsigned char>(ch)];
-                if(! c)
-                {
-                    *p++ = ch;
-                    continue;
-                }
-                *p++ = '\\';
-                *p++ = c;
-                if(c != 'u')
-                    continue;
-                *p++ = '0';
-                *p++ = '0';
-                *p++ = hex[static_cast<
-                    unsigned char>(ch) >> 4];
-                *p++ = hex[static_cast<
-                    unsigned char>(ch) & 15];
-            }
-        }
-        else
-        {
-            while(p < p1 && s < s1)
-            {
-                auto const ch = *s++;
-                auto const c = esc[static_cast<
-                    unsigned char>(ch)];
-                if(! c)
-                {
-                    *p++ = ch;
-                    continue;
-                }
-                if(c != 'u')
-                {
-                    if(p + 2 <= p1)
-                    {
-                        *p++ = '\\';
-                        *p++ = c;
-                        continue;
-                    }
-                    buf_[1] = '\\';
-                    buf_[0] = c;
-                    nbuf_ = 2;
-                    str_ = str_.substr(
-                        s - str_.data());
-                    stack_.front().st =
-                        state::str4;
-                    goto loop;
-                }
-                if(p + 6 <= p1)
-                {
-                    *p++ = '\\';
-                    *p++ = 'u';
-                    *p++ = '0';
-                    *p++ = '0';
-                    *p++ = hex[static_cast<
-                        unsigned char>(ch) >> 4];
-                    *p++ = hex[static_cast<
-                        unsigned char>(ch) & 15];
-                    continue;
-                }
-                buf_[5] = '\\';
-                buf_[4] = 'u';
-                buf_[3] = '0';
-                buf_[2] = '0';
-                buf_[1] = hex[static_cast<
-                    unsigned char>(ch) >> 4];
-                buf_[0] = hex[static_cast<
-                    unsigned char>(ch) & 15];
-                nbuf_ = 6;
-                str_ = str_.substr(
-                    s - str_.data());
-                stack_.front().st =
-                    state::str4;
-                goto loop;
-            }
-        }
-        if(s < s1)
-        {
-            str_ = str_.substr(
-                s - str_.data());
-            goto finish;
-        }
-        stack_.front().st =
-            state::str3;
-        BOOST_FALLTHROUGH;
-    }
-#endif
 
     case state::str3:
         if(p >= p1)
diff --git a/test/make-strings.py b/test/make-strings.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..c8c1a9d8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/make-strings.py
@@ -0,0 +1,17 @@
+# Build array of random strings
+
+import os
+import random
+from random import randint
+
+def randstr():
+    letters = "0123456789!@#$%^&*()_-+=[]{}|;:,<.>/?ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz";
+    return ''.join(random.choice(letters) for i in range(randint(1, 2000)));
+
+print "[";
+for i in range(1000):
+    print "\"", randstr(), "\",";
+print "\"", randstr(), "\"";
+print "]";
+
+