Are Proxies the Answer?

you should only try a dedicated VPN to hide your identity, there is no need to use a proxy over a vpn server cause you will have a low speed on the internet, or maybe you can use a vpn and a proxy from the same server.
The difference between a high anonymity proxy and vpn is:
The VPN is encrypting your internet connection and if your ISP is tracking you, they will only see an encrypted connection to a server, they will not see what websites are you browsing etc..
if you are using a proxy, your ISP can track you very easy, everything you do or what pages are you visiting can be found also on their logs ...

So for private browsing you should only use a VPN with 256 AES encryption ...
I hope that helps

its a shame this thread is 3 months old
and the thread maker hasn't replied in it since the end
of December ... was this on page 2

Well, with a VPN you are bound to get detected very easily. I have tried it and know the results. Majority of the VPN servers are already blacklisted by sensitive sites.