diff --git a/include/boost/test/data/monomorphic/singleton.hpp b/include/boost/test/data/monomorphic/singleton.hpp
index 1b02dde179..6b9311590a 100644
--- a/include/boost/test/data/monomorphic/singleton.hpp
+++ b/include/boost/test/data/monomorphic/singleton.hpp
@@ -18,9 +18,6 @@
 
 #include <boost/test/detail/suppress_warnings.hpp>
 
-// Boost
-#include <boost/type_traits/decay.hpp>
-
 //____________________________________________________________________________//
 
 namespace boost {
diff --git a/include/boost/test/tools/collection_comparison_op.hpp b/include/boost/test/tools/collection_comparison_op.hpp
index fd093decd7..55d63301b3 100644
--- a/include/boost/test/tools/collection_comparison_op.hpp
+++ b/include/boost/test/tools/collection_comparison_op.hpp
@@ -392,9 +392,9 @@ compare_collections( Lhs const& lhs, Rhs const& rhs, boost::type<op::GE<L, R> >*
 template<typename Lhs,typename Rhs>                                 \
 struct name<Lhs,Rhs,typename boost::enable_if_c<                    \
     unit_test::is_forward_iterable<Lhs>::value                      \
+    &&   !unit_test::is_cstring_comparable<Lhs>::value              \
     && unit_test::is_forward_iterable<Rhs>::value                   \
-    && !(   unit_test::is_cstring_comparable<Lhs>::value            \
-         || unit_test::is_cstring_comparable<Rhs>::value)>::type> { \
+    &&   !unit_test::is_cstring_comparable<Rhs>::value>::type> {    \
 public:                                                             \
     typedef assertion_result result_type;                           \
     typedef name_inverse<Lhs, Rhs> inverse;                         \
diff --git a/include/boost/test/utils/basic_cstring/basic_cstring.hpp b/include/boost/test/utils/basic_cstring/basic_cstring.hpp
index 09a70dd53d..d1953dbd36 100644
--- a/include/boost/test/utils/basic_cstring/basic_cstring.hpp
+++ b/include/boost/test/utils/basic_cstring/basic_cstring.hpp
@@ -170,26 +170,6 @@ class BOOST_SYMBOL_VISIBLE basic_cstring {
     static CharT null;
 };
 
-// ************************************************************************** //
-// **************       cstring_forward_iterable_helper        ************** //
-// ************************************************************************** //
-
-
-// Helper for instantiating a subclass of cstring using a forward iterable.
-//! @internal
-template <class CharT, class forward_iterable>
-class BOOST_SYMBOL_VISIBLE cstring_forward_iterable_helper : public basic_cstring<CharT const> {
-public:
-  cstring_forward_iterable_helper(forward_iterable const& fi)
-  : m_storage(fi.begin(), fi.end())
-  {
-      this->assign(m_storage.c_str(), m_storage.size());
-  }
-private:
-  std::basic_string<CharT> m_storage;
-};
-
-
 // ************************************************************************** //
 // **************         cstring_string_view_helper           ************** //
 // ************************************************************************** //
diff --git a/include/boost/test/utils/is_cstring.hpp b/include/boost/test/utils/is_cstring.hpp
index 4b562a93d0..ffec3657ac 100644
--- a/include/boost/test/utils/is_cstring.hpp
+++ b/include/boost/test/utils/is_cstring.hpp
@@ -12,9 +12,6 @@
 #ifndef BOOST_TEST_UTILS_IS_CSTRING_HPP
 #define BOOST_TEST_UTILS_IS_CSTRING_HPP
 
-// Boost.Test
-#include <boost/test/utils/is_forward_iterable.hpp>
-
 // Boost
 #include <boost/mpl/bool.hpp>
 #include <boost/type_traits/is_same.hpp>
@@ -56,13 +53,17 @@ struct is_cstring_impl<char*> : public mpl::true_ {};
 template<>
 struct is_cstring_impl<wchar_t*> : public mpl::true_ {};
 
-template <typename T,
-          bool is_cstring = is_cstring_impl<T>::value,
-          bool is_forward_iterable_ = is_forward_iterable<T>::value>
+template <typename T, bool is_cstring = is_cstring_impl<typename boost::decay<T>::type>::value >
 struct deduce_cstring_transform_impl;
 
+template <typename T, bool is_cstring >
+struct deduce_cstring_transform_impl<T&, is_cstring> : public deduce_cstring_transform_impl<T, is_cstring>{};
+
+template <typename T, bool is_cstring >
+struct deduce_cstring_transform_impl<T const, is_cstring> : public deduce_cstring_transform_impl<T, is_cstring>{};
+
 template <typename T>
-struct deduce_cstring_transform_impl<T, true, false> {
+struct deduce_cstring_transform_impl<T, true> {
     typedef typename boost::add_const<
         typename boost::remove_pointer<
             typename boost::decay<T>::type
@@ -72,27 +73,21 @@ struct deduce_cstring_transform_impl<T, true, false> {
 };
 
 template <typename T>
-struct deduce_cstring_transform_impl<T, false, true> {
-    typedef typename boost::remove_const<typename bt_iterator_traits<T>::value_type>::type U;
-    typedef typename boost::conditional<
-        boost::is_same<U, char>::value || boost::is_same<U, wchar_t>::value,
-        cstring_forward_iterable_helper<U, T>,
-        T>::type type;
-};
-
-template <typename T>
-struct deduce_cstring_transform_impl< T, false, false > {
-    typedef T type;
+struct deduce_cstring_transform_impl< T, false > {
+    typedef typename
+        boost::remove_const<
+            typename boost::remove_reference<T>::type
+        >::type type;
 };
 
 template <typename T>
-struct deduce_cstring_transform_impl< std::basic_string<T, std::char_traits<T> >, false, true > {
+struct deduce_cstring_transform_impl< std::basic_string<T, std::char_traits<T> >, false > {
     typedef boost::unit_test::basic_cstring<typename boost::add_const<T>::type> type;
 };
 
 #if defined(BOOST_TEST_STRING_VIEW)
 template <typename T>
-struct deduce_cstring_transform_impl< std::basic_string_view<T, std::char_traits<T> >, false, true > {
+struct deduce_cstring_transform_impl< std::basic_string_view<T, std::char_traits<T> >, false > {
 private:
     using sv_t = std::basic_string_view<T, std::char_traits<T> > ;
   
@@ -125,7 +120,11 @@ struct is_cstring_comparable< boost::unit_test::basic_cstring<T>, false > : publ
 
 template <class T>
 struct deduce_cstring_transform {
-    typedef typename ut_detail::deduce_cstring_transform_impl<typename boost::decay<T>::type>::type type;
+    typedef typename
+        boost::remove_const<
+            typename boost::remove_reference<T>::type
+        >::type U;
+    typedef typename ut_detail::deduce_cstring_transform_impl<typename boost::decay<U>::type>::type type;
 };
 
 } // namespace unit_test
diff --git a/include/boost/test/utils/is_forward_iterable.hpp b/include/boost/test/utils/is_forward_iterable.hpp
index 14f7be3b85..d6d8dd8a85 100644
--- a/include/boost/test/utils/is_forward_iterable.hpp
+++ b/include/boost/test/utils/is_forward_iterable.hpp
@@ -22,10 +22,10 @@
   #endif
 #endif
 
+#if defined(BOOST_TEST_FWD_ITERABLE_CXX03)
 // Boost
 #include <boost/mpl/bool.hpp>
 
-#if defined(BOOST_TEST_FWD_ITERABLE_CXX03)
 // STL
 #include <list>
 #include <vector>
@@ -37,10 +37,10 @@
 // Boost
 #include <boost/static_assert.hpp>
 #include <boost/utility/declval.hpp>
-#include <boost/type_traits/add_const.hpp>
-#include <boost/type_traits/add_pointer.hpp>
 #include <boost/type_traits/is_same.hpp>
 #include <boost/type_traits/remove_reference.hpp>
+#include <boost/type_traits/remove_cv.hpp>
+#include <boost/test/utils/is_cstring.hpp>
 
 // STL
 #include <utility>
diff --git a/test/writing-test-ts/collection-comparison-test.cpp b/test/writing-test-ts/collection-comparison-test.cpp
index 3dad80c513..8c5ff7033b 100644
--- a/test/writing-test-ts/collection-comparison-test.cpp
+++ b/test/writing-test-ts/collection-comparison-test.cpp
@@ -142,17 +142,12 @@ BOOST_AUTO_TEST_CASE( test_collection_of_collection_comp )
 
 //____________________________________________________________________________//
 
-BOOST_AUTO_TEST_CASE( test_string_non_string )
+BOOST_AUTO_TEST_CASE( test_string_non_string_per_element )
 {
-    std::string a("abc");
-    std::vector<char> b{'a', 'b', 'c'};
-    std::vector<int> c{'a', 'b', 'c'};
+    char const* a = "abc";
+    std::vector<int> b{'a', 'b', 'c'};
     BOOST_TEST( a == b, tt::per_element() );
     BOOST_TEST( b == a, tt::per_element() );
-    BOOST_TEST( a == c, tt::per_element() );
-    BOOST_TEST( c == a, tt::per_element() );
-    BOOST_TEST( b == c, tt::per_element() );
-    BOOST_TEST( c == b, tt::per_element() );
 }
 
 //____________________________________________________________________________//