No it is not cheating!! We usually have a good look for 15/20 mins and have a look at the previous logs to see if they help, then we would have a look at the hint if we still cant find it. If we are at the end of a long day and the light is fading fast, then we will use the hint to get that last cache! I have to say I would rather use the hint than miss the cache!
Happy caching, Nutterbees