Almost any Tecsun will work. Most modern SW digital portables that are CCrane, Tecsun, or even Sangean will work well off the whip, and/or a small (15-20 ft.) wire clipped to the whip, or plugged into the EXT antenna jack.
I hear the world with a Grundig G2, just off the whip. The DSP chip inside the radio is what makes the difference.
With DSP chips in all the new radios, hearing overseas stations on SW is a lot easier.
The main problem is RFI, and also the sunspot cycle is still a bit low, but there are nights and mornings that there is something to hear. SSB will get you into the ham bands, which sometimes have more activity.