Don't electric tweezers even reduce hair?

I recently almost bought an electric Vector-style device but after stumbling across this site I’m having second thoughts. I don’t want to be totally bare but would like to be maybe 50% thinner and finer. I don’t want to go pro because they’ll leave me totally bald and I wondered if all the complaints about the tweezer devices are from people who expected total success. Can anyone vouch for any kind of permanent reduction - I can deal with some regrowth or if it grows back finer and thinner so maybe one of these machines would suit me ok?

Hate to be the bearer of bad news…

Published clinical data has showed that electric tweezers have no permanent result whatsoever. There is no indication that electric tweezers are any more effective than common household tweezers.

Electric tweezers have been around since 1959, and despite their claims, no consumers have gotten the results you seek.

The Federal Trade Commission successfully prosecuted the largest electric tweezer scam in the 80’s, but then allowed several others since (notably IGIA) to rip off American consumers for hundreds of millions of dollars.

Do electric tweezers cause a permanent result? Short answer: no.

Hmm, thanks, I thought as much. However, I’m still not convinced that these machines are as bad as you say Andrea! I mean, how could they get away with swindling people for nearly 50 years if they don’t work at all? Surely they must get rid of hair, it’s just a question of how long for. I accept that they almost certainly won’t do it for good first time around (which explains why their clinical data does not come anywhere near the success of needle electrolysis and is so questioned by experts) but maybe they get away with their (continuing) claims of permanence by saying in their blurb that they achieve PROGRESSIVELY PERMANENT results? Do any studies exist whereby more than one dose of treatment (say, once a month for a year) has been administered by these machines and shown evidence of permanent hair removal after multiple doses? I would guess that if they could provide such evidence the Trade Commission et al would have to accept their claim of permanence which would explain how they can get away with their advertising methods. There’s no doubt that they suggest in their ads that a single dose is sufficient which is a lot of hot air but if they have proved permanent loss off hair over several doses then they have a right to claim permanence, don’t they? It’s a lot more hassle and a lot slower for sure than the needle method you recommend but it may explain how these people get away with it. I can’t think of any other explanation, unless Halliburton or something similar have their finger in the pie.

Weak regulation, toothless enforcement, and sophisticated sales pitches keep quackery like this alive.

There is no evidence whatsoever that these devices cause any permanent effect, no matter how many times you use them.

In 1998 the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) stated that “there is no statistically significant scientific data available at this time to support promotional claims of permanent or long-term removal of hair through use of the device.”

Source: FDA Docket 97N-0199.

Thanks alot for your help Andrea, you’ve convinced me. I think the bottom line is I’m going to have to hand myself over to a professional of some sort, the question is what kind of specialist should I let loose on my body?
I’m basically looking for the quickest ( and cheapest) method, and I’m choosing between laser and electrolysis as they appear to be the only options offering permanent hair loss. I have fair skin and blond hair that gets darker (not black but browny/ginger) and coarser around my bellybutton and in the area where the sun doesn’t shine. This coarser stuff is what I want to have thinned out or removed, as well as the fluffy stuff on my butt which just plain bugs me.
I know laser treatments work better with dark hair but if it’s pretty fine to begin with is the color so important? It would be quicker so that’s my preferred option but the important thing is that it works so I’ll consider electrolysis too of course. I could always get a One Touch for those easy to reach parts too to save on the cost.
When all is said and done though I’m not that hairy (no one has ever said I’m hairy I’d just prefer to have less of it given the choice, call me vain) and I get the feeling looking around this site that most people here are in a different league to me. I guess they have their reasons and good luck to them but I’m worried that what’s given here as friendly advice might be a little too full-on for the likes of me. For example, I like the little blond hairs that you can see all over anyone’s body in the sun and I don’t want to lose those.
At the moment I’m thinking that the best thing for me would be to get a total removal done on my chest, belly and buttocks and that would be enough for me - if 50% never reappeared again I’d be happy and wouldn’t go for any further treatments. What do you think of that idea everybody??