Thanks for the advice, Christine!
Since I epilate anyway (and would not be content with a reduction, only a fully bald arm), I think patchiness isn’t a huge deal for me. The hair is pitch black against paper-white skin, and even a few hairs stand out sharply. There is no halfway point that could look natural for people with my coloring and hair coarseness. 
le sigh
But I will take your advice for sure in any other areas I just want a natural reduction on!
Don’t feel bad, I bent quite a few needles when I was starting out. The problem is that needle that the one touch uses is so big, and you can’t use different size needles, and compared to professional electrolysis needles are many many times more expensive. If you go through enough needles, it might be cheaper to buy a used pro machine in the long run.
The ironic thing is that 50 years ago there was a much better device than a One Touch that was sold to consumers, but I am sure thanks to liability laws are a distant memory (insert one of James’ rants about lawyers here 
) The device worked like the one touch (galvanic electrolysis), but did in fact allow one to use different sized, inexpensive needles and was made to last and perform a reasonable amount of electrolysis. Who made it? None other than the company known today as Instantron.
http://cgi.ebay.com/Vtg-ELECTROLYSIS-MACHINE-hair-removal-Medical-Equipment_W0QQitemZ200366531304
Is this the One Touch you are discussing please?
does anyone know if the fact that it is battery operated make it less likely to work than those that are mains powered, please?
BlueBottle: Although that is a product that is like the One-Touch, we keep telling you that you should NOT buy one. The better use for your money is getting a used professional unit that has easier to insert and replace probes, that also has the ability to do galvanic, thermolysis and blend. Do yourself a favor, if you plan on doing this at home, just skip the frustration of the One-Touch style junk, and go directly to what would work the best, and the easiest.
Hey Vicky: Both Instantron and Texas Electrolysis Supply still service that antique, so anyone who bought it could have it working in as new shape, assuming it needed any service.
Yes, bluebottle, the One Touch will only serve to frustrate you and maybe make you cry with that frustration. I don’t want to tell you how to spend your money, but I would dearly suggest that you avoid this device. If you truly can’t think of creative ways to make electrolysis happen for you, then you will have to resort to clipping, bleaching or shaving to diminish the appearance of hair on your face. I know you are in a pickle with your homebound situation, but the devices you have and are considering will only give you a short term high until you figure out that the One Touch and the Rio offer you nothing in return for your money and effort.
Dee
The problem with a battery powered device is that as the battery drains, the current begins to drop off; once what was an effective treatment setting is no longer quite effective and eventually it cannot output adequate current to treat the hair at any setting. The problem with this is that the single 9 battery it uses won’t last long and the current will fall off relatively quickly.
The antique device uses is battery powered too, but it uses large dry cell batteries. These batteries last a long time (Instantron originally warranted them for 1 or 2 years depending on model) and the current will be consistent much longer.
The One Touch is also cheaply made, and dies quickly. The antique device looks well made and probably still works today, if one puts new dry cells in it.
James: I am sure the guys at Instantron would be “shocked” to see one of these on their workbench after all these years (and proud it lasted 50 years!)
Yeah, that looks like my One Touch. I would have opted for a more professional machine if I had the money. I was laid off recently and I happened to already have the One Touch lying around from a year or two ago.
$15 to replace the probes was already more than I should have spent. There was no way a $200 machine was an option. 
Maybe I should find someone with a pro machine who needs someone to do them in exchange for using it on myself. I’m pretty decent with my One Touch and a very fast learner… Is there a place to find local DIYers?
Well, my dear MagicalPrincessKitty, you are in violation of HairTell Pet Peeve #1; No location in profile, so no one knows where you are to say, Hey, I am 15 minutes away from you and have been looking for a home electrolysis partner. We do our best to pair people up around here who have a mind for that, but so far, we have not had much luck.
May I point out that while $15 plus shipping gets you 3 one touch probes, $20 gets you a package of 20 - 40 professional probes.
It’s worse than that, James. It only got me 2 probes. But the $15 included shipping…
I’m in Orange County, California. I’ll go update my profile, sorry.
Thank you for the advice, it’s wonderful to have such knowledgeable help.
Gah! I take it all back! My new stylet tips for the One Touch came in the mail today and they wont go into my follicles. They just… Don’t go in. I press and they just retract back into the little pen thingy.
So I compared my tips and realized that my old ones worked because they were bent in one place (not a part that enters the follicle), and therefore were not being acted upon by that overly sensitive spring thingy because I had to direct them in at a right angle to the spring. So now I have to bend the new tips just to get them into the follicle.
I got so frustrated I just gave up. grumble I think the spring is a bad idea, and I don’t know how anyone can use a perfectly straight tip with a spring. Do the pros have springs?
Of course, you gave up. You are supposed to give up. That’s the way the thing is designed, to make you give up. Of course, the pro units don’t have any thing so silly as a probe retracting spring. Our machines are designed with probes that fit into follicles easily, and the whole thing is made so that if you know what you are doing, it just works. Imagine that! 
I built the DIY home-made unit (described elsewhere in the forums), but basically it is the same idea as a 1-touch, (i.e. one hair at a time), but less fancy. Not hard to make, and if it breaks (not much to break) easy to fix - rather then have to send back to manufacturer and wait for them to respond.
Did it work? Absolutely.
Learning curve was short, time spent was long, normally a few hours each evening during boring TV shows.
About 6 months for 8 square inches (private parts which is why I preferred DIY). Most areas needed 3 - 4 passes to catch the re/later growing hairs.
Not painful, quickly got used to it but once in a while (less than once per day) there would be one hair that gave a bit more feel.
Used about 6 9v batteries, but these days they are quite cheap in the multi-packs - but buy the better brands, not the $1 shop variety.
Used 1/2 box of needles - more at first, (clean with alcohol before each use) and store in the alc - just fill the little cap and close after use.
Must have patience - a lot, but it’s worth it, even becomes addictive. (Then again I suspect I have a light case that hair pulling syndrome.)
Definitely invest in a desk lamp with magnifying lens built in - make sure fluro bulb so not hot as it will be close to your skin. The one I got had a 5 diopter lens ~4 inch dia, with a bendy neck. Very important, you need good light, and the magnifying helps so much with placing the needle for insertion.
Also I used a paint tray (for paint rollers) with my foot on a damp sponge wrapped in wire as the other end of the circuit - put foot down to close circuit once needle in - less elegant but actually much easier then using a button on the unit. (Wash and dry feet when finished to avoid trenchfoot.)
Like working on a computer do regularly rest your eyes (look around) - hence the TV as an excuse to look up once in a while - also stops stiff neck.