Hmm, where I am, if they accept you (meaning, if you have enough dark hairs), the most successful company here (though not publishing a lot of info on TS people) guarantees a 80% minimum permanent reduction of hair in 6-12 months [2-3000 CA$], so I think it's a good option. But yeah, what companies and customers claim is not proof. Though most of the feedback I have read is that results are usually good. (Note that the link I give on E3000 is from when it was called E2000, any years ago, and was only updated a little since. Since then, laser people claim to have improved a whole lot. Claims are worth what they are, but well...
If their method works and it does indeed destroy 80% hairs, then the 20% left, mostly pale, should be less visible and should cost less to remove with electrolysis.
E3000 is a good thing, but, well, it's in Texas. And for your face to be permanently cleared you need to go there a few times and space the visits by a month or so, so you need to add a lot of plane tickets, on top of the costs. It would be nice if some people elsewhere did something similar... I mean, can't they see the success they seem to have?
The bottom line: IF laser is as efficient as they claim, I would tend to think it's most efficient to start with it. If not, E3000 is the way to go.