The design of these old traps are known as "The English Scissor Trap". They are ideal for mole catching but you can not buy this design. The next best trap is my first choice below.

My first choice. This type of trap appears to have several names.  Eliza Tinsley Trap, No. 1402 Trap, English Scissor Trap, Scissor Type Mole Trap. The shape of the legs must be altered, as shown. The shape of the handles and the way the wire holds the setting ring makes it so easy to set for mole catching.

Always find out before you buy that the handles are welded to the legs. There are traps looking exactly like the trap on the left where the handles are not welded but crimped. With traps that have been welded, you can bend the legs outward to make a wider opening, but if the trap has been crimped then the joint between the handles and legs become loose.

My second choice. Procter PEST-STOP Scissor Mole Trap. This is an ideal trap to buy because no alterations are needed. Perfect for catching moles if the coiled spring is kept oiled.

In my opinion, there are more advantages for setting these types of traps with long handles that I have chosen than any other trap.

(1) It is very easy when holding the handles for the setting and unsetting of the trap.

(2) You only need a trowel to make a hole to set a trap, resulting in less ground disturbance, compared with some traps that need a spade.

(3) You can see if the trap has been triggered without being close to the trap.

(4) You can test to see if the mole has filled the trap with soil without the mole setting the trap off, or you uncovering the set trap.

(5)  It is very quick and easy to pull the trap out of the mole run and remove a caught mole, compared with many other types of traps.

"Defenders or STV312 Mole Claw Trap" is the worst designed mole trap of the three similar traps. The main problems along with other problems is the way the setting ring is attached to the trap and the legs are not welded to the handles.

Tunnel traps. The only advantage using this type of trap is that they can be set in places with public access because they are hidden underground and providing you know where you put them without a marker! Catching two moles at once is rare and no advantage because all the time you are setting the equivalent of two traps in a large hole and hopefully catching a mole.

A lot of people are buying this type of trap, instead of having moles filling other types of traps up with soil because they do not know how to set them. With these type of traps, you have to put soil in the mole run under the trap for the mole to push through the soil and trigger the trap. It has to have a very strong spring which can be dangerous if not handled right. These traps are more difficult to set than my choice of traps but a 100% catching rate can be achieved. Please read the email, with pictures, showing how this was done. Go to "Emails received" on the Menu.

They are called "Easy Set Traps". This looks to me that a lever is pushed down and the trap is set. It then has to be set into a mole run.

This trap is pushed into the ground with the thicker legs and the thin centre spikes are set at a higher level over a raised shallow mole run, that has been flattened. When the mole returns pushing up a raised mole run, then the trap is triggered, releasing the spring and forces the spikes to penetrate the mole run. This trap can also be set below ground level.