Best mole traps [UK]: Scissor and tunnel mole traps compared and reviewed

Simple and clear, this is a tunnel mole trap that does what it says on the tin. This is cheap, reliable and will get you the job done. I was really pleased with it and I definitely found myself gravitating more to this option, so I’d definitely suggest it more than others in this list as a go to trap. I would say this is in my top spot because it’s probably the most multipurpose (you’ll see below there are different traps suited better to different mole situations), and I reckon it would be useful anywhere, so it deserves the top spot.

Not just that, but one thing I did find is that it’s got the power and the pressure you need in a trap without being too expensive, and the most recent design for this trap is actually 30% stronger than previously. The main thing you need in a mole trap is the strength, particularly the strength of the pressure release when it snaps down, so this is welcomed. You can get options to buy them in sets of 2 or 3 but they’re a bit more expensive that way, so get the single ones at less than £4 and you’ll be fine. It’s dead easy to set up too, a bit easier than the others I will say.

It caught my eye because it looks exactly like all the other circular mole traps, but it’s Amazon’s choice for the product and one of the highest rated. So, as far as mole traps go, I was expecting to be impressed with this one and I was.

I ran a few checks with it and gave it a few practice tries (not with real moles, obviously!) and tested their strength against the others. It’s got exactly the right strength, not quite as strong as the heavy duty traps, but it’s still up there and it will get the job done humanely. Another thing I had to consider was whether it easily activates or is too sensitive, but because of its design, it didn’t activate by accident very easily. This is good news for this trap because whilst it has the strength, it’s versatile enough to not be sensitive to accidental triggering.

Anyway, this is the best option there is and it’s safe to say you can rely on it. There might be certain products below that are better or more suited for different situations, but I would say this is the safest bet there is in terms of mole traps. Since I much prefer the circular traps to the clipper-like traps, this is definitely one I would highly suggest to you. I do worry however about its durability in harsh terrain or weather, as it lasted pretty well outside in the rain, but I’m not sure how it performs after heavy rainfall. Reviews have stated that it does pretty well, but if you have really harsh terrain or if you need some for bad weather, I would suggest leaving this product and moving onto option 4.

Apart from that, I was more than happy with this particular mole trap and it definitely is my go to for future traps.

TIP: pest stop also does a 12 pack of these traps at £56, which is way more expensive than buying 12 individually at the price marked above, so if you have an infestation or you need plenty of traps, just buy them individually to save some cash.

So this product definitely delivered in a similar way to option one, in that it gets the job done and has the right amount of power to snap down on a mole with force. Not quite as reliable as option one, but it does cost less and feels as sturdy. So, after some tests I realised the only thing that makes it any less impressive is the fact it triggers a bit easier, which is a bit of a pain but nothing too off putting in honesty.

This isn’t all bad though, and it will still get the job done, but only in large amounts I’d say. So, combined with its price and strength, I would say this is the trap you want for an infestation problem or a mole situation where you are going to need at least 10 or more traps. They’re dead cheap, arrive quickly and will humanely kill your moles fairly quickly. The slight sensitivity on the activation trigger might leave some of them triggering without catching a mole, but they’re so easy to reset that it really isn’t much of an issue. That’s why they’d be great in large numbers where you can go round and check them daily anyway.

I would say that’s the only downside too if anything, because these traps generally feel more robust than most others and that’s because of how they’re designed. It’s designed for heavy duty or use in areas in which terrain is problematic, not as much as option 4, but still enough so that it will last. So, if you have some problematic terrain (wet, uneven, forestry) these traps would be suitable. If you’re expecting really harsh conditions though, option 4 is better.

That’s why it’s second place to me. It’s dead cheap, easy to set up and reset and it’s got the power. Because of these I wouldn’t have it as my go to if I only wanted a few, but for an infestation it definitely would be my first choice. It’s another one of Amazon’s choice for mole traps too so it’s clearly gone down well with customers, with many saying they work damn well (some even catching 3 in a day!) for infestations. Only thing is they mention how you need to know how to use them correctly, which I feel is a reflection of their easy trigger time…have a good read through before you set them out to make sure your infestation is sorted effectively.

Now this is a bit of a change from the metal circular traps, but it’s another one of my favourites, it’s just in third spot because it’s more expensive. There’s a reason for this though and that’s because it’s more specialised and designed in a different way, as well as being robust enough to be reusable for a long time.

This particular trap is designed more for small scale areas or even single use, so I wouldn’t have these for an infestation. This would be my go to for getting rid of moles in my garden or in a sort of allotment/gardening setting, because that’s really what it’s designed for, but also it’s not suitable for really large areas in my opinion. I did love it though (without sounding too morbid) because it’s so easy to set up and get active and you can barely notice it in the garden because it blends in so well. Another key thing I thought about this one is that if you have kids or pets running about, it’s dead easy to tell when a mole has been caught because of the catching mechanism shown above and so you can remove it without them seeing. Many other traps give a general indication, but this one is clear as day.

As for the tests I ran on it, it’s not too sensitive and it sticks in the ground perfectly well. It’s got the right amount of power too and from seeing pictures in the reviews section, it definitely kills moles humanely too. So, I’d say if you have moles in your garden or if they’re getting to your plants then this is for you, but it’ll be too expensive to use multiple for a larger area or for a widespread infestation.

I remember reviewing this last time and I liked it back then too, but I didn’t actually catch on to the fact it would be better for a smaller garden or planting area mole problem. Its definitely more designed to be like that and that’s why I’m favouring more toward that for garden moles.

Whilst other mole traps in this list have the right amount of power to get the job done, and humanely for that matter, these are definitely the traps you want if the one thing you’re looking for is power. They only cost £22 for 8, which is actually really cheap and considering they’re heavy duty/more powerful, that’s quite surprising.

The only reason they’re not much higher is because I wouldn’t say they’re as humane as other traps. It does say it in the title and it will still kill a mole quickly, but because they’re quite wide and since traps like this should typically crush a mole at both ends, it seems to me that it would be more than possible to only catch a mole on one side and for it to not be killed instantly. I cannot confirm this for sure, but considering the average size of a mole varies up to about 15-20cm and this product has a length of 28cm, I can’t see how it wont be a slightly slower death.

Anyway, that said it is the most powerful, so I’m also inclined to assume that even one end of the handle will snap down with enough force to kill a mole quickly. That is the only downside, because apart from that and the power these things have, they’re perfect for harsh terrain or for harsh environments. This might be useful for a farming field or for dealing with a mole infestation where the weather is extremely poor, but whatever it is, if you feel like your mole problem is going to be a pain in the neck to set traps for, these are for you and it won’t be too expensive for you either.

The very first thing that came to mind when I saw this trap was one of those tripod aliens from War of the worlds, and it seemed a bit too fancy to look like a mole trap to say the least. I didn’t review this one last time either and so I’m assuming it’s new to the market, so I figured I’d give it a try and see how it performs.

Safe to say that whilst it might look alien, there’s no doubt it will kill moles for you. It’s definitely the easiest to install out of all the products in this list and the handy guide means you can set it up in no time. Preliminary tests show that they don’t react to accidental triggers too much but are still sensitive enough for moles, and I can imagine removal (and reinstallation after you’ve rid of the mole) being a breeze. I’m actually a massive fan of this one and if it was on the market last time, I don’t know how I missed it.

It’s stainless steel but also very expensive, so whilst this may be a downside, I would say if you have an ongoing mole presence in your area that you will need to tend to, it’s worth investing in a few of these. It’s easily visible when a mole is caught, so easy to install and will definitely kill them humanely-the power is pretty immense to say the least!

So, the reason it’s so low down is because of the price and since the options above are way cheaper and also just as humane, I wouldn’t rank it higher. Despite that, if you don’t need to worry about the cost and you’re happy to spend the money, or if you need traps that will last you both for a long time and in constant harsh weather, this product is the right choice for you.

So in last place is another set of scissor/clipper traps, and these ones I’m including because they have just the right amount of power and reliability as others in this list, but they’re definitely the easiest to notice when they actually catch a mole. They’re quite tall and so they’re easily visible, and so that’s why I suggest this set over the others in this list for fairly large spread areas or areas where visibility could be a problem (terrain, fog, farm fields, etc). This means you’ll be able to simply go out and collect the moles with ease, so you don’t have to inspect the traps that much to find out.

On top of this, I would say they are one of the easiest to remove and reset. Combined with their easy visibility, this set is the best for areas such as a field in which you can keep an eye on the traps and easily reset them, perhaps if you’re on a farm or a less-urban area where moles can become an abundant problem. They’re just a really handy set of traps and that’s the first thing I noticed about them, so that’s why I’d recommend them for those situations or conditions.

Running some tests with it was pretty promising too as they really do snap back with power, but not quite as much as the rest. It will still kill moles humanely and that’s fine, but you could get more power with other options above. It’ll still do the job and that’s why I’m happy with it for low visibility/larger areas.