I bought a less expensive gopher bait applicator from Amazon, but that unit tended to clog, and the mechanism tended to not fully close completely because the grain got stuck in the opening. Also loading it with bait was a mess. The Wilco unit was almost 3x expensive and I did not want to spend that much, but in the end, it is a better design and I am much happier. The tip is sharper, it keeps the dirt from packing in the end and clogging things. When you are ready to dispense, you retract the tip and the bait falls downward. Another great feature is the way the unit is loaded with bait which is brilliant! No scooping, or dropping stuff. You just thread the bait container onto the applicator and go. I used the unit itself to find the tunnels, but should probably first use a separate tool to find the tunnel and create a plot hole as the instructions say. This is because you are pushing a larger diameter tube in the hard ground and so it is harder to tell when you have reached the tunnel.