I think the bucket idea is probably a little better than the Ketch-All, but the Ketch-All is more compact. The upside of a bucket is that you can catch over a hundred mice. The Ketch-All catches about a dozen before you have to wind it again. I never even put any bait in the Ketch-All, I just put it along a wall where mice are most likely to run. Worked like a champ!