OK, so for 30 years I've been casting with the same Lyman ladle and liked it. I especially liked the idea of putting the spout directly over the sprue hole and "pressure pouring " the bullet. However, having some extra coin I decided to try the much touted Rowel 1 lb. ladle. Well, I like the longer handle, I like the greater capacity but the bottom pour deal is no big deal. I mean really, if your lead is clean then a bottom pour ladle is kinda moot. I do miss the spout and the pressure pour. My LBT moulds don't complain but a couple of my RCBS moulds will not fillout without it so I can't toss my Lyman ladle out just yet. Also, clearly, the ladle was not designed with Lee 20 lb. pots in mind. It just barely fits. So my over-all take on it is that it's good but not indispensable. I think the basic Lyman/RCBS ladle is going to work better over a wider variety of circumstances. I'm going to keep the ladle and use it for large casts and for ingot making but I'm not going to rely on it exclusively. If you don't have one already and don't presently need to replace a Lyman or RCBS ladle I'd pass on it. If you are starting from scratch and need a ladle, I'd consider it but only for wide mouth melters.