I was climbing in Yosemite last summer and, while at a belay, was talking to a party from Bozeman, Montana. They noticed all the proto gear on my rack and deduced that I was from Black Diamond. My partner and I bailed (typical) and they were watching me like a hawk. I asked what they were looking at, and they said, "We want to see how the QA guy from BD raps." In particular, they were eyeing my rap knot.

There are advantages and disadvantages to each type of rap knot, but is there one that is superior in strength to the others? I put all three knots (with three different rope diameter scenarios) through a quick-and-dirty series of pull tests and have provided below some basic strength testing data based on my limited testing of the three most common rappel knots. (Note: only two data points per configuration.)

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