Which knot for climbing: figure eight, yosemite bowline, bowline on a bight?

Question

This is a topic often discussed online, but all I could find so far was people sharing their opinions (including numbers) on what tie-in knot is the best. Here's what I've found out from different sources:

• Figure eight: Fool proof to check, very hard to open after a fall
• Yosemite bowline: Not as easily checked as figure eight, strongest knot for dynamic rope tension, easy to untie even after taking a punch.
• Bowline on a bight: Easy to check, almost as strong as yosemite bowline, very easy to untie (in my experience it never tightens at all in the first place, being loose unless actively pulled on).

While I'm not at all against personal opinions as answers, these are usually not very good advice just on their own when it comes to matters critical to security; it's your life hanging on that knot after all. I would especially appreciate data on the knot strength; all the values I've got so far come from this German Wikipedia article, where somebody who doesn't know how to quote wrote down some numbers.

Long story short: Which one to use? Figure eight is starting to annoy me when my hands are tired and I've fallen. :-)

Answer 1

Most climbers use a re-threaded figure 8. The knot is not that important, though. In reading many accident reports, I have never seen one where the knot came untied or where there was a rope failure due to the knot on the harness. Pick a knot you're very familiar with, check it, and you're done. Spend more time checking belay devices, locking caribiners, communication with your partner, and especially your protection.

One way to untie a tight double figure 8 is to bend the entire knot back and forth, then push both parts (parallel strands) of one end into the knot. This should loosen it enough to come undone easily.

Answer 2

I would say, dismiss the bowline on a bight since it needs a backup stopper knot to prevent loosening over time so it's not a "complete" knot like the other candidates.

The bends on the yosemite bowline are generally less tight than the figure eight which not only means it is less likely to jam, but it wears the part of the rope under the knot less. So from a rope longevity, damage to the rope in a fall and stresses in the knot, the yosemite bowline would have to be the superior knot from an "engineering" standpoint.

I would not choose a knot on that basis and instead choose the one my party is most comfortable tying over and over and checking over and over. I don't see how the technical superiority of the yosemite bowline would make it better than the figure eight and would only choose it if I didn't have a fid to assist in knot untying or my finger strength / rope choice made "untieability" after falls a primary concern.