Originally Posted by
Tom M King
Sorry, but the Alpine Butterfly does not take longer to tie. It might take 2, or 3 seconds, so if that one can be tied quicker, it can't be by much. I do it a little different than that drawing, but I really can't explain it, other than rather than passing the loop under, I come back over the top, and go under, coming up through the loops. It's very easy to untie, even after being under a severe load, because you can push the loops away from each other in both directions, which makes it much easier than trying to push one surrounding loop one direction.
I do leave the tail end out until after the knot is tied, but I can put the loop exactly where I want it on the line, which comes in handy a lot of times when you are at the limit of the line length.
That's a good knot too, but I can't believe it can be tied faster than an AB.
Feeding the end of the line through is one part of how the TH illustrated in my last post is faster than using an AB. The ropes used on my truck are usually 20-25'. Sometimes the end is on the bed a few feet away. With the TH, one doesn't need to have the end to pull it tight and secure it with a cinch knot. For me, compared to my younger brother, tying a TH is slow. He can tie it faster than one can say it. Using an AB to make a loop would be slower for me.
When untying a TH, once the tension is off it can often be undone by a good shake of the line.
The AB is also one of my oft used knots. Though before it being mentioned in this thread it was known to me by different names.
One advantage the AB has over the TH is the AB is not going to capsize. The TH can capsize if it is tied in a sloppy manner or violently disturbed.
jtk
"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
- Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)