Palomar Knot vs. Uni Knot With Braided Line [Strength Test]
- By: Luke Simonds
- on August 28, 2020
- Found In: Fishing Knots, Fishing Tips, Knot Contest, WEEKLY NEWSLETTER: 8-30-20
It’s knot test time!
In this video, we’re going to be testing the palomar knot vs. the uni knot when tied with braid line.
These are both extremely popular knots since they are great knots have been around for a very long time.
Since these knots came into popularity when monofilament line was pretty much the only option, we decided to run a test on them for how they hold up when tied with braid fishing line.
Is one better than the other for braid?
As it turns out, yes, one is!
Although both knots are very secure (neither of the knots pulled out during the test), they do have different breaking strengths, which essentially means that one is stronger (and can handle a bigger fish) than the other.
We’re finally able to quantify exactly how much the difference in breaking strength is between these two knots and it’s pretty significant.
Check out the video below to see the experiment and learn which knot is stronger.
Palomar Knot vs. Uni Knot [VIDEO]
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To test these knots, I first tied each end of a piece of line with the two different knots to two swivels.
Then, I used my knot strength testing machine to put tension on the knots and see which one broke first.
Just like in my previous tests, the palomar knot broke first, but with this new machine I was finally able to quantify how strong it is.
It broke at 18.36 lbs. of force, which, for using 10 lb. line, is pretty strong!
However, since it broke first, that means that the uni knot is stronger.
After a few tests where each knot to the swivel was a uni knot, I found that the average breaking strength was 20.21 lbs.
This is a little over 1.5 pounds, or 8% stronger than the palomar knot.
Conclusion
Since which knots you choose to tie is one of the few things under your control when fighting a fish, I’d definitely recommend going with the uni knot over the palomar knot.
It’s 8% stronger, so just by choosing the uni knot you can increase the pulling strength of your setup by 8%.
Nobody wants to lose a big fish because they tied a weak knot, so remember this test next time to you go tie a snug knot with braided line.
What’s your favorite snug knot with braided line?
Are there any other knots you’d like to see tested against each other?
Let me know down in the comments!
And if you know someone who loves the palomar knot, please TAG or SHARE this with them!
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Hi Luke,
I’m not convinced you have statistical significance on this test. To get to statistical significance, you need to calculate the accuracy and precision. Try 10 uni to uni and 10 palomar to palomar, then run a students t-test. Interesting fact, students t-test was invented to test one batch of Guinness stout vs another.
Thanks for this fantastic collection of information,
The Count
Thanks for sharing the helpful feedback. I understand that running larger sample sizes will help increase the accuracy of the results. The core goal of these tests are simply to get a basic understanding of which knots are noticeably better than others… if it’s close, we can simply assume that both knots are close enough to not require someone to switch from one to the other.
Have you tested or reviewed the World’s Fair knot? Vic Dunaway said in his book it has tested at 100% strength and is easy to tie. Curious how its stats would look on your tests.
I did try this knot and found it to be tougher to tie than the Palomar. Based on their designs, the hold strength would be very similar between the two.
why did all break at the top and not the bottom? i use the uni at times braid to cork but use loop to everything else.palomar is ruff on cork and if not tied right on hook it will fail. bad eyes can’t see it on itself and not half on leader.
Most knots seem to break at the first hard turn in the line… in most cases, the line from a uni knot pulls through cleanly since it is surrounded by coils.
What about a double palomar knot? Probably still not as good but if it narrows the gap, would be interesting to know.
You tube “How to tie GT knot, single leader braid to mono.
I finally had some time to do some research and testing on the GT knot… here’s what I found: https://www.saltstrong.com/articles/gt-knot/
I tie the GT single line knot with the leader in a figure 8 then run the braid through both leader loops. Tighten the figure 8. Then tie the braid in a uni knot. Tighten it up and pull together. Seems very strong. Could you maybe test it. ?
Couple vids on you tube show it this way instead of the doubles line.
That knot will be pretty good, but its breaking strength will most likely be weaker than the normal double uni and it will definitely be much weaker than the FG knot.
I finally had some time to do some research and testing on the GT knot… here’s what I found: https://www.saltstrong.com/articles/gt-knot/
Good article, but as strong as the uni knot is, the “double uni” is even better, especially with braid-to-mono /floro leader splices!!
Thanks Park! Yes, the double uni is a very good knot for braid to mono/fluoro. Have you tried the FG knot yet? I tested the FG vs. the Double Uni and I was blown away by how much stronger the FG knot was… over 30% stronger in the tests. Here’s a link on how to tie it in case you haven’t seen it yet: https://www.saltstrong.com/articles/fg-knot/
Thanks Luke for doing all the testing for us. These knots have worked out great for me.
Have you ever tried comparing the Trilene knot to the others in braid (Uni) or mono (Palomar)?
I have not yet tested that Trilene knot out. But I have tested the clinch knot (which is essentially the basis Trilene knot) to the basic uni knot and the uni knot won. So I’m pretty sure that this modified uni knot (1 extra wrap around the hook with a few more twists on top) will beat the Trilene knot which is essentially the same upgrade from the Clinch knot.
So in your braided uni video, you are doing 10-12 wraps through the loop and here only 7. Did you conduct some additional testing that shows that 7 is the best? Do the extra wraps weaken the knot, strengthen the knot or not make a difference? Thanks for the video.
The reason I did 7 was because the line I was using made it tough to tighten down 10 wraps. I do 10 with normal PowerPro.
I practiced tying the uni knot as shown on the video and it was quite easy to do and the results, a very strong knot..
What are some of the other applications for using the baid line in addition to tying the uni knot as mentioned below the video?
The main reason for using braid line is to have better feel of strikes and better casting performance due to it’s non-stretch nature and it’s very thin profile.