[frenchyatwork]

> Also, not sure how the name was picked-up

(Big caveat: this all depends on joining nylon ropes of similar diameters. Different diameters and UHMWPE cord has different rules)

My understanding is that the American's picked it up from the Europeans in the 90's, but then mixed up with the figure-8 knot which is the actual death knot. Some guy on the internet did some tests, and the figure 8 will roll and capsize at about 1-2 kN. Rappel loads are usually a bit under 1 kN, but if you hit enough snags, it could come out and there was a bunch of accidents resulting from that.

The overhand knot, when tied normally will role at about 3-4 kN which is well above a normal amount of force in a rappel. Also, it tightens as it rolls, so with enough tail, you'll be dead from something else before it could be a concern.

Incidentally, the double fisherman has a bad habit of getting stuck, so if you're doing multiple rappels, especially in icy conditions, or in sticky/jagged rocks, it presents a whole different safety problem.

Edit: source https://user.xmission.com/~tmoyer/testing/EDK.html