Constant improvement is part of our company culture. If you aren't improving, you're likely going backwards. It may seem harsh, but when applied with the correct mindset and in the correct context it becomes a recipe for success. We always knew the CRC System would change and evolve over time. We're excited to be able to implement changes and updates quickly. We'd like to thank everyone who helped test the CRC System in the real world and provided us the feedback necessary to improve version 1.0. The varying conditions and unexpected uses people put the CRC System through were hugely informative in where we needed to take the product next. This is ultimately what lead us to Version 1.5.
The CRC System was released in February of 2018. In September of the following year we released V1.5 to the public. The changes we made were critical to the longevity of the product and the end user's experience.
The biggest change was far and away the new liner system. We left our elastic technology on the cutting room floor (not an easy decision) and went with a flexible, telescopic design. The new liners struck the perfect balance between longevity and rod protection. Previously, the elastic style liners were susceptible to tears from any kind of sharp edge. This prevented the end user from ever using multi-fly rigs and if their equipment had any kind of abrasive or sharp edge it was only a matter of time before the elastic liner would wear out and fail. While the design was exciting and offered a lot of benefits, it was the wrong choice in the end and we had to correct it. (If you're a 1.0 owner we have options to get you upgraded, if you have questions please contact us). The new 1.5 liners offer the same level of gear protection but with multiple benefits. The tension of the elastic system is gone, users can have as many flies as they want on their line, and it accommodates bigger eyelets.
We added a heavy duty clamp body for extra abusive environments. When Rob is going 70mph, slideways on a washboard road things get pretty harsh pretty quick. The new glass filled nylon clamps are as strong as the metal portion of the CRC. During destructive testing the clamps didn't fail until the metal tubing portion of the CRC was deformed from the high forces applied.
One of our biggest design successes with 1.0 was finding a bushing material that helped the tubes slide while also limiting their speed. These original bushings were made from a synthetic, outdoor rated felt with adhesive backing, similar to what is used on large outdoor telescopes. Because the new liners don't apply tension to the system we no longer needed to worry about controlling speed. We were able to switch to another material we tested, UHMWPE (Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene). This stuff is pretty fantastic when used as a bearing surface in applications like ours. It doesn't care about the weather or working conditions and comes in multiple sizes and thicknesses. We were able to tune the bushing fit on every tube to eliminate play between the tubes vertically and horizontally while also making them easier to slide.
With all these changes coming together, the V1.5 product is a whole new experience when it comes to using the CRC System.
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Cheers,
-Morgan