Cheeky Fly Fishing and 3-TAND Collaborate to Develop 550 Pliers
May 22, 2014
South Norwalk, CT – After ten months of development, Cheeky Fly Fishing is excited to announce the launch of its Cheeky 550 Pliers. Designed to be heavy duty and durable, but also lightweight and unobtrusive, the 550 Pliers are the most versatile fishing pliers on the market. At five and a half inches in length and weighing only 1.8 ounces, the 550 Pliers have withstood the tests of saltwater beasts, yet are also the perfect design to replace your plethora of tools on the trout stream. Designed with replaceable high speed steel cutters and stainless steel tips, the Cheeky 550 Pliers will last a lifetime.
Development and testing of the Cheeky 550 Pliers was initiated in July 2013 in a unique and collaborative approach between two New England based fly fishing companies. Located only miles apart in southern Connecticut, Cheeky Fly Fishing and 3-TAND both develop, manufacture, market and sell high quality fly fishing reels. The companies’ close proximity has led to a unique working relationship allowing the two companies to leverage their combined resources to develop and launch a set of high performance pliers.
“Both Cheeky Fly Fishing and 3-TAND represent a more progressive movement in fly fishing led by small businesses that share a similar vision for the sport, and rather than compete to take market share from each other, we both feel that working together we can grow the market as a whole,” says Cheeky Founder and CEO Scott Caras.
The Cheeky 550 Pliers share similar features to the 3-TAND Surgex S-6+ Pliers, including 3-TAND’s patent pending handle design, but in a smaller, compact design.
“Working with another local manufacturer in the fly fishing industry allowed us to bring to market a pair of products that leverage similar technology and design,” stated 3-TAND’s Ron Poehailos, “we’re excited about the unique and collaborative approach we have taken in developing this product and hope it shows an example of how two reel manufacturers can work together to create better product selection for the industry.”
The Cheeky 550 Pliers come with an ergonomically designed belt sheath optimized for efficiency and comfort as well as an expandable lanyard connecting the pliers to the sheath to ensure they are always safe on the water. The 550 Pliers are now available for purchase at select dealers and at www.cheekyflyfishing.com.