Mermaid Kelda
02-02-2015, 07:06 AM
Mirage Rubber Mermaid Fin - 4/5 starfish
http://i.imgur.com/VNKpns0.png
http://i.imgur.com/yASwLaI.jpg?2http://i.imgur.com/EwHPRsN.jpg?2
http://i.imgur.com/rbZ2yYu.jpg?1
http://i.imgur.com/lljjwWp.jpg?1
http://i.imgur.com/IWeUb9u.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/thFgx7a.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/M6unsXC.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/su6g65C.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/3nTN35I.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/yVzM16i.jpg?1
http://i.imgur.com/n7cgEQr.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/EdXIOwe.jpg?1
http://i.imgur.com/UzYkbem.jpg?1 (http://imgur.com/UzYkbem)
http://i.imgur.com/XX1i0lj.jpg?1
http://i.imgur.com/RHtl3Au.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/z43rKT8.jpg
PURCHASE & SHIPPING
I bought the blue Mirage Rubber Mermaid Fin from eBay:
BLUE: www.ebay.com/itm/281533807619 (http://www.ebay.com/itm/281533807619)
PINK: www.ebay.com/itm/281533782368 (http://www.ebay.com/itm/281533782368)
Though they are also available from Cape Byron Sports in Australia:
BLUE: www.capebyronsports.com.au/html/snorkeling-fins-f072-blu.htm (http://www.capebyronsports.com.au/html/snorkeling-fins-f072-blu.htm)
PINK: www.capebyronsports.com.au/html/snorkeling-fins-f072-pnk.htm (http://www.capebyronsports.com.au/html/snorkeling-fins-f072-pnk.htm)
The fin was $75 AUD, which is about $58 USD. Shipping was $10 within Australia, though it's more expensive ($35 USD) to ship to the US.
Since I purchased from within Australia, shipping was quite fast. The fin was packaged in brown paper stuck together with packing tape; there was no other padding, and while my fin was fine, I'd worry about it being sent internationally without at least being wrapped in bubble wrap.
QUALITY
The fin is made of one entire piece of rubber, i.e. the two foot pockets seem to be a part of the fin, rather than attached to it. So far I see no marks of stress where I have bent the fin, though I haven't been super rough with it. The straps are some kind of synthetic - not overly comfortable on the skin - but there are moveable pads for each foot. The straps are one long piece of material, which loops through the foot pockets between each foot and on either side, and close with velcro.
The fin is made in Malaysia, if for whatever reason that makes a difference.
SIZING
This is a SMALL monofin. It's designed for children. My feet are somewhere around a size 5 1/2, and the fin fit me perfectly (though my feet didn't quite reach the end of the foot pockets). For reference, my foot measurements are as follows (heel to toe measured standing up, ball and instep measured all the way around the foot:
Heel to toe - 23 cm
Ball - 21 1/2 cm
Instep - 23 cm
The monofin has adjustable straps, so feasibly someone with longer, but thin, feet could fit this fin. The straps are advertised as fitting up to a men's size 10.
COMFORT
As the fin was a good fit for me, I had no blistering or broken skin, which was a huge relief as there was no way I'd get into the fin with neoprene socks on. The sides and tops of my feet were a little red, but that was after a good hour or so of constant swimming.
The straps needed to be re-tightened once wet, and did come off once during swimming. They were comfortable enough though, as they included moveable padding which I positioned on the heel area. The padding could be removed if not required.
SWIMMING
This fin seems to be designed with both propulsion and manoeuvrability in mind; it bends very easily on its long edge, so it gives easily to the water when doing flips and turns. It's much less flexible width-ways, though, so it gives decent propulsion when swimming in the normal manner. You can see the level of agility and speed I get in the video below.
I really like the size of the fin - it's large enough to give me decent propulsion (though I'm only 165cm, or 5'4), but small enough that I don't seem to bump into pool walls or hit myself with it while doing turns.
SUMMARY
Overall, I'm very happy with this monofin. It's attractive, it fits me, and it gives just the right levels of flexibility for good manoeuvrability and propulsion. I give it 4 stars instead of 5 only because the straps aren't as good quality as I feel they should be (though you could remove them and add your own), and I do wish the fin came in larger sizes for those with bigger feet. As it is though, I would definitely recommend this fin to anyone who would fit it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c8H6gZ7P_hU
http://i.imgur.com/VNKpns0.png
http://i.imgur.com/yASwLaI.jpg?2http://i.imgur.com/EwHPRsN.jpg?2
http://i.imgur.com/rbZ2yYu.jpg?1
http://i.imgur.com/lljjwWp.jpg?1
http://i.imgur.com/IWeUb9u.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/thFgx7a.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/M6unsXC.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/su6g65C.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/3nTN35I.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/yVzM16i.jpg?1
http://i.imgur.com/n7cgEQr.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/EdXIOwe.jpg?1
http://i.imgur.com/UzYkbem.jpg?1 (http://imgur.com/UzYkbem)
http://i.imgur.com/XX1i0lj.jpg?1
http://i.imgur.com/RHtl3Au.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/z43rKT8.jpg
PURCHASE & SHIPPING
I bought the blue Mirage Rubber Mermaid Fin from eBay:
BLUE: www.ebay.com/itm/281533807619 (http://www.ebay.com/itm/281533807619)
PINK: www.ebay.com/itm/281533782368 (http://www.ebay.com/itm/281533782368)
Though they are also available from Cape Byron Sports in Australia:
BLUE: www.capebyronsports.com.au/html/snorkeling-fins-f072-blu.htm (http://www.capebyronsports.com.au/html/snorkeling-fins-f072-blu.htm)
PINK: www.capebyronsports.com.au/html/snorkeling-fins-f072-pnk.htm (http://www.capebyronsports.com.au/html/snorkeling-fins-f072-pnk.htm)
The fin was $75 AUD, which is about $58 USD. Shipping was $10 within Australia, though it's more expensive ($35 USD) to ship to the US.
Since I purchased from within Australia, shipping was quite fast. The fin was packaged in brown paper stuck together with packing tape; there was no other padding, and while my fin was fine, I'd worry about it being sent internationally without at least being wrapped in bubble wrap.
QUALITY
The fin is made of one entire piece of rubber, i.e. the two foot pockets seem to be a part of the fin, rather than attached to it. So far I see no marks of stress where I have bent the fin, though I haven't been super rough with it. The straps are some kind of synthetic - not overly comfortable on the skin - but there are moveable pads for each foot. The straps are one long piece of material, which loops through the foot pockets between each foot and on either side, and close with velcro.
The fin is made in Malaysia, if for whatever reason that makes a difference.
SIZING
This is a SMALL monofin. It's designed for children. My feet are somewhere around a size 5 1/2, and the fin fit me perfectly (though my feet didn't quite reach the end of the foot pockets). For reference, my foot measurements are as follows (heel to toe measured standing up, ball and instep measured all the way around the foot:
Heel to toe - 23 cm
Ball - 21 1/2 cm
Instep - 23 cm
The monofin has adjustable straps, so feasibly someone with longer, but thin, feet could fit this fin. The straps are advertised as fitting up to a men's size 10.
COMFORT
As the fin was a good fit for me, I had no blistering or broken skin, which was a huge relief as there was no way I'd get into the fin with neoprene socks on. The sides and tops of my feet were a little red, but that was after a good hour or so of constant swimming.
The straps needed to be re-tightened once wet, and did come off once during swimming. They were comfortable enough though, as they included moveable padding which I positioned on the heel area. The padding could be removed if not required.
SWIMMING
This fin seems to be designed with both propulsion and manoeuvrability in mind; it bends very easily on its long edge, so it gives easily to the water when doing flips and turns. It's much less flexible width-ways, though, so it gives decent propulsion when swimming in the normal manner. You can see the level of agility and speed I get in the video below.
I really like the size of the fin - it's large enough to give me decent propulsion (though I'm only 165cm, or 5'4), but small enough that I don't seem to bump into pool walls or hit myself with it while doing turns.
SUMMARY
Overall, I'm very happy with this monofin. It's attractive, it fits me, and it gives just the right levels of flexibility for good manoeuvrability and propulsion. I give it 4 stars instead of 5 only because the straps aren't as good quality as I feel they should be (though you could remove them and add your own), and I do wish the fin came in larger sizes for those with bigger feet. As it is though, I would definitely recommend this fin to anyone who would fit it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c8H6gZ7P_hU