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mermaids-and-anchors
02-03-2013, 12:46 PM
I didn't really know where to put this thread/post, so I just put it here.
I'm planning on getting my first mermaid tail:) I am so excited!! I'm thinking of ordering from Mertailor, getting a silicone neoprene tail. I really like the tails from there. I was going to use it for a job, taking pictures at the mall with kids during summer, like a Santa thing. I'd make money from doing pictures at the mall and save it and money from holidays, save that too, and try to save up to get a full silicone tail from someone else. I've seen both bad&good reviews on Mertailor, I've messaged him tons of times about his tails and he's been so sweet answering all my questions. I plan on swimming in the tail for myself, not performing in it until I can get used to the tail and practice and train, which will most likely take a long time. Mertailor has the cheapest silicone neoprene tails and most realistic silicone neorpene tails, so I figured I'd go there. I figured I'd order it soon, I have all the money for it.

Does it seem like a good idea? Buy a silicone neoprene tail and try to make money for a full silicone tail? There's no places hiring & I don't have a license ( or time to practice driving ) so I figured the best idea is to create something that is somewhat sure fire! I really want to order my tail soon for time for summer & I know it can take a while for a tail to be made & sent out. Advice, please?

Mermaid Danielle
02-03-2013, 01:10 PM
If you haven't swum in a mermaid tail before, I'd recommend making your own fabric one first. It's challenging to swim in and get used to, and you'll want something lighter while learning.

Other than that, I'd say go for it!

malinghi
02-03-2013, 01:28 PM
If you haven't swum in a mermaid tail before, I'd recommend making your own fabric one first. It's challenging to swim in and get used to, and you'll want something lighter while learning.

Other than that, I'd say go for it!

I totally agree. You'll learn a lot from having your first tail, and it will give you an idea of what you're looking for in the next tail, like with respect to the fit, and the size and stiffness of the monofin. Also, you can start doing professional mermaiding gigs in a fabric tail. That can raise money to help pay for the silicone tail.

AniaR
02-03-2013, 01:54 PM
I think the best place for this thread would be the mertailor discussion area ;)

If you've never had or swam in a tail before make sure to check out my thread about expectations: http://mernetwork.com/index/showthread.php?4156-What-to-expect-with-your-first-tail&goto=newpost

In addition I wrote an article for tail flip on all the different tail types that you may also find helpful: http://issuu.com/t_obrecht/docs/tail_flip_issue_3

good luck!

Winged Mermaid
02-03-2013, 06:22 PM
Last I checked, the Mertailor uses neoprin not neoprene for his partial silicone tails. I do not recommend ANY tail made with neoprin, no matter the maker. It is a horrible material to use to make any tail- professional or DIY. It stretches but does not have elasticity- meaning it stretches out but does not "spring back". It permanently is distorted or warped every time it's stretched, so every time you wear the tail. I can't say anyone I know who made or bought a neoprin tail is happy with the way the fabric acts. In fact many people who have bought neoprin and ALEX tails or neoprin and tin cure silicone tails from the Mertailor have had to modify the tails to make them fit right. The hips to waist fitting issue due to the material is a big one, leading many owners to add zippers (and dorsal fin to cover the zipper) to get it to fit right, and needing to take in the tail as the material stretches out. Please see the "Neoprene vs Neoprin" thread (http://mernetwork.com/index/showthread.php?3374-Neoprene-Vs-Neoprin).

He also uses tin cure instead of platinum cure. The saftey of tin cure is a controversial one. But even that aside, it does not have the quality and will not last as long as dragonskin (platinum cure) silicone.

I think it's 100% worth it to save up and pay extra for the better quality materials. Neoprene instead of neoprin, platinum cure (dragonskin) instead of tin cure silicone.

Both Fish Butts and Merbella Studios offer partial silicone tails made with dragonskin and neoprene, and both have great reviews and are highly customizable, where as the Mertailor ones are not. Both makers are extremely busy with orders currently, however. In the end it's up to you, of course, but I just wanted you to be able to make an educated decision :)


Your plan about taking pictures at the mall with kids is a great one, but make sure you work it out with the mall manager before you put all your eggs in one basket. Sometimes to do that kind of thing you have to pay fees, or even have certian kinds of licensing. So just do your research and I'm sure you can work it out :)

Theta
02-09-2013, 12:28 PM
I got my starter tail from Mertailor, which worked out well for me, but I only ever wanted it to swim in, not really to use in a dry setting. If you want to do dry photoshoots with kids and stuff, I'd recommend a fabric tail, because they're much lighter and easier to move in on land (seriously, I do occasional gigs where I sit around out of the water with both my Merbellas tail and my Mertailor tail, and it's awful. It's painful and sweaty and hot. I DO NOT recommend using a wet tail for dry gigs.) When I ordered my MT tail in 2010, I ordered it in February and it arrived at the end of June.

I know a lot of people have had problems with his tails, particularly in the period that I purchased mine. I was one of the ones who didn't really have any problems, aside from gapping at the waist. I've been happy with my MT tail- it's held up relatively well (granted, I'm not in it every day) and it's become a good 'try it out' tail for friends of mine who want to see what tail swimming is like. You'll need to repaint it frequently, so be aware of that. Everything that Iona said is true, too, in regards to materials.

A friend of mine got a fabric tail from him, and was very happy with it.

In all honesty I would check with the mall first, and make sure you've got all the things you need to do it (licensing, insurance, tax ID number, what have you) before getting a tail if you want to use the tail to do appearances to make money. This would go for any of the higher grade tails.

Personally I would love to take one of his silicones for a spin- they look amazing, and there aren't a lot of customer reviews about them on here.

At the end of the day, it's up to you. Whatever you decide to do, let us know how it all works out!

Lyna
06-12-2013, 10:39 AM
I have a tail from him I wanted for 6 years...and have only been able to water test it once in the last year. It took him 6 months to make it and he was terrible to me every step of the way. He is ...well...I won't start that tangent. In any case...it is completely not functional. It's gorgeous for dry events and land photoshoots...but unless you're famous...you aren't going to get a tail you can actually mermaid in. I suggest Fish Butts...but they have also done the switch over to silicone and I don't believe they offer latex anymore. Most companies have done this in the last 6 months. So it's save for the real thing, or do fabric it looks like. (Ihave 2 latex and a silicone) My first experience swimming was in a fabric tail and even still it was amazing. They are very comfortable to swim in and defitinely give you a great idea of the direction you want to go in future tails without blowing money to learn the hard way (like I did with mertailor)

Mermaid Cascada
06-12-2013, 11:52 AM
I have a tail from him I wanted for 6 years...and have only been able to water test it once in the last year. It took him 6 months to make it and he was terrible to me every step of the way. He is ...well...I won't start that tangent. In any case...it is completely not functional. It's gorgeous for dry events and land photoshoots...but unless you're famous...you aren't going to get a tail you can actually mermaid in. I suggest Fish Butts...but they have also done the switch over to silicone and I don't believe they offer latex anymore. Most companies have done this in the last 6 months. So it's save for the real thing, or do fabric it looks like. (Ihave 2 latex and a silicone) My first experience swimming was in a fabric tail and even still it was amazing. They are very comfortable to swim in and defitinely give you a great idea of the direction you want to go in future tails without blowing money to learn the hard way (like I did with mertailor)

Maybe consider someone other than fishbutts because they aren't doing very well. Alot of mars haven't recieved tails or refunds :(.

Lyna
06-12-2013, 11:54 AM
I plan on getting a jesse and a raven tail also here soon. they make some amazing silicone pieces

Merman Arion
06-12-2013, 03:32 PM
I plan on getting a jesse and a raven tail also here soon. they make some amazing silicone pieces

@ Lyna.. in my opinion, you should go with MerNation Tail instead.
i think their tails are more beautiful than Jesse's and the customer service seems awesome! :)
As for Raven, it's also a very good choice. She's amazing.

http://mernetwork.com/index/showthread.php?5199-MerNation-Tail-Review

Mermaid Varshana
06-12-2013, 04:57 PM
Finfolk Productions is starting to get really good reviews too. I think, in a small community like this where only a handful of businesses make high-end products that are central to that community, it is SO important to support promising new talent. It appears that seasoned lifelike tail makers have a shelf life with an expiration date due to the sheer amount of work they get buried under simply because there aren't many quality makers to choose from. Right now, EVERYONE needs a Raven tail. People wait up to nearly half a year of sporadic communication and updates for theirs, and that's after waiting months for her to take new orders. Because Raven is just that up to her eyeballs. A person received an awesome tail from Mernation in less than a month, and the FinFolk girls skyped with another client to guide her through measuring. If you don't want to wait almost a year for a tail, please support these people :)

Mermaidmechanic
06-12-2013, 06:10 PM
I ordered a Mertailor tail. It took about 5 months from date ordered to the time it was completed. This is a reasonable wait time for a realistic silicone tail as I've come to understand. He is in very high demand and does a lot of media appearances which does take time from making tails. So long as you're okay with waiting a while, I say choose the tail-maker who's tails appeal to you the most. I had a hard time choosing between Eric and Raven, but chose Eric because I love his tattered fluke design. While I have not yet received the tail (awaiting shipping), the pictures he posted are stunning. I can't report on sizing yet because I haven't tried it on. It is, however, the exact colors I wanted and was hoping for. I'll be sure to post a thorough review after my first swim. :)

11842

Merman Arion
06-12-2013, 07:17 PM
@ Mermaidmechanic.. I'm hoping that your new tail will fit you without any trouble. *fingers crossed* :)

Mernation
06-13-2013, 07:58 PM
Thanks for thinking of us. We really appreciate all of the support! We do strive to focus on customer service and look forward to working with more of you.

Theobromine
06-13-2013, 08:53 PM
I think the new MerNation tails look beautiful! Also, I'm about to get my first silicone tail from FinFolk and I can personally vouch for their awesome customer service and the beautiful new molds they have made/are making. And yes, when I expressed concerns about measuring myself properly, they set up a Skype date so they could help me out "in person". They should be finishing my tail very very soon here and I will post pictures once I have received it!

I know the Mertailor has had a lot of ups and downs; some people love him and some people hate him. Some of his designs do look very beautiful but I personally would be be very wary about ordering from him, just because so many people have had such rotten luck with him. I just wouldn't want to take that chance. And Raven does some gorgeous work but she does seem to be up to her eyeballs lately.

Mermaid Zaffiro
08-27-2013, 09:28 AM
Last I checked, the Mertailor uses neoprin not neoprene for his partial silicone tails. I do not recommend ANY tail made with neoprin, no matter the maker. It is a horrible material to use to make any tail- professional or DIY. It stretches but does not have elasticity- meaning it stretches out but does not "spring back". It permanently is distorted or warped every time it's stretched, so every time you wear the tail. I can't say anyone I know who made or bought a neoprin tail is happy with the way the fabric acts. In fact many people who have bought neoprin and ALEX tails or neoprin and tin cure silicone tails from the Mertailor have had to modify the tails to make them fit right. The hips to waist fitting issue due to the material is a big one, leading many owners to add zippers (and dorsal fin to cover the zipper) to get it to fit right, and needing to take in the tail as the material stretches out. Please see the "Neoprene vs Neoprin" thread (http://mernetwork.com/index/showthread.php?3374-Neoprene-Vs-Neoprin).

He also uses tin cure instead of platinum cure. The saftey of tin cure is a controversial one. But even that aside, it does not have the quality and will not last as long as dragonskin (platinum cure) silicone.

I think it's 100% worth it to save up and pay extra for the better quality materials. Neoprene instead of neoprin, platinum cure (dragonskin) instead of tin cure silicone.

Both Fish Butts and Merbella Studios offer partial silicone tails made with dragonskin and neoprene, and both have great reviews and are highly customizable, where as the Mertailor ones are not!

Fifi Tigg
08-27-2013, 10:05 AM
Unless you want to pay for a tail and then never ever receive it and lose all your money! I suggest never going to Fish Butts! I'm in the process of getting a tail made by Finfolk :D

Mermaid Momo
08-27-2013, 10:22 AM
Unless you want to pay for a tail and then never ever receive it and lose all your money! I suggest never going to Fish Butts! I'm in the process of getting a tail made by Finfolk :D I was just about to say the same thing.
@Zaffiro, Maybe check out the fishbutts thread to see what's been going on so you don't make the mistake of ordering from her.

MerEmma
08-27-2013, 11:09 AM
The OP is on tumblr--she's already ordered and received a neoprene/silicone from Mertailor with I think little to no issues (unsure I don't follow her)
http://mermaids-and-anchors.tumblr.com/

Mermaid Zaffiro
08-28-2013, 08:40 AM
@Fifi Tigg @draggersprez I'm sorry! I don't know fishbutts been going to make mistakes of ordering :/

Mermaid Adriel
08-28-2013, 11:14 AM
The OP is on tumblr--she's already ordered and received a neoprene/silicone from Mertailor with I think little to no issues (unsure I don't follow her)
http://mermaids-and-anchors.tumblr.com/

I wish that it could be the same for all those who order a tail from him...

Mahi Mermaid
08-28-2013, 01:45 PM
You can have mine! It's for sale http://www.ebay.com/itm/Mertailor-Swimmable-Silicone-Mermaid-Tail-/130977591387?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1e7edf705b