Would investing in a Mertailor tail be a good idea?

[Seven Devils]

Alright, as some of you know, the Mertailor and myself didn't exactly get off on the right foot last time I ordered from him. Long story short, I never received my tail and only got half my refund. Not to mention, Eric was quite rude to me at the time.

But.

A friend of mine recently received her Mertailor tail without a problem, and it's stunning. Plus, the partial silicone tail is only $530.

So, a question to any mers who received their Mertailor tail: how do you like it? Should I give Eric another chance and invest? Did you get it in a timely fashion? Yes? No?

Thanks in advance!! xx

[Ariel-Starfish]

No. don't do it! Don't hurt yourself/your wallet again!

[MerEmma]

I don't know...he really has spiffed up, but if I had such a problem with someone personally in the past, I wouldn't go back no matter what. I'm very stubborn and cautious though. There are PLENTY of tail options out there for tails! Maybe not so many partial silicones, but in a few months it looks like Fish Butts might bring out a new line (I don't know this for a fact but that's how I've interpreted her FB). Merbellas are stunning but a tad bit more pricy. You get what you pay for, though, *most* of the time. Good luck!

[Mermaid Octavia]

I don't know... even seeing some of the Mertailor's full silicone tails recently, they don't seem very high quality to me. The latest review in his review section detailed gunky seams, a fluke with molded folds in it (like it cured while folded up) and a bra that was literally falling apart. And that was a full silicone tail! If it were me, I'd steer far, far away from the Mertailor and go with someone else if at all possible.

[AniaR]

It's a hard call. I have been hearing much more positive stories these days, but I still get emails from people on a regular basis about bad stories. If you only received half your refund though- that's questionable to me, regardless of who a tail maker is. It really is up to you though. I still think the partial silicones are much better than many of the other similar tails being made. You just need to have the correct expectation of what a partial silicone tail means regardless of the tail maker. There are inherent disadvantages with that type of tail no matter who makes it, so just make sure you know what to expect so you aren't disappointed.

[Mermaid Varshana]

What are the disadvantages of partial silicone tails? I don't know that I'd ever want a full silicone tail, given how difficult it would be for me to use it without a mertender.

[Mermaid Dottie]

My Fishbutt is neoprin and silicone. the Biggest disadvantage is that they take days to dry. I mean days.

[AniaR]

frequently the fluke either isn't glued down, or doesn't stay glued down for most tails like that not just his. There's been several complaints of the stuff used to glue the monofin down over filling into the foot pockets. They degrade unless they're made of dragonskin, which as he discussed in an earlier thread his partial silicone tails are made of silicone caulking, not dragonskin. I believe he makes his with neoprin not neoprene- there's a great thread showing the differences between the two and the problems it causes (though I could be wrong on this, I haven't been keeping up with his posts so it's best to check his site etc to see what the partial silicone tails are made with.) Neoprin will continue to stretch even when cured, is the main issue. Speaking as someone who owned a tail made that way. Paint scraping off is still a problem with tails made that way.

These issues are pretty standard with MOST tails made with partial silicone- not just mertailor. They're good for starting out, but I honestly don't feel most tails like this last beyond a year with repeated use. They're good for starting out and learning the ropes. Then, if you feel like you want to do more and be more professional you should upgrade to a tail made with more reliable materials. That doesn't necessarily mean pure silicone 3000$ tail.

[MerEmma]

His tails say neoprene advertised, just like you said it's not guaranteed, but I don't know it. I know mermaids-and-anchors on tumblr just got a realistic tail from Mertailor, the most recent I know of to have posted online.

If your friend ordered one without an issue, it *probably* wouldn't be an issue but as I said myself earlier, I'm not the kind of person to go back to someone I've had past issues with. I don't feel comfortable, myself, giving business to someone that I felt hadn't treated me right in the past.

For a realistic tail under $1,000 that's not JUST neoprene/fabric, from what I know the options are:
Emily Angelfish (Latex of some kind, not sure specifics)
Merberry (Latex of some kind, not sure specifics)
Mertailor Partial Silicone

So...not many options. This is discluding any tails that are not currently being made (FishButts partial silicone) and tails are ARE a thousand dollars. I don't know, it's a big decision and I recommend taking your time with it. Hopefully it'll all work out for you!

[Seven Devils]

Thanks for all the feedback, everyone!
As nice as Eric's most recent tail seems, I think I'm going to go ahead and steer clear of him. I'm still pretty weary of him and his work, but I guess the low-ish price tag got the best of me. I'd like to get a Raven tail, but I just don't have a spare $1000 on me (not that I'm complaining, her tails are gorgeous and totally worth every penny) at the moment.
I'll keep on hunting, though! Perhaps I'll give MagicTails another look. (:

[Mermaid Varshana]

Do Raven basic tails hold up? She's really the only person I'd buy a tail from that has silicone anywhere on it.

[MerEmma]

What do you mean by that? Silicone is the most durable material currently used, mainly if platinum cure dragonskin. I don't know what you mean by the first part, but as far as I can tell, they definitely seem to hold up very well (others so far have had no complaints regarding that).

[Mermaid Varshana]

Raina just mentioned that silicone-neoprin/neoprene tails generally don't hold up.

[MerEmma]

Silicone-neoprene tails may not hold up as well as pure silicone, but you said you wouldn't buy anything with silicone ANYWHERE on it which made me confused. :P

The basic tails are still a fairly new thing from Raven (ish) and only a few members of Mernetwork have them so far...Mizuko, the Mermaidens, Isabela and a few others have them on the way. But as far as I can tell, nobody has voiced complaints thus far which makes me think they definitely hold up all right.

[AniaR]

yeah I was referring to anything that's NOT pure dragonskin as I said. Silicone caulking etc.

Though, the photos from one of the recent reviews are quite startling.
Review: http://mernetwork.com/index/showthread.php?1227-Mertailor&p=69795#post69795
Photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/60599354@N03/sets/72157633410414285/

As far as Raven's silicone basic tails, ask the mermaidens! They both have one, and so do a few others in the merbellas thread.

[Mermaid Varshana]

The reason why I would only buy silicone anything from Raven are varied. It's not just about it holding up, although it would seriously blow ass to burn over $1100 (shipping included) only to have the damned thing fall apart in a year. Mertailor is expensive and the work often doesn't live up to the hype, Mermaid Creations is backed up for half a year, Fish Butts isn't my style, I don't like the texture of the flukes on Mermaid Parties tails, and everyone else is way way out of my price range. I'm terribly picky, I know, lol

[Mermaid Harmony]

A silicone tail made correctly shouldn't fall apart. I've had my Partial Silicone from Fish Butts made with dragon skin and neoprene, and it's still holding up. The only part I'm having issue with is that the stitches at the bottom holding the fluke together have come apart, so I've glued it back down, and I got tossed into some rocks a month ago with some waves, so my fluke has some deep scratches, but other than that, for using it 1-4 times a week for about 7 months, it's held up impressively. But I am with Raina on this one, I'm going to buy a full silicone from fish butts to use to replace and switch out with my current tail for different use, that way it doesn't look as worn. To dry it I got the wader peet dryer and it's dry in a day. it's amazing and I'm in love with it!

[MerEmma]

Fish Butts and Mermaid Parties are the same, by the way. :P Nothing wrong with being picky, either!

[Mermaid Varshana]

The shoe....err, fin....still fits lol. Maybe I was confused because the examples of fish butts tails and the Weeki Wachee tails looked so enormously different.

[MerEmma]

What do you mean by that? Weeki Wachee tails are either made by Mermaids R Us or Mertailor?

[Mermaid Varshana]

MERMAIDS R US! That's the one I was thinking of! Not Mermaid Parties! Forgive my underfunctioning boneheaded brain! XD

[AniaR]

ah, confusion on the internet. Gotta love it haha

[MerEmma]

Oh goodness, so much confusion. xD Glad we finally figured it out though :P

[Mermaid Varshana]

I've never given them or fish butts/mermaid parties much consideration as far as "ZOMG MUST HAVE ONE!!!!", so... *shrug* lol

[Mermaid Khalessi]

Weeki wachee tails are made by mermaidsrus not mertailor :)

[Mermaid Khalessi]

Mines is for sale if any one is interested

[spottedcatfish]

As far as I can see, the only partial silicone tail that has held up, are the basic tails from MerBellas? Is that correct? How does she get the silicone to stick and stay onto the neoprene?

[MerEmma]

I'd say a lot of partial silicone tail designs haven't been around long enough to really know how well they hold up, but I don't know. Raven uses raised scales instead of imprinted on hers, which is different from most partials (asides from Fish Butts' "full silicone" tails which are neoprene lined).

[Alexander]

Yes,I think you should give a chance. I have heard many good stories and that is single one of this kind.

[AniaR]

Hi Alexander, feel free to introduce yourself in the introduction thread.