New fabric (?) tails

[Yulia]

So Mertailor is also starting with printed spandex tails, like Magictail and FinFun.



"Ladies and Gentlemen, Children of all ages, Mertailor is proud to introduce our new line of affordable and realistic looking economy mermaid and merman tails. That's right, Mertailor will be offering a already made, stock product for an affordable price. Our sizes will run from a Children's 3T- Adult Large. And yes my friends, these beauties will be sold with a monofin. It's plane and simple, All mermaid tails come with a monofin. These tails have seen designed to resemble a real fish! There's truly nothing like it. These items are currently in production and should be available for the Holiday rush! Please stay tuned for pricing and ordering information! Wholesale opportunities will be available!"

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xaf1/v/t1.0-9/10609488_993280157356233_8630442805695071793_n.jpg ?oh=60075bf26b30f5f06e0adf6ae100b6fb&oe=54E449AE&__gda__=1427175199_6eb5790abadd42eb8e11e5e7041388f 5

[Mermaid Jaffa]

I like the print but not the bulging foot pockets and ankle area. Let me guess... $600 for one?

Or are they going to be realistically affordable?

Also, what monofin is inside it? A custom one, the cheapo kids one or something else?

[Yulia]

He doesn't say, but it looks like the finis mermaid fins.

[Mermaid Jaffa]

If its decent price, I would buy it without the monofin, just because I love that shade of blue.

[Starfrit]

I'm pretty sure the bulging footpockets are just happening because it's a tight material (spandex, maybe??) that makes the footpocket more obvious when nobody's wearing it-- I feel like it won't be so visible when they're actually being worn.

Overall, I actually really like the look of these! I like the look of them a lot better than FinFun's tails. Depending on how much they're gonna cost, I may even consider buying one at some point.

As for the monofin... Wasn't Eric working on designing his own brand of monofins for a while?? Or am I crazy? I thought I saw a post about it once upon a time but I haven't seen or heard anything about it since.

[Mermaid Jaffa]

If you mean the Mermaid Flipper that he's got on youtube, that one is very expensive, even for a silicone monofin

[Yulia]

I was right, It's the Mermaid and Aquarius fins from Finis.

"These are FAR from professional photos of our NEW line of economy mermaid and merman tails, but we are so excited that we could just not old back posting about them! We wanted to show you the product right from our manufacturing space! Our custom exclusive designed spandex economy mermaid tails will be a stock item and available in sizes 3T all the way to what we are calling an Adult Large. Every tail needs a monofin and will be sold with a monofin. Our Children sizes will sport the Mermaid Monofin by Finis and our Adult sizes will accommodate the Aquarius Fin by Finis. These will be our most affordable realistic, economical tails yet starting at ONLY $98.50 USD. We plan to sell these tails as a wholesale item as well. There are hundreds currently in production and we will begin taking PREORDERS in the next couple of weeks just in time for the holiday rush! Fingers crossed everyone!"

https://fbcdn-sphotos-g-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xpa1/t31.0-8/s960x960/10733407_993363290681253_2206445634955569774_o.jpg

[Mermaid Jaffa]

Hmmm... Factoring shipping, customs, taxes and whatever else, its going to cost about $300 for it to come to Australia.

[Morticia Mermaid]

These are actually kind of pretty. I wonder if he is going to have other colors, or just blue?

[Yulia]

I guess he wants to test the market before adding more colors, but it probably will happen some time. They pricing and design are actually fairly good, hopefully he can't mess up something
as simple as a fabric tail. ;)

[Starfrit]

Okay, so I WAS wrong about the monofin. XD That makes more sense, then! I do wonder about the prices, though-- He says that there'll be children's sizes AND adult sizes available, and that prices start at $98.50 USD-- Does that mean that the children's sizes will be $98.50 and the adult sizes will cost more? Because that starting price is almost double FinFun's prices, though I guess that might be because Eric's using a third-party-brand monofin for these whereas FinFun has their own. That and I guess people would be paying more just for the Mertailor brand anyway.

Ignore me, my math is way off-- Realized that the "Starting Price" on FinFun's tails doesn't include the added price of the monofin. That's what I get for trying to work with numbers right after a nap. :U

[Miyu]

I actually do like the look of it... Very nice scale pattern, very realistic! I'm also hoping for more colours :p My homemade fabric tail has the same ankle bulge when it's not being worn - it's just because there's nothing in there filling out the legs, and disappears when worn :)

[Mermaid Jaffa]

Me too. I really do like them but I'm afraid to buy from him. Terrified even. Because of the bad rep that I've read about him.

[Morticia Mermaid]

I've seen lots of silicone tails that have the same bulge around the ankles of the monofin, neoprene tails have them too depending on how they are made. It's just more prominent in the fabric tail not being worn because its snug on the monofin (as it should be). I'd be more worried if it wasn't showing, cause that would mean it wouldn't fit right when someone is wearing it.

[Miyu]

I actually think these could have better quality control than his more expensive tails, because they don't really require any detailing - it's just a printed fabric that is cut and sewn in a standard shape - little room for error there ;)

[Seatan]

Those look very nice for fabric tails and since he plans on mass producing them they are probably being sewn together by a third party. His work with silicone is certainly iffy (not because of a lack of know how but rather a lack of effort at times), but I am sure his fabric tails will be fine. Printed fabric tails are not exactly the same art as latex, silicone, or sequin are--they are a very simple sew if you know anything about how to use a sewing machine. They look like they will be pretty tails, though I am not one for wanting anyone else to have the same tail as me!

[Starfrit]

Yeah, when it comes to basic spandex tails like this, there are only so many ways to really screw it up-- they're a lot simpler to do than silicone, so like Miyu said if anything there should be better quality control on these-- The most I can imagine really happening is somebody accidentally ordering the wrong size, or something.

I mean, yeah, Eric's reputation when it comes to his product quality is pretty questionable, but I'll be hardcore shocked if he manages to somehow screw it up.

[Mermaid Jaffa]

If there was a matching one piece swimsuit with boyleg cut, I def buy it! I swam in a two piece last week, and all throughout my 2hr I was so paranoid it was going to come off!

Also, I wonder if they come in standard sizes, like 8, 10, 12 etc. Or are they custom made?

[Starfrit]

According to Eric's posts about it they're gonna be premade and ready-to-buy, essentially, so I imagine they'll be made in the standard sizes similar to what FinFun does. I don't think these ones will be custom made.

[Mermaid Jaffa]

Oh, he must've edited it. Didn't say that before.

[Zirconmermaid]

I will be interested in seeing this, it could be a good starter tail.

[Mermaid Wesley]

Wow looks great! Happy for him! That will be great unless the fabric doesn't hold up well or something. Only time will tell but I certainly like the look.


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[Miyu]

Jaffa, I totally agree with you on that one-piece thing... I am small but busty, and it's really annoying to watch guys staring at me every time I go to a pool, before I'm even in a tail >.< Then I'm so worried the top will come off (it has before!) that I get so distracted from swimming :eye twitch:

[Sherielle]

I like the look of these.

[Coradion]

He has a seamstress on staff.

[Meronica]

Now if only he could get around to shipping out my $600 tail that he said would ship late last week. -______-

I hope they get better at handling large volumes of orders if they're going to start shipping out these cheaper tails...

[Theta]

I have a friend who has a couple of his fabric tails and really likes them. They look nice in the water and seem to have held up fairly well. I was thinking of getting a couple of these to let friends try on/ just fuck around with when I don't feel like getting into my silicone.

[Sherielle]

I'm actually tempted to get one myself. I saw a pic he posted pre photoshoot and I really like how the fabric is printed. I may wait to see if other colors will be offered.

[Merman Arion]

Gotta love Photoshop.............. :doh:

The bulky ankles magically disappeared.

25547

[Mermaid Melanie]

I must have missed something there - what is "Eco" about these tails ?

[Merman Arion]

I was right, It's the Mermaid and Aquarius fins from Finis.

"These are FAR from professional photos of our NEW line of economy mermaid and merman tails, but we are so excited that we could just not old back posting about them! We wanted to show you the product right from our manufacturing space! Our custom exclusive designed spandex economy mermaid tails will be a stock item and available in sizes 3T all the way to what we are calling an Adult Large. Every tail needs a monofin and will be sold with a monofin. Our Children sizes will sport the Mermaid Monofin by Finis and our Adult sizes will accommodate the Aquarius Fin by Finis. These will be our most affordable realistic, economical tails yet starting at ONLY $98.50 USD. We plan to sell these tails as a wholesale item as well. There are hundreds currently in production and we will begin taking PREORDERS in the next couple of weeks just in time for the holiday rush! Fingers crossed everyone!"

QUOTE]

[QUOTE=Mermaid Melanie;157991]I must have missed something there - what is "Eco" about these tails ?

I'm fairly sure "Eco" stands for economy. I think.

[Mermaid Melanie]

Ah okay - I thought it meant eco friendly, shame that would have been cool - if they used the recycled plastic fabrics that nike use!

[Sherielle]

I'm not sure if it's photoshopped or just the angle the girls have their feet that make the ankle bulge seem smaller.

[Seatan]

We shouldn't be too harsh--most of us photoshop something (side seam, ankles, belly roll, gapping, knees) for our "professional" photos. ALL fabric tails have a big bulge at the ankles. The amount of bulge just depends on how bulky your monofin is and how big your ankles are as compared to your legs. My fabric tail has a big bulge at the ankles because it's made of Spandex and the Spandex does what it was meant to--stretch tightly over whatever you stick in it.

I am not a big fan of Eric's and probably wouldn't purchase from him, but I do think these tails look very nice and realistic compared to some other fabric tails on the internet, so I am happy for people with smaller budgets to have this new option.

[Meronica]

"Eco" -- "economical", but it sounds like "ecological" so it's a dumb name.

[Yulia]

Everyone and their mother on facebook think "Eco" stands for "Ecological".

Sneaky guy that Mertailor. He'll never learn.

[Mermaid Jaffa]

Is there an option to just buy the tail skin? I didn't see that on either his website or fb page.

[Mermaid Jaffa]

Is there a video showing the tails in action in a pool?

[Miyu]

...Arion, if you really hate Mertailor as much as you let on, why do you even see his FB posts in your feed? Just stop following his page/block his posts if you don't like seeing him! There's no need to be carrying around the "Mertailor hate mob" flag all the time - especially when he's not doing anything wrong! ANY business needs to advertise themselves. I am friends with some awesome people in small bands (they manage themselves), and they are constantly advertising their next project - it's totally normal and not something to be looked down upon, especially with FB's new regulations about how many people actually see your posts. Case in point - there are less than 100 "likes" on a post he made about the fabric tails yesterday... If everyone who "liked" his page was actually getting the posts, that post should have several hundred "likes" by now!

As for the potential photoshop... oh well. As long as he's not blatantly changing the colour/shade of the tail in photoshop, who cares if he edited the heel bumps out of a spandex tail? We all expect there to be heel bumps. Other fabric tail makers edit heel bumps out. The heels are clearly visible in the not-worn photo. THERE ARE ALWAYS HEEL BUMPS. This is one thing it should be okay to edit out, even if you are a tailmaker. Because it that's a problem, then no pro-mer should be allowed to edit any of their photos to get rid of heel bump/knees/complexion/belly roll, OR to edit it so it looks like they're underwater if they're not (TO CLARIFY: I PERSONALLY HAVE NO PROBLEM WITH ANY OF THESE BEING DONE)



...I really would like to see the name of the tail change from "eco" to "economy", though - it is a bit misleading, though he was probably trying to go more for a "hip, cool name", because economy doesn't sound amazing.

[Merman Arion]

...Arion, if you really hate Mertailor as much as you let on, why do you even see his FB posts in your feed? Just stop following his page/block his posts if you don't like seeing him! There's no need to be carrying around the "Mertailor hate mob" flag all the time - especially when he's not doing anything wrong!

Fair enough, my post - where I expressed my annoyance of the constant publicity of these "eco" tails - is now deleted but FYI, I DO NOT hate Eric because I don't know him at all. However, I agree that I dislike very much his ways to manage his business. To say that I'm carrying the "mertailor hate mob" is kind of exagerated. Did I called him names right here? Lately? I'm watching him from afar because I want to see that one day when he finally decide to change and improve his business. I'm curious to see even if I know there are slim chances that it ever happen. But I would still bet on that 1%. That's all.

Just my two cents. Have a nice evening everyone.

[Miyu]

Oh, I dislike his business management as well :p I'm hoping that possibly the ease of selling these tails (hard to have bad customer service on these) will help him get his footing into having better service for his silicone tails. I'd love to see him take more time on silicone tails, like Finfolk or Merbellas does - real customers are willing to wait in order to have a better-quality tail, and if he isn't willing to match quality with his peers, then perhaps he should lower his prices to reflect the quality.

That being said, I wasn't trying to be mean or anything, you know I love you Arion :hug: Sometimes I just have to speak my mind from the viewpoint of a small business owner/costume designer, and I just wanted to point out that advertising is okay :) I mean heck, I don't get squat for pageviews if I'm not out there constantly pimping myself out on the internet!



On another note, I did post on his page that I'm holding out for other colours as well. I love the design, but I am not one for an all-blue tail! I'd rather have any other colour all-over than blue, LOL!

[theredknight100]

its odd that I been hearing good and bad things about thare tails but at less he did something good this time :) ithink its great for beginning erfolk tails but I don't think thare tails are still affordable since the price is still high for adults :( but the price is good for children ;) I hope this tails are good as he said they are

[Mermaid Kelda]

Honestly for a fabric tail the prices are great. Most fabric tails start from 150+. FinFun's tails are the same price roughly as Eric's, and Magictails are 160ish.

[Mermaid Jaffa]

Just hope that the fabric is a good quality one, not some cheapo spandex that rips easily.

[Prince Calypso]

I asked if and when they would be doing different colors and
Eric just say they didn't know
i think the tails are very nice but i wont really be interest till I see some veriaty
mainly purple lol
but heres hoping

[Mermaid Jaffa]

I wouldn't mind a luminous green like my avatar!

[Max-Mermaid]

Please delete this old comment.

[Max-Mermaid]

Please delete this old comment.

[Max-Mermaid]

Please delete this old comment.

[Mermaid Momo]

Makin' it is cheaper!
not really.You have to buy a monofin, the fabric (and if you buy custom fabric it'll rocket the price up.), any notions you need (thread, elastic, extra fabric, beads, jewels, sequins, cords, etc) After all that, it'll for sure come out to be over $100 and somewhere around the same price as Eric's.

[BayouMermaid]

not really.You have to buy a monofin, the fabric (and if you buy custom fabric it'll rocket the price up.), any notions you need (thread, elastic, extra fabric, beads, jewels, sequins, cords, etc) After all that, it'll for sure come out to be over $100 and somewhere around the same price as Eric's.

Agreed. After scale printed fabric, monofins, and shipping costs, my tails have come out to around $100 to make. This is a good deal!

[Prince Calypso]

what i had thought about doing once he had some color variety
was making a neoprene pocket to wear under the tail or something akin to that to kinda make it look a bit thicker and less see through and maybe adding some fins and stuff.
something to hold me over til i can get a new silicone or latex tail

[Miyu]

25671
The fluke proportionally on the teenage girl on the right looks WAY to small in my opinion.

I think he's only offering the one monofin in it for now, the FINIS Mermaid Fin Monofin (which it says on his website is best suited for children 12 and under) - so it probably is a bit on the smaller side for the teenager-ish range.

[Max-Mermaid]

Please delete this old comment.

[Mermaid Wesley]

I've heard they snap and the straps won't stay on.


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[Mermaid Jaffa]

I love the tail fabric! Have I mentioned it already? We don't have anything like it here in Australia!

[OceanWhisper]

I love the tail fabric! Have I mentioned it already? We don't have anything like it here in Australia!
*woohoo for us being such an isolated country* :P

[Max-Mermaid]

Please delete this old comment.

[maressa]

I just saw an ad for this on FB and was a little taken aback. "There's nothing like it!!!" Uh, yes there is... didn't Magictail come up with this concept in the first place? The way he phrases it makes it sound like it was his idea to print the fabric this way... :/ He also advertised the price for this tail with a photo of one of his silicone ones saying STARTING AT ONLY $98!! When no, the adult one is $121, and the CHILDREN'S one is $98... and the tail in the photo is silicone... UGH. Just misleading advertising. Seems dishonest to me. Why not post a photo of the children's eco with the correct price on it and go from there? Grrr.

[Max-Mermaid]

Please delete this old comment.

[Mermaid Gipsy]

As far as colouring and pattern/scale design goes, it looks great! But I gotta jump on the "the ankle bulge looks blegh" bandwagon.

I also have to say (and I'm not bashing anybody who has/likes them) that I absolutely HATE the FINIS Mermaid Fin Monofin. Nothing annoys me in mermaid culture and art than a fluke that's too small.

[Mermaid Gipsy]

I just saw an ad for this on FB and was a little taken aback. "There's nothing like it!!!" Uh, yes there is... didn't Magictail come up with this concept in the first place? The way he phrases it makes it sound like it was his idea to print the fabric this way... :/ He also advertised the price for this tail with a photo of one of his silicone ones saying STARTING AT ONLY $98!! When no, the adult one is $121, and the CHILDREN'S one is $98... and the tail in the photo is silicone... UGH. Just misleading advertising. Seems dishonest to me. Why not post a photo of the children's eco with the correct price on it and go from there? Grrr.

The silicone advertisement thing really pisses me off. This company (or is it an individual?) seems super dishonest and rather scammy.

[Echidna]

Nothing annoys me in mermaid culture and art than a fluke that's too small.

*wriggles tail end*
awww...I don't even have a fluke! :p

but I guess most mers prefer big flukes, both for looks and swimming ease.
I've never seen anyone else with a serpent mertail.

[Mermaid Gipsy]

*wriggles tail end*
awww...I don't even have a fluke! :p

but I guess most mers prefer big flukes, both for looks and swimming ease.
I've never seen anyone else with a serpent mertail.

Awww! ^_^ But you're an Echidna! They're entirely different aesthetically, and don't count in that argument. ;) My complaint with Echidna or Lamia(s?) would be too short of a tail, but yours looks perfectly portioned. Do you swim with your serpent tail?

[Echidna]

Thanks!
Yes I swim in my serpent tails, but most of them are a bit shorter.
The long, realistic tails are carp hard to swim in!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=osQJ2DrwGAA&feature=youtu.be

[Mermaid Gipsy]

Thanks!
Yes I swim in my serpent tails, but most of them are a bit shorter.
The long, realistic tails are carp hard to swim in!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=osQJ2DrwGAA&feature=youtu.be

Ohh, it looks like one of those ringed sea snakes! Super cool! Thanks for sharing the clip :)
I imagine the fabric would create a lot of drag if it were super long. You looked good in the video, though.

[Simone]

I bought one of his new fabric tails and I absolutely love it! I was hesitant to purchase from Mertailor because of reviews and a previous purchase I made that had questionable quality and customer service but the price was very affordable and I figured it was worth a try because I needed a lightweight tail I could travel with. The tail shipped surprisingly quick and the quality is actually very good. I know some mers prefer larger flukes but I love the smaller fluke and the fabric is so realistic. I'm anticipating having to do repairs where the fluke edges meet the fabric after awhile but that's expected wear and tear with fabric tails. I just got a new underwater camera so I'll be getting photos and video up soon. When it comes to the eco tail I highly recommend it. 2669126692

[Yulia]

I'm happy you like it!
What do you think about the monofin? I don't know of another mer who owns it yet. :)

[Sherielle]

I does look good. If I were to get one, I would almost want another tail skin just so I could add extra fins with the same coloring. That ankle bulge bugs me.

[Mermaid Kelda]

The ankle bulge bugs me too, but I doubt non-mers would care much. And with the curves of the hips and calves, it flows fairly naturally.

Any reports on how it swims?

[Simone]

l love the finis aquarius that it comes with. its so comfortable that i don't need socks and i feel like it propels me even faster than my Finis rapid.

[Zirconmermaid]

I keep hoping someone will post a video of the tail in use.

[Yulia]

Don't know if these links work, but you can find a clip on his facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=332406390290098&set=o.130816216935969&type=3&theater

[Merfin_Aurora_Oceania]

It swims well however with myself being a merfolk, the ankle bulge makes my eyes twitch repeatedly :eye twitch:...:eye twitch:...:eye twitch:... you don't need a magnifying glass to see that bulge lol however I believe in same cases with material fabric this would be normal unless some advanced mermakers have a found way to prevent that.

For economy it looks pretty good considering, can you not paint it yourself to another colour?