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Ah ok! Maybe I can ask Raven to replace/upgrade the monfin but maintain the she creature design.. Im not an ocean swimmer but i like some speed as well as the flowy look of a mermaid tail. Not sure if one exists, but maybe a monofin that is slightly more rigid than the foil but not as stiff as the competitor? So as to not completely sacrifice the flowy look but to have a bit more speed...
Boy, am I picky..
i originally asked for a rapid in my angel fluke (streinght but stil a bit flowly) and they did not offer that. So i had to pick the foil.Quote:
Originally Posted by Mermaid Iridessa
Good luck on asking for altering stuff etc. But I personaly think u are gonna have to choose between a cometitor and a foil.
A Rapid is a bad choice for monofin in a silicone tail anyway because of how easily the clips can come off/ the straps can break/ they're kind of bulky. A shooter or trainer 1 or 2 are a more sensible choice. But I totally respect if Raven doesn't want to use other monofins in her tails. I mean she'd have to make prototypes and make sure they lasted in tails before offering them confidently.Quote:
Originally Posted by Ariel Starfish
I had a look at photos of the shooter monofin next to the competitor and they seem to almost be the same but different in size. Correct me if im wrong, but judging by the pictures, the shooter looks to be more rigid than the foil becaue it is pretty wide and shorter...so a better kick? maybe that's the "middle" monofin between the foil and competitor in terms of rigidity/kick..
and judging by this video, the options im looking at are the shooter or trainer 1 or the wave (like you said, Mer-carzy)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6m3UIlNitRc
Yes, essentially it's the middle ground. You get more kick than the foil, but you get more flow/floppiness in the fluke than the competitor.
So out of the wave, shooter and trainer 1, the shooter would be best in keeping flowiness and slightly more kick?Quote:
Originally Posted by Winged Mermaid
Thank you so much everyone for your input!!! really appreciate it :D
The she creature is a lot bigger lol. It was her biggest til she made the green one.Quote:
Originally Posted by Mer-Crazy
Kick is better with my orange one but still same issues. In videos of me with other mers you can see how it floats up behind me while competitors get more parallel.
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She can cut down a competitor so you get stiffness and some flowQuote:
Originally Posted by Ariel Starfish
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Do all calypso flukes come with a competitor monofin?
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Well I can't change now - my tail is nearly completed - hehe ;)Quote:
Originally Posted by AniaR
The competitor was heavy for me (going in and out the water, fluke lifting) so I picked the foil instead for this time being. :) i hope this one will spare my feet from foot cramps! Lol or just not that worse. :p
Yeah all Raven's tails come with competitor monofins unless you specifically ask for a foil.
Also Ariel I hope the foil works out for you but from what I've heard flukes are always heavier with a foil since there is more silicone.
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Thanks Mer-Crazy I thought so
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No. Mine Is a foil. You can get whatever monofin in whatever fluke you want within their optionsQuote:
Originally Posted by frozenbutterflywings
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Just gonna interject here, I love the competitor in my tail. I mostly use it for ocean swimming and it cuts through some rough waters like nothing. So in the pool it's even faster and more effective. As much as I love the look of flowy tails, I'd much rather get more out of my kicks with a competitor than sacrifice speed and the ability to move overall for a pretty flow. But that's just me. Maybe something to think about it. As far as heaviness it concerned, Mer-Crazy has a good point about other fins that don't have the competitor's stiffness requiring more silicone to make up for that, and silicone is definitely heavier than the monofin. Even when I picked up some Finfolk tails I was amazed at how heavy they were because of the bigger flukes, which required more silicone. If you use your tail enough, you'll build the right muscles in your legs, feet, and even arms from hauling it around all the time, so weight in that respect shouldn't be that much of an issue. I'm very pro-competitor if you can't tell. :p
Is there a thread on here that talks about emailing Raven (ready to order) and how to maybe organize things when sending the first email? Just so I can draft I ahead of time and know what info to put in besides the obvious: what items, color(s) and the amount that you are ready with..
Hmm, it seems that the competitor would be a better choice since it makes the tail lighter and gives a better kick..
I can't wait for the day I am ready to order my tail!!! Before I created my account here, I have been following different threads..but tbh, nothing beats the merbellas thread purely because of Raven's artistry and dream-like creations that builds the excitement even more. As I read through the progress of somebody's order, I find myself Hyper-excited for that person and you can see it in every comment on here!
One day..one day..
I have the she-creature fluke (and yes she did allow it as a custom order when I asked but it was a hefty extra charge) with a competitor in it. I wanted the flowy look but didn't want to sacrifice speed and strength so I had her just cut the competitor fin back a considerable amount to allow the tips to still be all flowy and it looks great in the water (there's a brief video on my FB 'mermaid caprica'). I dont have the floatiness problem at all but on land my tail weoghs roughly 36 pounds and lifting the huge fluke is a bit of a chore / rough on the ankles for sure, so that's something to consider. I have no trouble whatsoever with it in the water manuevering, but when I lost some weight and it got a tad big I did feel a bit of a drag in the water just from the giant fluke and the tail not being tight. Probably the biggest consideration of warning I'd give is that for this particular fluke if you plan to travel with it, it is quite a chore. The edges will only fold in so much and I had to get a suitcase that's essentially the size I could climb into.Quote:
Originally Posted by Mermaid Iridessa
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This helps so much!! i guess the floating issue varies from person to person's buoyancy, but if you dont mind me asking, just so i can have a more accuracte cost/budget number, how much was the extra charge for the custom order of the fluke?Quote:
Originally Posted by polyhymnia113
Thank you!!
P.s. I had a look at that video and the flow is perfection!!!
well in her case it's because she has a competitor in it. So mine with a foil has far more silicone than hers.Quote:
Originally Posted by Mermaid Iridessa
Yes and now i can see the difference in movement between both monofins in the fluke that i'm going for (which is beautiful in both cases and it IS a beautiful fluke). seeing yours with a foil and hers with a competitor helps alot in making the decision. I think the competitor would be a better option, because it doesnt look like it sacrifices the flow in polyhymnia113's video and it also makes a difference in the weight of the tail, like mer-crazy said.Quote:
Originally Posted by AniaR
Thank you so much everybody for the helpful info!! I wouldnt have been able to get all this info anywhere else!
I got my birthday present a few hours early!!! Look :D http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/2016...82a7081fdf.jpghttp://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/2016...9001da72d0.jpg I got the blue color it's so warm and fuzzy I love it!!!
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:swoon: So cute!!! Always a mermaid in and out of the sea <3Quote:
Originally Posted by frozenbutterflywings
This more silicone with a foil bit is going to hold very true in regards to price also. I recall Raven telling me that the reason for the significant added expense was that it was the biggest fluke and thus used way more silicone. If less space inside is taken up by the monofin it has to be filled with silicone so...yeah it may be pricier to put a foil in. As to the other I PM'd you. :)Quote:
Originally Posted by AniaR
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Here is a video of me swimming as fast as I can at the surface with my foil monofin
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kY450ofzY8g
and here's my sister as fast as she can in the competitor
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lcXOUlRDWDw
By contrast, Nessie in a wave, and victoria in the she creature
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iVgtcBkwPCw
Btw, not sure if anyone's seen this yet, but the French girl making those Merbella and Finfolk necklaces has actually modified the fluke designs to make them her own so she's not ripping off other designs anymore. I thought it was nice to see someone who actually understands that's not okay and changes accordingly. Just thought others might appreciate the effort as well. Here is the new picture on her website. http://mernetwork.com/index/attachme...id=35775&stc=1
Great!
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Yeah I posted about those earlier. They look nice; but all in all it's not cool to steal designs. At least give design credit or say you were 'inspired' by their designs.
*swims around the thread like a shark in the water awaiting news on more tails.*
This! I check back like 10 times a day, even if it says there hasn't been a new post lol ya know, just in case :PQuote:
Originally Posted by Little_Orca
Haha. I am obsessively checking as you and Ariel ordered either right before me or there was someone else between us, so I know I am close. I also know sometimes full tails get posted on her pages and I don't catch them until I look here, so I keep circling.... I AM NOT CRAZY!!!!Quote:
Originally Posted by Felicia
https://49.media.tumblr.com/258dfe34...cwhao1_500.gif
This whole post is just a big ol' bag of yep lol its like you just get all anxious and dont wanna miss anythingQuote:
Originally Posted by Little_Orca
going trough this tread daily, like 2 times a day and keep checking my email constanly. :meditation: It's nice to read i'm not the only one who go's insane. LolQuote:
Originally Posted by Little_Orca
So originally Raven was gonna take my measurement but she just emailed me saying they are super busy and probably now unable to do it. Which is totally understandable. I just have flashbacks to my horrible tail with Mertailor where it was too tight and the waist was all the way up to my chest and the back barely covered my butt. Ugh. Does anyone have any tips? Especially if I want a high waisted tail? Any tips would be great thanks!!
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Guess who just got an update saying everything is done and READY TO SHIP... Omg i cant barly breath!!!
http://i670.photobucket.com/albums/v...psmb9e1rlc.gif
http://i670.photobucket.com/albums/v...psx437p3qo.gif
Lol!! I love that Kermit gif!! I really hope we'll get to see an unboxing video...
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YES! YES! YES! :cheerleader:So excited for your wait to be over Ariel Starfish!
Frozenbutterflywings - Double checking your measurements and having someone help measure you is good as well as measuring yourself again closer to your tail's production date, but honestly from what I have read on this forum from Mertailor customers I think Mertailor tails often don't fit people correctly. VanoraSirene got a tail from the Mertailor that didn't fit right: http://mernetwork.com/index/showthre...Mertailor-tail
Congrats Ariel! I can't wait to see it! (You better be making an unboxing video 🙏)
You betcha!! :cool:
I've been planning it for weeks in my head on how to donan unboxing video xith english subs etc. :p
I can relate! Raven messaged me today saying the at she just wants to go over a few things before she ships it! It's all so exciting!!Quote:
Originally Posted by Ariel Starfish