Posts: 109
03/29/11 09:59:29 |
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Hi!
My tail from Mike is really beautiful. He's a true artist. I began the process of ordering it from him last year.
I decided to splurge on the cost of a silicone tail because I swim in mermaid tails weekly, so I knew that it would be worth it. I have a neoprene tail and a latex tail from other makers, but the photos of Mike's tails and the positive discussions about him here really drew me to his work. And I'm so glad to have done so!
I found him to be incredibly professional, polite, and filled with integrity. When he promised something by a certain date, he either delivered it or contacted me to let me know when it would be shipped. When I asked him to make a minor adjustment to the tail (with the monofin strap), he was extremely accomodating and polite about it. He wouldn't accept extra money for the adjustment, either.
Mike is a great communicator. Yes, it took him a few days to get back to me when I initially contacted him -- but with good reason, because he was busy making other tails, plus his school work and landscaping business. He juggles a lot!
Once we started the tail-building process, he kept in steady contact with me. He'd send photos, and ask for my opinion on color and tail shape, etc. It was refreshing!
You can see the photo of the tail on my profile picture. I don't know how to post it here in posts yet, but if someone could import the photo onto this post, that'd be great. The colors are saturated, really clear and bright. They're exactly the colors I'd asked for.
It's a heavy, heavy tail -- at least 35 to 40 pounds. But once it's in the water, it's neutrally buoyant. The silicone stretches really well, so it's easy to put on, especially in the water. The silicone sticks to the skin when I put it on outside of the water. But in the water, it slides right on.
Mike's monofins are a one-pocket variety, so both feet are together with one stretchy strap. I'm not sure yet if I think this is more comfortable or less comfortable for swimming. And you still have to put one foot in at a time, just like with standard two-feet monofins. I asked him to make the fin blade extra-stiff for ocean swimming, and he did a great job of this. We had to adjust the strap a bit, so that my feet would stay tight in the foot pockets while swimming, as the ankle area of the silicone is very stretchy, so it doesn't hold your ankles in place. Mike was very happy to make this adjustment, and wouldn't take extra money for it.
It's fast in terms of swimming underwater, which was one of the things I really wanted: form + function.
I've been asked to compare it to latex and neoprene tails, so here are a few observations:
* The latex tail paint chips, while the silicone colors don't.
* Silicone colors are deeper, transparent, richer.
* The silicone is MUCH heavier than the latex.
* Silicone much more expensive
* In terms of performance, my neoprene tail actually is the easiest and fastest to swim in, especially in heavy ocean currents. It just doesn't have the 3-D scale look of the latex and sillicone tails. danamermaid.com made my neoprene tail. It's the teal one with gold fringe in my photos with the dolphins in my profile photo album called Mermaids.
* The neoprene tails are easiest to put on and take off, and the lightest weight to carry.
* On land, I can't move the silicone tail fluke once I'm in it. No flipping, flopping, or holding the tail at a different angle. The latex tail fluke is also heavy, but I can move it on land. And the neoprene tail fluke is super light and easy to move around in.
* Silicone looks more realistic though . . .
* The silicone tail that I'd previously bought from Eric the Mertailor is also beautiful, but it's a whole different type of tail and material. It's heavy, too. Its feel is latex, but the colors are imbedded and not chipping because of the silicone covering. It has a Finis Competitor monofin in it, which makes it a pretty fast tail to swim in. The straps are difficult to put on because the tail is super-tight around the ankles. Great for swim support once you're in the tail, though.
I'd definitely recommend Mike as a great tail maker!
Last Edited By: Winged Mermaid 04/01/11 15:41:05. Edited 2 times. |
Posts: 337
03/29/11 10:11:01 |
* In terms of performance, my neoprene tail actually is the easiest and fastest to swim in, especially in heavy ocean currents. It just doesn't have the 3-D scale look of the latex and sillicone tails
What about between latex and silicone for performance?
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Posts: 109
03/29/11 10:21:22 |
Aloha SeaSparkles,
With the two latex tails I've used (both from Eric), it depended upon the monofin inside of it. His standard monofin has a floppy blade (it's a Finis Rapid), which doesn't hold well against ocean currents.
The gold latex tail that I used for two Youtube videos has a Finis Competitor monofin which is super-fast. Here are the videos of the gold mertailor silicone tail: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MBWsY12YCs4
and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0o4VvlRXisE
The silicone tail ankles are stretchy, which makes it more difficult to get a good push on your swim kicks. I've only been in the new silicone tail in the swimming pool so far and it was really fast -- I'm traveling right now, so won't have a chance to take it into the ocean until next month. But in the pool, I was able to do really fast laps with the silicone tail.
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Posts: 109
03/29/11 10:49:42 |
Yes I do know what you mean . . . For the photo in my profile, two people had to adjust my tail fluke for me. There was no possible way for me to move the tail with my feet (i.e., lifting my feet and moving them even an inch to either side).
And this could also be because I asked Mike for a stiff blade for my monofin. Perhaps his normal silicone flukes aren't as heavy?
But in the water, the tail has no weight at all
Last Edited By: AlohaMermaid 03/29/11 10:52:01. Edited 1 time. |
Posts: 109
03/29/11 10:53:30 |
My silicone tail from Eric isn't nearly as heavy and I can move my tail on land with his tail . . . it's a different fabric than Mike's silicone. Eric's is like a latex with silicone coating. Still beautiful, just different.
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Posts: 139
03/31/11 15:46:21 |
Great review! I really liked your gold tail also
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Posts: 884
04/01/11 15:42:05 |
Thank you so much for the review! I really appreciate the comparisons- for those of us who haven't owned or swum in the different tails it's great to know what the differences are!
I went ahead and put in your picture in case you ever want to change your profile picture people know what you're referring to 
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Posts: 117
04/01/11 16:53:04 |
Your tail is my favorite of all of Mike's tails. The colors and shape are very different from everything else I have seen. And you look awesome in it!! Thanks for sharing it
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Posts: 536
04/04/11 07:16:56 |
Im so happy to be seeing pictures of this amazing tail! its so beautiful.
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Posts: 836
04/04/11 11:56:01 |
I always think MVDs tails are beautiful but I like Eric's so much because I can move it around easily on land too
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AlohaMermaid
Winged Mermaid
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