Originally contacted by GotMermaid's Tim Calvo about his new company and what he was working on, He came to new york with his team member Lori along with one of their prototype tails, I got to see the tail in action, and was happy with the results. Spoke to Tim a few more times and let him know my concerns to which he put at ease. I then made a choice to take a chance with them. I moved forward on the design choice and put down a down payment.
Type of tail: Fully Custom Tail with Custom designed, Fluke and Fins. (base priced at $2,500 without fins and custom fluke)
Waiting time and Pricing: Originally set for 4- 5 months, It turned to 8 months because i changed my design 7 times (yea i know im indecisive, but I wanted it perfect) I made a down payment of $1,200 and the total payment for an entirely customized tail with fluke and all fins was $3,200 (not including shipping)
Communication process: Communication was Great, An Email was sent with photos of the Completed Fins and Fluke design. And I could email them if i had concerns or wanted to add something and within 24- 48 hours Id get a response. I sent a duct tape dummy for more accuracy, Lori emailed me photos of the fluke to confirm the look i was going for and the detail part of the pec fin (my freckles).
Color: I chose a metallic sky blue (pretty much the same colors as i wanted for my original fishbutts design) and black. They confirmed the color choices and also showed me the pigment they planned to use beforehand. It was the perfect and correct colors.
Weight: It weighs 30lbs, which is 2lbs lighter than my fishbutts tail (but to be fair when wet my fishbutts tail weighed a good 40lbs since neoprene sucked in so much water)
Body of the tail: The Body is all silicone with a thin layer of powermesh inside of it. The scales are very well put together for an individually scaled tail. This isint a sheet mold process. The waist has an extra inch which i wanted, they also added a prototype waistband strap for me (because I lose and gain weight (yo-yo weight) due to my thyroid disease, No waist gap either. A few little itty bitty flaws but nothing Huge, no rips or tears or holes , no overly siliconed bulged up pieces. just a random spot or two here and there.
Dorsal, heel & pec fins: Are extremely well connected, they have already been put to the kid test and passed with flying colors. They were designed by my husband and still have a slightly similar look to my old fishbutts dorsal but more realistic (and less cubed lol) Pec fins is there my freckle came in, I asked for a specific design and even sent them 2 reference photos, they nailed it.
Seams: There are NO SEAMS (Thank Neptune!!) no bulky pieces, No extra silicone areas unlike my fisbutts tail.
The Fluke: Ah this is where the details come in, I was looking for a whale like tail design, but i still wanted my long tips (which my mertender has been lovingly referring to them as "alien tendrils", "the long things at the end of the tail" and "the giant face smackers") I also wanted a meaner look and I also gave them creative liberty and they delivered something that looks like a hybrid whale/creature design (that has raised rays and textured parts). The tail is ridged but still has a little flop. The fluke is sealed with a few minimal drainage channels. There is No Ballooning up, there isint any filling with water. I can seriously lift this thing and make some major noise when it comes to fluke slapping. I also asked them to tatter the fluke for me.
The monofin: The Fluke has an uncut leaderfins sport monofin which is awesome, I dont get that leg cramp or hip pain like I did the competitor monofin. It has a little bit of weight but it has a lot of push in it, seriously a few fluke flicks and i can glide pretty far and fast.
The Look: The tail is pigmented and then airbrushed, they added a ton of glitter (upon my request) and they sealed the tail with a thin layer of clear silicone. The tail is shiny and reflective, the glitter makes it shine so amazingly and the black parts have a little bit of chameleon paint which i thought was great because it changes in certain angles.
Overall: The company has shown to me that they are committed to the quality of their work. The tail overall, Im Super happy with, I have Zero complaints at this time and I've swam in my tail a few times. There is no drag, the tail is very well put together. Compared to my poor fishbutts tail. I am so happy with my new tail!!
video of the Unboxing:
Video of swimming:
Photos:
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