Long overdue review! In 2012 I'd been saving for years to get a silicone tail, and even though Raven had only started making tails for the public for a few months, I knew I HAD to have one of her tails! I waited patiently (okay, maybe not so much!) for her Facebook to announce an open slot.
When she announced an open spot, I sent in my email (in early November) and got a reply the next day! We sorted out the details (fins, fluke shape, scales, colors, ect). I am TERRIBLE with colors, so I didn't have a design for her. I just let her know what colors I wanted (sent her a few example pics) and what coloring techniques of hers I liked and let her run with it! And thus began the wait!

Originally she said 60-90 days, but it was in the middle of them shifting production time to longer. Part of that had to do with the order being completed over the winter and spring, and we all know cold weather in the winter and crazy rain in the spring delays curing times and whatnot. I believe it was the first winter of her doing tails, so delays happen and I understood that. I did let her know that I needed the tail for a big event in July, and would like it a month ahead of time if possible to have time to practice in it. It was SO HARD to wait the extra time, but I knew the wait would be worth it!
She kept in contact, emailing me every few months, and in May she sent me photos to approve colors. We had a bit of back and forth with the colors, and she did a few changes to get them where I wanted them. She let me know she was putting on the extra fins after the colors were tweaked, so a few weeks after that I paid the invoice for shipping and she shipped out my tail!

It arrived on June 5th (day 193, from payment until delivery) undamaged, a month before my big gig, just as I'd asked! It was GORGEOUS!

You can see my astonishment and awe in my unboxing video here:



I went swimming right after I got the tail and it was AMAZING! I didn't have lube for the first time putting it on (back then people just advised water was fine) but even with just that it only took me about 4 minutes to get it on.
You can see me putting it on for the first time and swimming in it for the first time here:


I got a lovely scale heart and was gifted a bracer, which are both lovely and I love wearing the bracer with my tail or even just for every day wear to show my mermaid side :)

The only flaw was that the tail was a bit too short- really just in the back. But honestly there was a bit of a miscommunication with the measuring chart and where was advisable to measure for the best fit. I measured just above my belly button instead of my natural waist, and I should have measured higher. For some people their natural waist is at/right above their belly button, and mine is a few inches above, so that's where that miscommunication came from. She revised her measuring chart after to clarify that though, so I don't think it would be an issue with other clients.
Also, honestly my butt is rather round, and it tends to pull things down lower than it should be. If I lube my bathing suit bottoms up well it comes up high enough, but I do think I'll send it in to get one of her gorgeous blended waists added on!

Also Finis doesn't make competitor monofins small enough for my tiny feet, but if I wear 2 pairs of neoprene booties it fits very well! That obviously wasn't Raven's fault, and I'd much rather wear the booties and have the competitor than have the tail without it and have it fit my feet better naturally. Other than that it fit perfectly, and swims like a DREAM!

I love the competitor in this tail! There are no visible ridges and the outline of the fin is not visible. Even when it's strongly backlit, you can't see the outline of the fin through the silicone (which can be an issue with other tails). It makes it easier to get it up over my head for photos, easier to lift it out of the water, and gives strong propulsion through the water. The fluke is SOLID- after the foot pockets end, it's completely sealed down. Which is great for not getting water all in the fluke, and avoiding any moldy fluke issues. I don't know any other tailmaker that their fluke is completely solid like that. It's enough that I can actually do a handstand in my tail in pools! Also it's stiff but it still has a realistic flop/flow in the water and when I am flipping it on dry land as well. If you want to see it in action, check out the videos on my youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/MermaidIona

I've now had this tail for over 2 years, and it's held up amazingly!! No paint has come off at all, no peeling, no major issues. The only things i've had to deal with is the odd hole here and there (twice via fingernail, I now chop mine off before I swim in it) and once via a thumbtack wedged in a pool wall (don't know who did that but it looked very deliberate- and it went right in my knee- OUCH!) Also during a move, someone mishandled my tail and one of my heel fins tore right off!! Luckily Raven advised me how to make repairs easily, and the fin has been solid since! The other fins haven't had rips, they're solidly on there!
From what she said in her emails I believe my tail was the 2nd one to ever get the heel fins, and that being said they've held up better than I expected!

Also due to illness, I gained weight over the past year- but the silicone still stretches just fine to accommodate that, which I am very happy about!


This tail was 100% worth the 4+ years I spent saving for it, and the wait time! It's so gorgeous and realistic, it swims beautifully and amazingly, and has held up superbly- the craftsmanship is fantastic! I've swam in deep pools, shallow pools, a tank, an aquarium, public fountains, the ocean, lakes, had it on dry land inside and outside, put it through beach and rock photo shoots and it's never let me down.

I dubbed my tail "Ruto" because she's my swimming water princess, and I'm so thankful to Raven for making my dream come true!