ABOUT MY BRAVEEER MERMAID TAIL
I bought a silicone mermaid tail from Braveeer (iambraveeer on Instagram) earlier this year and I wanted to take the time to talk about my new tail and my thoughts on this tail. To begin, I think I should be very clear with you and let you know that I do help sell tails for the Braveeer brand as an affiliate, so I do benefit when you buy one of their tails. AND I do own a total of 4 of their tails at the moment. HOWEVER. I’m going to give you an honest review of this product because I don’t want you buying something that isn’t right for you (even if I make money off of it). I’d also like to let you the details of the scales and fluke that were used for my tail along with information about the various monofins I’ve tried in the fluke of this tail.
Shall we begin?
DETAILS ABOUT MY BRAVEEER SILICONE TAIL
As mentioned earlier, I currently own four silicone tails from the Braveeer company. I own two mermaid tails with the Xiaohan fluke (which you can see in this video), one tail that is still a secret, and my brand new black tail that was made to be a new tail for my Mermaid Shadow character. Here are the basic details about my new black silicone mermaid tail.
FLUKE TYPE: XiaoShuangJiang EX (open fluke)
SCALE TYPE: Crown (with red glitter outlines)
MATERIAL TYPE: Food-Grade Silicone
COLORS: Black (no glitter) and Red (glitter embedded)
BEST MONOFIN TO USE: Mahina (the Fin Fun Oasis also works, but doesn’t provide enough propulsion)
EXTRA DETAILS: Features extra color details, which were hand painted by me (silicone mermaid tail painting tutorial coming soon)
USED FOR: My original character, Mermaid Shadow
WEBSITE: Braveeer.com (please tell them The Magic Crafter sent you. I’m an affiliate, so if I helped you decide to place an order with them, I’d appreciate you letting them know so that I can earn a commission from the sale. Thanks for your support!
(You can email me at Shadow@MermaidTravelTails.com if you have questions about ordering a tail from them.)
REVIEWING MY BRAVEEER SILICONE MERMAID TAIL
Although I have only recently featured this tail on my YouTube Channel, I have owned it since the beginning of the 2024 summer season and have been able to take it on quite a few swims. Therefore, I’ve had the chance to test it out pretty thoroughly. Lets dive into the details, shall we?
WHAT I LIKE ABOUT THIS TAIL:
THE THICKNESS: The Crown Scales and XiaoShuangJiang EX Fluke are both thick and textured. While this does add a little extra weight to the tail, it also makes it more realistic looking and more 3D than some of the other tail designs that Braveeer offers. The texture and feel of the XioaShuangJiang EX fluke rivals that of a regular silicone mermaid tail and is much more realistic looking than the XiaoHan fluke design, as the outline of the monofin cannot be seen through the silicone. The thick scale design helps hide the outline of your legs a little better than the Scallop or Dragon scales, which is really nice. Plus… they look fancy!
THE FLUKE: While the fluke of my tail is open at the end, the thickness of the fluke and the snake-tongue shape of the fluke somehow seem to make the opening of the tail less evident when compared to my tails with the XiaoHan fluke design. While the fluke will still open if you hoist the tail over your head, it stays shut netter on dry land and I would certainly feel comfortable using it for both dry land and water gigs. Unlike my tails with the XiaoHan fluke design, the inside portion of the XiaoShuangJiang EX fluke does match the color on the outside of the tail, so there is no awkward white edge visible when wearing the tail.
PORTABILITY: Although the tail isn’t as light as my XiaoHan tails, it is less than 20lbs and is definitely travel-friendly. Because I chose the open-fluke option, I can remove my monofin, roll up my silicone mermaid tail and pack it into carryon luggage easily. Mermaid Shadow was meant to be my traveling mermaid character, so this is a major plus! Here’s a tutorial for packing your silicone mermaid tail, if you’re interested!
THE PRICE: This tail is less expensive than most hand-made silicone mermaid tails, so that is also a plus. Of course, handmade dragon skin silicone mermaid tails are completely different products than factory made food-grade silicone mermaid tails, but still. It is nice to have a cheaper option… especially when you have to buy a second tail for a mermaid character because the first one wasn’t made super well, was falling apart straight out of the box and isn’t very safe to use… yikes! So I’m grateful that this one was a fraction of the price!
WHAT I DON’T LIKE ABOUT THIS TAIL:
THE GLUE: The glue along the seams of the tail is a slightly transparent milky-white color… which does not blend into the black color of my tail’s base very well. If you opt for a lighter colored tail, this probably won’t be a problem. I really didn’t notice the glue on any of my other tails (one of them was also black), so I find it odd that this specific design is so grossly glued. It doesn’t impact the look of the tail much, since it is mostly noticeable upon close inspection, but I don’t love it. If any kids notice it, I think I’ll tell them it is a mucous secretion or a sign of mermaid dehydration. :)
THE THICKNESS: It can take a while to get into. My other Braveeer silicone mermaid tails are also a little tricky to get into if I don’t use enough Astroglide lube, but this one is tricky for a very specific reason… My massive side fins are reinforced by extra scales, which makes my tail extra, extra thick. And this makes the tail more difficult to roll down and roll up. Please keep in mind that this may not impact you or your tail design. This is only a problem because I chose a very fin-ful look. lol
THE PROPULSION: If you don’t use the right monofin with this tail, it can make swimming difficult. The first few times I took it out, I struggled to use it. The first time was because I was using a Fin Fin Oasis monofin, which didn’t provide enough propulsion, and the other two times were because I was swimming in very shallow water (our lake levels plummeted this year). When I used the Mahina monofin inside of the fluke and wore the tail in deeper water (where I couldn’t stick to the sand) I no longer had any issues.
MY FUNNY BRAIN: This tail design seems mildly cursed. Every time I wear it, something bad happens in my personal life or in the world. But then again, the same thing happens when I wear my other silicone tail for my Mermaid Shadow character, so perhaps she’s just a cursed character! 👀
Overall, I am very pleased with this tail and am thankful to have a safe and portable mermaid tail to use for my Mermaid Shadow character while I wait for a new handmade one to be created for a more customized look. Stay tuned to find out who the next tailmaker will be!
Any guesses?
AFFILIATE DISCLOSURE: The Magic Crafter is an affiliate of Braveeer If you choose to order a silicone mermaid tail from Braveeer.com and let them know that The Magic Crafter helped you find their products upon placing your order, I may earn compensation at no extra cost to you if your order qualifies. Thank you for your support!