Hello and welcome to my Jones Mercury bindings review.
In this review, I will take a look at the Mercury as all-mountain-freeride snowboard bindings.
As per tradition here at SnowboardingProfiles.com I will give the Mercury a score out of 100 (based on several factors) and see how they compare with other all-mountain-freeride bindings.
Overall Rating
Binding: Jones Mercury
Price: $349
Style: All-Mountain-Freeride
Flex Rating: Medium-to-Medium Stiff (5-8/10) and highback 6/10
Flex Feel on Snow: Medium-Stiff (7/10)
Rating Score: 79.3/100
Compared to other Men’s All-Mountain-Freeride Bindings
Out of the 16 men’s all-mountain-freeride bindings that I rated:
The Mercury are very similar to the NOW Drive, though certainly not exactly - they have a different footbed and highback - and slightly different ankle straps to name a few differences. And the Mercury are a little heavier than the Drive. But they have a similar feel overall.
Overview of the Mercury’s Specs
Check out the tables for the Mercury’s specs and available sizes.
Specs
Style: | All-Mountain-Freeride |
Price: | $349 |
Ability Level: |  |
Flex: |  |
Edge-to-edge: | Medium-Fast |
Weight: | Just on the Haveier side of Normal |
Mounts to: | 2 x 4 | 4 x 4 - needs a separate disc for channel mounting |
Sizing
SIZE | US BOOT SIZE | EURO BOOT SIZE | MONDO |
|---|---|---|---|
S | 5-7.5 | 36.5-40 | 23.5-25.5 |
M | 7-10.5 | 39-43.5 | 25-28.5 |
L | 10-13 | 43-47 | 28-30.5 |
Who is the Mercury Most Suited To?
The Mercury are best suited to those who like a binding that is comfortable, with good ankle support, super damp and have good response that is nice and even and smooth.
There is some lack of adjustability, but if your boot fits fine, then that's not an issue.
Not for those that like to butter but great for anyone who likes to carve and bomb, but still doesn't want something ultra-stiff.
The Mercury in More Detail
O.k. let’s take a more detailed look at what the Mercury are capable of.
Demo Info
Binding: Jones Mercury 2020, M
Date: March 21, 2019
Conditions: Sunny and with perfect visibility. Beautiful day! A little windy, but only noticed that on the lift and otherwise quite warm.
Some soft patches forming even early in the morning, with some icy patches in the shade. Very crunchy off groomer. Softened up overall as the day progressed.
Bindings angles: +15/-15
Stance width: 550mm (21.7″)
Board demoed with: Rossignol One LF 2018, 159
Baseplate Length: 25.8cm (10.16”)*
*measured on the top side of the footbed - a fair bit of angle down to underside of baseplate, which measures 24.2cm (9.53")
Highback Height: 19.3cm (7.6”)*
* from bottom of heel cup to top of highback
Height from Bottom of Baseplate to top of Highback: 27.5cm (10.83")
Weight: 920 grams (2lbs, 0.5oz)*
*for one binding, including screws and disc. The average weight of a small sample size of 26 bindings (2019 & 2020 models) I weighed, was 894 grams. The lightest was 760 grams and the heaviest was 1,000grams.
Flex
Jones rate the highback at 6/10 and overall a flex of 5-8/10. There is a flex range here because you can swap out the bushings that sit on four corners of the base plate. Using softer bushings would give a softer flex feel. I rode with the stiffer bushings and I found the flex to be around a 7/10 overall, on snow.
Responsiveness
These bindings are great for bombing and getting high on the edges. You can hold a carve nice and deep and the bindings support you very well. I wouldn't say they have a snappy response, but more of a smooth, even response.
They feel best at higher speeds vs slow speeds - not the most nimble at slower speeds.
Board Feel/Butterability
Probably the biggest downside is the lack of butterability. They are super damp and smooth bindings - but they don't work well for buttering or getting an overall board feel. The Skate Tech really helps with that smooth, damp feel, but hinder butterability.
With the softer bushings - and maybe if you changed the ankle strap to "Surf Mode" you'd probably get a bit more.
Pop/Ollie Power
There's a bit of ollie power in these bindings. But I think they would be better in this regard with a bit more board feel - and maybe a canted footbed.
Adjustability
There's not heaps you can adjust on the Mercury - not in a traditional sense of adjustability anyway. If your boot fits them well, then this isn't an issue.
Heel Cup: No
Stance Width: Can run disc vertically and horizontally
Highback Lean: Yes, tool-less
Ankle Strap Position: No
Toe Strap Position: No
Ankle and toe strap length: Tool-less
Gas pedal/toe ramp extension: No
Highback Rotation: No
Compatible with: 2 x 4 | 4 x 4 - Not compatible with channel without separate disc
So just some standard things but not much else. Would love to see an adjustable toe ramp (gas pedal).
However, there are a couple of things that do adjust that most other bindings don't do.
- You can flip the ankle strap between the left and right bindings, which changes the feel - one way it gives more ankle support and the other way allows for a bit more freedom. Jones call this Freeride mode and Surf mode.
- You can get separate bushings and they can be swapped out. This allows you to adjust the flex feel of the bindings.
Let’s Break up this text with a Video
Shock Absorption
These were perhaps the dampest bindings I've ridden. They are super damp, super cush, super shock absorbing.
Firstly: There is a great amount of padding underfoot - and that padding is not only thick but feels kind of springy. Like you're on a cloud.
Secondly: NOW's kingpin Skate Tech does a great job at absorbing crud, bumps, chatter you name it. This also helps in giving the Mercury a really damp, smooth feel when you're riding, and on landings from jumps.
The combination of these two things made these bindings ultra damp - I would say the most damp I've ridden and if I could give them more than 5/5 I would.
Entry/Exit
Ratchets are smooth enough. Not the smoothest I've tried but they don't need to be any smoother than this. So very functional and no issues.
Comfort
Overall very comfortable bindings.
Ankle Strap: No issues, didn't notice it at all when riding. Didn't feel like it was space aged, but no pressure points and not noticing the ankle strap on a binding is a good thing.
Toe Strap: Felt secure and comfortable.
Canted Footbed: No
Padded Footbed: Good amount of padding - and a nice springy feel to them. As mentioned above, probably the dampest cushest bindings I've ridden.
Highback: Some padding there - and didn't notice any pressure points or calf bite or anything like that.
Ankle Support
The ankle support is really good. I rode in "Freeride Mode" which does provide the most support. So would be a little looser feeling in "Surf Mode" I would imagine.
Price/Value for Money
A little less pricey than other bindings in this category, so if money is a factor but you still want a reasonable amount of stiffness - and good quality, then that's another plus.
Score Breakdown and Final Verdict
Check out the breakdown of the score in the table below.
RATING | SCORE WEIGHTING | |
|---|---|---|
RESPONSE | 4.0 | 24/30 |
BOARD FEEL | 2.5 | 7.5/15 |
ADJUSTABILITY | 3.0 | 9/15 |
ANKLE SUPPORT | 4.0 | 12/15 |
SHOCK ABSORPTION | 5.0 | 10/10 |
COMFORT | 4.0 | 8/10 |
ENTRY/EXIT | 4.0 | 4/5 |
TOTAL after normalizing | 79.3/100 |
Whilst they score below the average overall, they have some really good qualities.
If butterability isn't a big thing for you and your boots fit fine and the bindings fit your board, then these suddenly become top of the line, with good comfort, response and ankle support and awesome shock absorption - all for a really reasonable price for bindings in this category.
And overall they feel like really good quality bindings made of quality materials.
More Info, Current Prices and Where to Buy Online
If you want to learn more about the Mercury, or if you are ready to buy, or if you just want to research prices and availability, check out the links below.
- US
- UK/EUROPE
If you want to check out some other all-mountain-freeride binding options, or if you want to compare how the Mercury compares to other all-mountain-freeride bindings, then check out the next link.
Thanks for the review. Just bought a Jones Frontier 164W, and now looking for some suitable bindings. I am an intermediate rider, that mostly does groomers and occasional powder. Without an option to test I will have to buy the bindings based on yours and others advice ;-).
Looking at Union Atlas, Union Force, Burton Cartels, and the Jones Mercury.
Is adjustability crucial (=Union/Burton) or could the Mercuries work with my size 12 boot…
Any advice appreciated
Thanks again!
Hi Daniel
Thanks for your message.
I would say all of those bindings would be a good match for the Frontier.
I personally like to have the adjustability, particularly if you can’t try them on. You will certainly fit in the size L Mercury. Should be no issues there, and will certainly fit on the board no problems, I would say (i.e. won’t overhang the edges of the board or anything). I think the biggest thing is going to be stance width/binding centering. Both could work out fine, but it’s hard to say, so it depends on how fussy you want to be there. e.g. if you have to run your discs horizontally to get good centering of your boots (i.e. relatively even toe and heel overhang), then that reduces your stance width options. There’s not adjustable heel cup, like you would get with something like the Union Atlas/Union Force. If you’re boot centering is fine running the disc horizontally, then you get more stance width options, and it’s all good. So, if you’re not that fussy on stance width and/or boot centering (i.e. you can live with one or the other not being right where you want it), then you should be good.
So, they def won’t be un-useable, it just depends on how much you want to be able to dial them in. In some cases it won’t be an issue, but it’s hard to say with your exact situation, without having the board and bindings in front of me.
Hope this helps
Thanks for the advice !
Board arrived today and I will probably go for the Mercury bindings because I found a good deal on the 2019/2020 version. I have not been fussy in the past and never played with my stance as such (but reading all the reviews it sounds like I should be more fussy!).
1. It would be good to know if an adjustable gaspedal and/or heel cup is noticeable in terms of comfort or if it is merely a means of centering the binding without using the baseplate.
2. Anywhere I can find out the exact dimensions of the footbeds?
Thanks for the help and a great site!
Hi Daniel
1. I’ve never noticed an adjustable gas pedal or heel cup effecting comfort at all. So that’s not a factor, IMO. The adjustable heel cup is really only helping centering boots, but it does make centering them a lot easier. The adjustable gas pedal can help with boot centering too – but it can also help with leverage – getting the front of binding closer to the edge of the board. Again, in some cases that’s not needed, but it’s a nice-to-have, in case it’s needed.
2. The dimensions of the footbeds is something that’s never published by brands unfortunately. I did ride the 2021 Jones Apollo in a large, which had a footbed length of 26cm, so not that much longer than the Medium Mercury. I would imagine the Large Mercury would be longer than that, but hard to say exactly how long. I haven’t ridden too many bindings in two different sizes, but the ones I have, the difference between medium and large, has typically been roughly 1cm. But that’s based off very few comparisons.
Thanks again for a very concise answer Nate!
I guess I will just have to go for it ;-). I assume all these different characteristics (flex medium or medium to stiff, and response etc) are marginal and that any advanced rider can handle most bindings i.e. for my level (intermediate) I will probably be happy with anything in this approximate class (medium stiff, responsive, damp,…)
Final question (I promise): Which binding would you recommend to me as an intermediate+ rider with the Frontier 164W for groomers and pow ?
Hi Daniel
Yeah I would say any advanced rider can handle most bindings, but there are some that are more suitable to what they want to do than others. But yeah, for your style of riding and for the Frontier, I think something in that medium to medium stiff range – around 6/10 – 7/10 ideally, would work well.
As intermediate plus rider, I think that flex range works too. I wouldn’t go stiffer than 7/10 flex though. I wouldn’t even recommend going as stiff as 7 for a low intermediate rider, but it sounds like you should be fine with that kind of flex.
Personally I would go Atlas or Cartel – just because I find they have better board feel and that’s something that I like to have – and they’re all round good bindings too. But the Mercury does have good response, is comfortable and they’re the most damp option. So certainly if you’re looking for damp, they’ve got you covered more than a majority of bindings on the market, IMO. And if you’re not really riding any freestyle, then board feel/butterability isn’t as big a deal.