Hello and welcome to my Jones Mercury bindings review.
In this review I will take a look at the Mercury as all-mountain 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 bindings.
Overall Rating
Bindings: Jones Mercury
Price: $379 (USD recommended retail)
Style: All-mountain/Aggressive All-Mountain/Freeride
Flex Rating: Medium-Stiff (7/10)
Flex Feel: Medium-Stiff (7/10)
Rating Score: 88.2/100
Compared to other Men’s All-Mountain Bindings
Of the 30 current model all-mountain bindings that we tested:
❄️ The Mercury ranked 3rd out of 30
Overview of the Mercury’s Specs
Check out the tables for the Mercury’s specs and available sizes.
Specs
STYLE:
All-mountain/Aggressive All-Mountain/Freeride
PRICE:
$379 - BUYING OPTIONS
Ability Level:
flex:
weight:
Felt normal
Mounts to:
2x4 | 4x4 | Channel
Sizing
SIZE | US BOOT SIZE | EURO BOOT SIZE | UK BOOT SIZE |
|---|---|---|---|
S | 5-7 | 36.5-39.5 | 4-6 |
M | 7.5-10 | 40-43 | 6.5-9 |
L | 10.5+ | 43.5+ | 9.5+ |
Who are the Mercury Most Suited To?
The Mercury are best suited to riders looking for bindings that are stiffer than medium, but not by much - but give sick carving performance that you would expect from stiffer bindings, but that are still good for slow speed turning. These are the bindings who value carving/turning above all else.
Even better suited if you value shock/chatter absorption. These, along with some other Jones/YES bindings, are the best in the business, in my experience, for shock absorption.
Not for beginners - too stiff for that - and most lower end intermediate riders are likely to not be well suited either. But good for all other abilities, solid intermediate and up.
Best matched to boards in the 5/10 to 8/10 flex range and even better for the 6/10 to 7/10 flex range, IMO.
Test/review details for the Mercury
O.k. let’s take a more detailed look at what the Mercury are capable of.
Demo Info
Binding: Jones Mercury 2025, M
Date: February 14, 2024
Responsiveness
I could definitely feel the extra power from the Mercury compared to my control bindings, right from the first turn. To a point that it made my board feel a little twitchy - which wouldn't normally be the case with bindings of this overall flex feel, but it really felt like these did an especially good job of being efficient with transferring energy from the bindings to the edge of the board.
It wasn't so twitchy that I couldn't adjust and get used to that extra power, but it was initially quite surprising.
Once I was able to make the adjustment and tame that power, it really helped with being able to swap edges quickly, even at slower speeds. It wasn't effortless, you still had to put the energy in, but you got full reward, with how well they transferred that energy.
Vs my control bindings they did a better job at getting the board to lock into a carve and with stability on a carve at speed. And just as good for slow speed turning. Still overall favors carving/high speed over slow speed, but just really good turning/carving bindings overall.
Board Feel/Butterability
The board feel as better than I remember it from the last time I tested these. It's still nothing up there with some, but it's fairly decent. A little harder to tweak, initiate ollies and press with vs my control bindings.
Pop/Ollie Power
While they were a little harder to initiate ollies/pop, they had a little more overall power. Not by much - and I seldomly notice any difference from bindings for this, but in this case, I did feel a subtle bit more power there.
Adjustability
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 | Channel *
* previously you had to get a separate disc to mount to the channel, but now their disc comes compatible as standard.
There are a couple of things that you can adjust on the Mercury that most other (non-Jones/YES) 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.
Shock Absorption
As is typical of Jones bindings, they are next level! Absorbed shock and chatter so well! Made things noticeably damper in rougher snow and noticeably reduced chatter at speed.
Entry/Exit
Both the ankle and toe straps have hinges on them, so you can open them right out and get your foot in without the straps getting in the way. I really like this feature and like that they have it on both the ankle and toe straps.
The ratchets are fairly smooth and no problems ratcheting them down or releasing them.
Comfort
Really nice and comfortable overall.
Ankle Strap: They felt good and conformed well to my feet. Definitely preferred these ankle straps to the last time I tested these bindings.
Toe Strap: Toe straps also conformed well and no pressure points.
Canted Footbed: Yes - this has been added since I last rode the Mercury.
Padded Footbed: See shock absorption section. Top tier shock absorption, which really helps with comfort too.
Highback: No calf bite or any other pressure points from highback.
Ankle Support
The ankle support felt good. I had these in "freeride mode" (see above adjustability for what that means), so they were in the position that gives more ankle support. I didn't have the time to also test them in freestyle mode - but naturally they would have a bit less ankle support there. From other Jones bindings that I've tested in freestyle mode, I would say it makes a noticeable, but not gigantic difference.
Mounting
Nice and easy to mount the Mercury overall.
The washers for the mounting screws are attached to screws which makes things a bit cleaner/easier. Easy to see angle markings. Only thing is that if you run the disc horizontal, you have to work out the angle as they don't show numbers but it's pretty easy (always in 3 degree increments), especially as they mark the 15 and zero more obviously.Score Breakdown and Final Verdict
Check out the breakdown of the score in the table below.
| Factor | Rating (/5) | Weighted |
|---|---|---|
| Carving | 4.5 | 18/20 |
| Slow Speed Response | 4 | 16/20 |
| Board Feel | 3.5 | 10.5/15 |
| Shock Absorption | 5 | 10/10 |
| Adjustability | 3 | 6/10 |
| Comfort | 4.5 | 9/10 |
| Ankle Support | 4 | 8/10 |
| Entry/Exit | 4.5 | 4.5/5 |
| TOTAL (after normalizing): | 88.2/100 |
Jones' Mercury bindings have evolved over the years. Subtle changes that have all added up and contributed to producing a really nice pair of bindings, that particularly excel for carving/turning.
While their board feel still isn't their strongest point, that has improved, as has the comfort and ease of entry/exit.
What hasn't improved is their shock absorption - but only because that would be hard to improve on when its already up there with the best in the industry.
More Info, Current Prices and Where to Buy Online
If you want to learn more about the Mercury, are ready to buy or want to research prices and availability, check out the links below.
If you want to see how the Mercury compares to other men’s all-mountain bindings or want to check out some other options in that category, check out the next link.
Hi, I want to buy the jones mountain twin with the jones meteorite or burton cartel.. My weight is 158 to 5,84 height and my size in boots is 10,5 . I be read that the medium size in bindings is 10,5 . So it’s right to take the medium or to think about the large.. i m close to burton ion boots
Hi manganas
Thanks for your message.
For both the Jones Meteorite and the Burton Cartel you could go either Medium or Large. But for the Meteorite I would go Medium. The main reason is that Jones bindings typically have quite a long base plate even in the medium. If you went to large it could end being too long for the board (assuming you’re getting a regular width Mountain Twin). It might be OK, but there’s some risk there. And you shouldn’t have any issues with getting 10.5s, particularly if you go with something like Burton, into the Medium Jones bindings (note that I haven’t measured the Meteorite specifically, so this is just guessing based on other Jones and NOW bindings I’ve measured).
With the Cartel’s again you could go M or L. There’s not really a bad choice there. The advantage of going L is that you’d get a little more leverage on the edges of the board – and Burton bindings don’t tend to be super long in the base plate, so shouldn’t be too big for the board or anything. The advantage of going M is a potentially snugger fit in the bindings. But I’d say your boot to binding fit should still be good in the L, given you’re getting 10.5s.
Hope this helps
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.