BINDINGS

[ninja_nate]

Now Drives or Jones Mercury?

Not sure if the better straps on Jones justify the $50 price difference?

FWIW I wouldn't be swapping straps until end of season or potentially next season so I'd ride them as for most of the winter.

I'm coming from the 2019 Union Atlas.

[kimchi]

Now Drives or Jones Mercury?

Not sure if the better straps on Jones justify the $50 price difference?

FWIW I wouldn't be swapping straps until end of season or potentially next season so I'd ride them as for most of the winter.

I'm coming from the 2019 Union Atlas.

Owned both. Hanger 2.0 Drives from ~2019, Hanger 3.0 Mercury from 2022.

Keep in mind NOW updated the Drive pretty dramatically for 2024... new highback, new strap, and back to Hanger 2.0 after switching to H3.0 just for 2023. The new Drive Pro is H3.0. So I can only speak to the older Drive.

They ride very differently if you keep the stock straps. The old Hyperfuse Drive strap is VERY stiff and has zero flex. The Mercury strap is a lot softer but still has healthy support. I personally hate the stock Drive strap, but I know at least one guy who strongly prefers the Drive strap.

If you're looking at the 2022 or 2023, they're pretty darn similar other than the straps. Just from looking at them and hand flexing I can tell you the Drive highback is a little taller and a bit torsionally stiffer, but with identical straps on an H3.0 baseplate, I don't know if I could tell the difference in a blind ride test.

[Vanni]

For 2024 bindings, I would go with H3.0 binding, so the Mercury or the Drive Pro.
If you find a 2023 Drive for a good price, it still has H3.0 baseplate, and you can upgrade the straps with the money you are saving.

[kimchi]

For Hanger 2.0 vs H3, keep in mind boot fit and relative board widths.

Hanger 3 is a little roomier in the heelcup and the baseplate contacts the board more out wards each edge. I'm only in a size 10 boot, upper end of a medium boot size range, and and most my boards in the 260-270 mm waist range... so larger footprint all-around is good for me. When I put H3 bindings on ~254mm ww, I had to be more careful to avoid baseplate overhang.

[Yeti]

I ride 2023 Drives and Apollos. My friend has the Mercury.

The Drives have better highbacks (stiffer and you can set it with less forward lean as it is shorter).
The Mercury has better straps.
The footbed on the Drives is stiffer foam (like Apollo) and is imo better.

[eleveneightnate]

I rarely see people considering the Select Pros… Hanger 3, includes all bushing options, high cups, etc. The highback is tweakable toward the top but still decently stiff toward the bottom and (if I remember right) has the least amount of forward lean in the lineup. I get plenty of response out of them and think they get slept on a lot.

[G.D.]

Got a pair at end of last season, hopeful about them.

Hoping for a good balance of great response but tweak-friendly .

[ninja_nate]

I rarely see people considering the Select Pros… Hanger 3, includes all bushing options, high cups, etc. The highback is tweakable toward the top but still decently stiff toward the bottom and (if I remember right) has the least amount of forward lean in the lineup. I get plenty of response out of them and think they get slept on a lot.

I wish I would've seen this before I got the Mercurys!! My only concern is the softer high back - I tried the Union Strata's and the high back was too soft for me. With Now potentially rebranding, I may try to snag a pair of Select Pros still just to compare to the Jones / have a more freestyle focused binding.

[eleveneightnate]

I rarely see people considering the Select Pros… Hanger 3, includes all bushing options, high cups, etc. The highback is tweakable toward the top but still decently stiff toward the bottom and (if I remember right) has the least amount of forward lean in the lineup. I get plenty of response out of them and think they get slept on a lot.

I wish I would've seen this before I got the Mercury's!! My only concern is the softer high back - I tried the Union Strata's and the high back was too soft for me. With Now potentially rebranding, I may try to snag a pair of Select Pros still just to compare to the Jones / have a more freestyle focused binding.

Love mine! They have the lateral flex I want out of an all mountain freestyle binding, but still maintain that NOW heel/toe response. They’re a solid all around binding for me, but I lean more freestyle/fuck around the whole mountain than freeride like a lot of the NOW guys here.

[eleveneightnate]

Kinda interested in the new '24 K2 bindings. They have that minimal, solid chassis, and overly cushioned footbed thing going on that I typically like:

https://k2snow.com/en-us/p/program-mens ... dings-2024
https://k2snow.com/en-us/p/edition-mens ... dings-2024
https://k2snow.com/en-us/p/bond-mens-sn ... nding-2024