Aztron MERCURY Review | 2019

 

Paddling Performance

The Aztron MERCURY is a lot of fun on the water. Needless to say, this isn’t the fastest board and tracking could be improved by the addition of two small side fins, but it’s enjoyable to paddle and provides great stability.

If you’re just starting out or looking for an extremely affordable all-around SUP for fun days out on the water, you won’t find anything better than the MERCURY in this price range.

How to Set the Board Up

Likes and Dislikes

With the exception of the board’s dual-chamber design, the Aztron MERCURY is a fairly basic, no-frills inflatable SUP. As we’ve already discussed, having two air chambers adds valuable insurance against leaks, punctures, and blowouts, and the board feels nice and rigid under the feet.

The graphics and color scheme of this board are both very well done, and this board looks far nicer than other similarly priced iSUPs.

We also love the fact that the company includes everything you need to start paddling (more on that in a second), and the quality of the included accessories is very good.

As far as dislikes go, there’s not a whole lot to complain about — especially considering the price point of this board. First of all, we’d love to see a grab handle added to the tail of the MERCURY which would come in handy whenever pulling the board in and out of the water.

Secondly, tracking performance could be further improved with the addition of two small side fins.

Lastly, it would be really nice to see an extra year added to the company’s current 1-year warranty. With that said, offering a 1-year warranty is perfectly understandable given the fact that Aztron’s pricing is so low. At its current selling price, this board offers a tremendous amount of value.

Specs

	Length	10’10”
	Width	32″
	Thickness	6″
	Weight	24 pounds
	Max Capacity	308 pounds
	Price	Check Price

What’s Included

The Aztron MERCURY comes with a great bundle of SUP accessories. Unlike other similarly-priced boards, the MERCURY comes with everything that you need to start paddling and the quality of the accessories is surprisingly good…

Unboxing Video

Backpack

Aztron’s SUP backpack features a basic design, but the bag is functional and gets the job done. Unlike many of the bags that are included with iSUPs these days, the material on Aztron’s backpack isn’t overly thin and we feel it should hold up just fine with proper care.

The exterior of the bag is plain Jane — there are no compression straps, storage pockets, or side grab handles. At the top of the bag is a single carrying handle, and the back of the bag features lightly padded, fully adjustable backpack straps. There’s also an adjustable sternum strap which can be used to stabilize the bag when it’s on your shoulders.

This bag has two zippers and the opening is nice and wide, providing you with easy access to the bag’s interior compartment. On the inside of the bag, you’ll find a single compression strap located near the top of the bag — there are no internal pockets for organization.

While this bag is fine as-is, there are a few things that we feel would make nice improvements. First of all, we’d love to see a side grab handle (or two) added which would make it easier to handle. Secondly, the bottom of the bag lacks any type of reinforcement, so we’d beef that up with some rubber for improved durability.

Paddle

Included with the MERCURY is a nice 3-piece travel paddle. The paddle comes with a tough nylon blade that offers good rigidity, and the aluminum shaft features a nice black finish.

The overall design of this paddle is solid and very reliable. It doesn’t share the design flaw of a few of the other 3-piece travel paddles we’ve reviewed, and it’s a great paddle for getting started.

If you decide to upgrade your paddle in the future to something that is lighter and offers better performance, Aztron’s lightweight Carbon 70 paddle is well-priced and definitely worth considering…

Pump

Like Aztron’s other accessories, the included hand pump is very nice. This dual-action pump has a built-in pressure gauge as well as a unique handle design that allows it to break down into a much smaller footprint for easy packing.

To assemble the pump, simply screw the “R” handle extender onto the right side and the “L” extender onto the left side. Then, screw on the flexible inflation hose and insert the red plug. The red plug activates double action mode which adds air to your SUP on the upstrokes and downstrokes — once pumping becomes difficult, just unscrew and remove the plug to add air on only the downstrokes.

The MERCURY also works well with our favorite electric paddle board pumps, so if you’re interested in the added convenience that an electric iSUP pump can offer, it’s an investment that we highly recommend.

Leash

The included leash is also high-quality and it’s much nicer than most other bundled leashes. Aztron’s SUP leash features a coiled design with a comfortable neoprene cuff. The cuff padding has a great looking graphic on it which really sets it apart from the basic black ones that you typically see.

The velcro on this leash is also nicer than we typically find on bundled SUP leashes, and there are stainless steel swivels at both ends to prevent tangles.

Overall, we really love this leash and there’s really only one thing that we’d change about it — the leash string that normally allows you to quickly attach it to your board is permanently sewn in. Obviously, this makes it impossible to use the leash string as intended so we bypass it altogether and velcro the leash directly to the board’s D-ring.

We did reach out to the company and they indicated that they would be fixing this minor issue in the next production run.

Repair Kit

Last but not least, Aztron includes an inflatable SUP repair kit with the MERCURY. Included in the repair kit are several PVC patches, a tube of adhesive, valve wrench, and user manual.

Warranty

All of Aztron’s inflatable paddle boards are backed by a 1-year warranty which covers you in the event of a manufacturer’s defect.

Where to Buy it

The Aztron MERCURY is currently in stock and ready to ship at Amazon. In addition to their low prices and fast, free shipping, Amazon also provides outstanding customer service.

Final Thoughts

The MERCURY was our very first look at one of Aztron’s new inflatable SUPs and we’re impressed. This board is a lot of fun on the water and despite the budget price point, it has the appearance of a premium SUP. In terms of overall value, the MERCURY is tough to beat with its full bundle of accessories and dual-chamber construction. Bottom line, if you’re in the market for a fun, all-around iSUP that won’t break the bank, this new board should definitely be on your radar.

Click Here to Buy the Aztron MERCURY