Sole Fitness E35 Elliptical Machine (New 2013 Model) Review
| Product Code | B0090X08JG |
| Product Rating |  |
| Price | $1,299.99 |
| Where To Buy | See More Details |
| Customer Review | See More Reviews |
Product Details
- Amazon Sales Rank: #14111 in Sports & Outdoors
- Size: 27 x 83-Inch
- Brand: Sole
- Model: E35-2013
- Released on: 2012-08-21
Features
- Elliptical machine provides challenging cardio workout, supported by blue, backlit LDC display that helps you track essential training data
- Adjustable pedals and console and power adjustable stride and incline; 20-to-22-inch maximum stride length; six standard programs, two custom programs, and two heart rate programs
- Pulse grip and chest strap heart rate monitoring; LCD console with 7.5-inch display; front drive system with bBuilt-in fan and 15-inch pedals; includes sound system and water bottle holder
- Measures 27 by 58 by 83 inches (W x H x D), with 215-pound weight and 375-pound weight limit
- Includes the following manufacturer's warranties against defects in materials and workmanship: lifetime on frame; five years on electronics and parts; and two years on labor
- Elliptical machine provides challenging cardio workout, supported by blue, backlit LDC display that helps you track essential training data
- Adjustable pedals and console and power adjustable stride and incline; 20-to-22-inch maximum stride length; six standard programs, two custom programs, and two heart rate programs
- Pulse grip and chest strap heart rate monitoring; LCD console with 7.5-inch display; front drive system with bBuilt-in fan and 15-inch pedals; includes sound system and water bottle holder
- Measures 27 by 58 by 83 inches (W x H x D), with 215-pound weight and 375-pound weight limit
- Includes the following manufacturer's warranties against defects in materials and workmanship: lifetime on frame; five years on electronics and parts; and two years on labor
Product Description
The gym size E35 features a fluid natural motion provided by a whisper quiet drive system that functions in both forward and reverse motion. The combination of a 25 lb flywheel and high gear ration means an extremely smooth feel with 20 levels of resistance that will provide a challenging workout. The moving handlebars are adjustable for comfort and the stationary handle bars have pulse sensors for monitoring your heart rate. Oversize foot pedals that Sole engineers have designed with a 2 degree inward cant reduce ankle and knee stress. The footbeds also articulate for optimal user comfort and performance. The easy to use console features an LCD display, cooling fans and built in speakers for any MP3 player, iPod, etc. for easy listening.
Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews
35 of 38 people found the following review helpful.
Not well designed and poor customer support
By D. Schmid
I really wanted to like this machine. I have a Sole treadmill and like it a lot. I also went with the E35 as it has a 20" stride length, a heavier flywheel and just seemed more solid than some of the others.Like the F80 treadmill, the basic construction seemed solid but the plastic covers seem to have been designed by someone's idiot cousin. Their design is not good and in some instances it makes more sense to leave them off than to install them.My major gripe with this machine, though, is that it exhibits vertical movement at its back end when you are involved in a serious workout (anything over 70 RPM, especially with some elevation and resistance). This is accompanied by an audible "thump, thump, thump". I would guess you can see up to 1/4" of vertical movement and a fair degree of lateral movement on the mid section and display. At first, I thought this could be due to the floor being slightly out of flat. Thus, I milled a precision 4"x4" wooden shim (of appropriate thickness) for each of the six feet that put the relative floor level and flat within 1/64" - this did not help the problem at all. The only fix I have been able to come up with is to stack a couple of 45lb. weights on the back end of the machine. This more or less solves the movement issue but there is still some odd chirpy noise associated with a heavy workout. All mechanical connections are well-torqued and the machine is only a couple of weeks old.Perhaps most disappointing, I emailed Sole six days ago with a detailed listing of my concerns and there has been no response from them. I am considering returning the machine but really don't look forward to the hassle of getting it back into a box for return freight (it took several hours to put together). I regret purchasing this machine.
34 of 38 people found the following review helpful.
Very solid, comfortable and quiet.
By Timothy D. Stevenson
I bought this elliptical at a local shop on sale yesterday, picked it up in a truck and assembled and used it all in the same night.First of all, this box is crazy heavy. It's going to take 2-3 strong people to maneuver it anywhere. My plan was to disassemble the box in the first room and take the pieces into the basement where I would assemble the unit completely. All parts in the box were easy for one person to move except for the flywheel and attached legs. The bulkiness and weight make it almost impossible to remove from the box unless you break it down. I ended up calling a friend over where it took 3 of us to move the bulky piece.From there it took 3.5 hours to assemble fully by myself. My first suggestion is to only open one "section" of nuts and bolts at a time and organize and count them using the reference chart. Doing this made me realize that one of the washers had accidentally slipped into another section and saved me a ton of time trying to locate it. Also, the screwdriver and wrenches included were decent but if you have access to a nice set of socket wrenches, it is going to save you a lot of time cranking down on some of the heavier bolts and also allow you to get better torque on the critical areas of the device which can lead to noises if not tightened properly. The build construction of the pieces seemed to be very good. Everything fit perfectly and the build went without problem.Before you put all the plastic trim pieces on (which cover a lot of the bolted joints) test drive the elliptical for a while. If you hear any knocks, go back to the areas where the arms are bolted together and torque them down more. This eliminated a small knock for me. You may hear a squeak in the back area but that means you need to apply some of the supplied lube to the metal rails where the rubber wheels roll along. After doing this, the machine was near silent.I am 6'1" and the ceiling in my basement is shy of 7.5' (~90"). I would say at my height and ceiling height this is the absolute minimum you want. My head nearly touches my rafters of my unfinished ceiling while standing on it on the lowest incline. I had to move the machine parallel to the rafters so that my head would be positioned between them. It's a little tight but doable. You are going to ideally want an 8 foot (finished) ceiling if you are pushing 6'.No complaints at all with the operation of the elliptical. I did a 20 minute session on lowest resistance and experience no discomfort in the knees or ankles. Holding onto the upper arms while riding seems to cause you to lean a little too far forward so I tend to grip a little lower.There is a nice little ledge built into the display which is perfect for fitting an iPad and built in speakers that can be utilized.I will update this review in the future as it gets more use.
18 of 19 people found the following review helpful.The middle ground between home use and commercial
By Trufflehunter
I did a lot of research on elliptical machines before buying the 2013 Sole E35. With exercise equipment, there tend to be two price tiers - home use and commercial. Commercial elliptical machines can cost $2,000-$5,000 or more and are designed to withstand regular abuse. The home use products are usually made as cheaply as possible, with the goal being to entice the customer with low prices to purchase something they will use just a couple of times. However, I wanted a machine that would be sturdy, stable, smooth, and enjoyable to use, but didn't want to pay commercial prices. After reading numerous reviews on the internet, trying some machines in department stores (including the E35), and hearing positive reviews of Sole as a company, I settled on the Sole E35.Shipping: We ordered directly from Sole by calling them (go to their website). You can mention that you have heard about people getting discounted prices down to 1100 dollars, and they should match this. Sole shipped via ABF, which did a great job. They called me when they were 20 minutes away so I could come home from work and sign for the package. The box arrived in good condition, with nothing dented, broken, ripped, etc. The box is enormous and weighs somewhere in the neighborhood of 300 lbs., so I would recommend getting someone to help you move it to the desired location.Assembly: It's a bear. I did it alone over the course of about 8 hours, but I went pretty slow. The large drive part of the machine is super awkward to move, so you will need another person (or in my case, some creativity and ignorance of healthy lifting mechanics) to get it into position. The instructions are okay, but you basically get 4 figures to show quite a lot of steps. Also there are several Left / Right pieces that could have been marked with a sticker or something, but it's left to the consumer to figure it out. Not a big deal, just something they could have done a little better.Getting it to work and troubleshooting: So the first time I go to turn it on, nothing happens. I'm flipping the switch on the base of the machine and the screen doesn't turn on, nothing lights up, etc. Turns out that the large socketed plug for the console had come loose during assembly. Once I fixed that, it turned on just fine.Squeaking: I used the machine a little before it was fully assembled, and nothing squeaked. Then after I had put all the plastic covers on in the final step, it started squeaking rather loudly with each stride. To fix it, the instruction book tells you to wipe off the rails and wheels with rubbing alcohol and a lint-free cloth. I did this very thoroughly and then added a little of the supplied lube with a paper towel all over the rails. Instantly the squeak was gone. We have put a couple hours of use on the machine since then and the squeak has not returned.Using the elliptical:+ Overall it feels pretty solid, smooth, stable. The stride length feels pretty good and the motion rather natural. The machine can rock a little side to side if I'm being aggressive, but it might be due to my uneven concrete floor. I will try to put some shims underneath and see if that helps. Also I wonder if a mat would help.+ The user interface is nicely designed, with buttons on the arms to adjust incline or resistance level.+ The range of incline and resistance is nice (both go to 20). On 5 incline and 5 resistance, I feel I get a pretty good work out. It's nice that you can adjust both while using the machine.+ I like the handle bar design. It gives you the flexibility to change your grip between palms facing in, palms facing down, and a further out palms facing-in grip.- There is an assembly step that requires you to use a long twist tie (supplied) to fish a cable through the mast. I mistakenly removed the twist tie before this step, thinking it was packaging. Thankfully I was able to re-fish the twist tie and get the cable through the mast. However, Sole could have just installed a socketed cable here and eliminated the need to fish the cable.- The fan is pretty much worthless. It's either on or off and moves very little air. Oh well.- The built-in speakers may be the worst speakers I've ever heard. Seriously. Everything but the treble is distorted into oblivion. But I didn't buy this for a stereo system.I would not let the fan and speakers deter me from buying this. I would rather have a well built elliptical than a shoddy one with great speakers and a powerful fan.The Sole E35 is a great elliptical machine for home use once you get it assembled. It's a great compromise for someone wanting a solid machine without paying the commercial prices for a gym-quality machine.
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