The Sole E35 Elliptical Review

Review Summary:

Full Review

Thanks for checking out our Sole E35 Elliptical Review, another offering from Sole Fitness which tops the Best Buyer Lists for it’s price category. We put this one through its paces to see how it measured up and we are glad to share the results.

For those of you who think working out is boring and requires too much effort, I have some comforting news: you are not alone. Unfortunately, working out easily becomes something that feels like chore, so we end up getting discouraged and give it up altogether.

Also, there is also the issue of too much choice. Should I go to the gym? Or choose a sport? How about one of those trainers I saw on TV? What is the best? Well, the best solution is the one that won’t make you give before you have even begun.

Some of you might find the answer in the shape of the Sole E35 Elliptical Trainer, which promises to make working out feel like less of a chore, while still giving you a total body workout. It has a built-in music system that will entertain you while you are burning those calories and a blue, backlit LCD that will help you keep track of all the necessary training information.

Of course, you will still be provided with a challenging cardio workout, and all the resistance you can handle. This home elliptical features a robust and durable construction, capable of meeting any challenges it is put up against.

Recent years have seen the emergence of elliptical training machines, mostly because, when compared to the more traditional workout machines, such as a treadmill or a stationary bike, they seem to be more efficient, since they engage all muscle groups, not just those in your lower body. Also, the E35 employs a 25-pound fly wheel, which helps distribute the resistance in a more natural way – providing enough resistance for most levels of user.

If you are interested in a workout with an incline, the E35 also has a power incline features which simulates the feeling you would get on treadmill when walking under an incline.

With this type of machine you often get a feeling they are about to fall over during an intensive workout, but luckily, the E35 Elliptical has a sturdy, wide base which feels secure and the entire unit is made out of durable tubular steel.

To prevent injuries and strain, it has specially designed foot pedals that minimize such a risk. Making sure that the trainer is stable and durable is fine, but it does come at price. The entire unit, when fully assembled and ready for immediate use, weight as much as 200 pounds, which is quite a lot.

The LCD, which is mounted front and center, not only allows you to control the machine and set up various workout regimes, but it also captures all the statistical parameters of your physical activity and displays them on the screen for you.

The multimedia doesn’t end there, either. The trainer comes with an integrated sound system to which you can dock your iPod and listen to music while you workout. Other toys include a water bottle holder, a couple of cooling fans and a pulse monitor built into the handgrips which sends the data to the LCD.

Features and Specifications of the E35 Elliptical Trainer:

• Dimensions: 27 by 58 by 83 inches (W x H x D)

• Weight: 215 pounds

• User Weight Limit: 375 pounds

• Front drive system

• Adjustable 15-inch pedals

• Power adjustable stride and incline

• Maximum stride length: 20-to-22-inches

• Six standard, two custom and two heart rate programs

• Pulse grip and chest strap heart rate monitoring

• LCD console with 7.5-inch display

• Built-in cooling fans

• Includes sound system with an iPod/ MP3 port and water bottle holder

• Lifetime warranty for the frame, five years for electronics and parts and two years for labor

What Others Think

Based on the online reviews of the customers who decided to share their experience using the Sole E35, the entire system was very easy to put to together. So, we decided to put that claim to the test and ordered one so we could assemble it right out of the box.

The assembly of the machine was pretty intuitive and we had it up and running in a couple of hours no problem. The last thing you want is a piece of machinery you’re going to waste an entire day putting together, so, needless to say, it passes the assembly test with flying colors.

Once the Elliptical Trainer was completed, we decided to test it out first-hand and see how it fares (some of us are not exactly what you would call “elegantly proportioned”, so it was a pretty realistic test).

We were very pleased with the design and the position of the console, which was easy to see no matter how tall you are. The already mentioned 7.5-inch LCD displayed all the information you might find interesting during the workout, as well as the information gathered by the pulse monitors. On the other hand, we weren’t so pleased with cooling fans, which weren’t powerful enough to cool us down. The same could be said for the speakers as well, but then again, most of us use headphones while working out anyways.

Pros:

• Sturdy, robust construction
• Assembly instructions were detailed and well written
• Good exercise for the entire body
• Large 7.5-inch display which provides you with all the relevant data
• Pulse monitors integrated into the handgrips and the chest strap
• Great pedal design which minimizes the risk of strain and injury

Cons:

• Cooling are not powerful enough
• Speakers could use more power as well
• A bit on the heavy side

The Summary:

All things considered, the E35 elliptical is a great piece of exercise equipment which has everything you would look for in a home workout system. It has some nice features, too, like the LCD and the pulse monitors. The overall design was impressive and we were able to put the entire together in no time.

It’s durable, too, with a really heavy duty feel during vigorous workouts – not always the case at this price range. It was let down a bit by the cooling fans and the sound system, but that has nothing to do with the workout itself now, does it?

The most important of all is that this machine has more than enough incentives to keep you interested in working out for a long time. Got a little more to spend? Check out the Sole E95 review – offers a step up in performance.

You can view the full range of Sole Elliptical Machines here.

Back to Elliptical review page.