Sole Fitness E35 Elliptical Machine Review

Sole's About Us page is informative but lacks a lot of specific information about the company's background. When did they start? We couldn't find that information, but we do know they originally wanted to exclusively supply in-room fitness equipment to hotels. Sole provides cardio machines to Omni, Hilton, Monaco and other hotels. With that many contracts, it's a safe bet to rely on the equipment. Anything used in a hotel will be subject to frequent use, by travelers of all body types and fitness levels. Sole's confidence in their products is one of the reasons they offer such a great warranty.

One of Sole's smartest moves was not to diversify its product line. They sell treadmills, elliptical machines, and stationary bikes. That laser focus makes them experts on engineering, design, and customer service. It also helps keep costs down. Sole Fitness is one of the best compromises we have found between high-end features and an affordable price. Their elliptical machines, like the E35, are not made to be moved around or folded for storage. They are something you can bring into your home that will replicate a gym experience, without you having to join a gym or leave your private workout space.

The Sole E35 elliptical trainer is not cheap when you compare it to lighter home use models or portable folders. However, for the money, you get a gym-quality experience, and the E35 is budget-friendly, compared to most of Sole's other offerings.

So what do you get for that purchase price? The Sole E35 has won awards for being the best under-$1500 elliptical in its class. The textured, oversized pedals are above average in comfort. The strain on your joints is minimized, thanks to the large flywheel, steel frame design, and those pedals. People often choose the elliptical because it is low impact. The Sole E35 has enough cushioning and support to be even less jarring than cheaper models.

The flywheel and motion transfer system are all exceptionally quiet. Pedals won't jam, whether you walk forwards or backward. The Sole E35 has moving handles, for those upper body workouts we talked about. They frame the computer monitor, and will also provide heart rate when you grasp them. Remember, no handle-based heart rate sensor will be as accurate as a chest strap. Fitness tracker watches have their shortcomings, too. Unfortunately, the E35 has no means of connecting with a chest strap.

You also do not get any compatible apps, or a way to add more workouts. For about the same amount of money, you could purchase a bike or treadmill that has a free year of iFit, with the option to subscribe once the year ends. iFit lets you run in dozens of virtual settings, and compete with people all over the world. You also get some access to trainers with iFit. The Sole E35 will help you stay in shape but does not offer any of those advanced options.

We consulted the Sole E35 owner's manual for this next section. It and the more advanced E95 share the same manual, so their operation is similar although the E95 takes longer to assemble.

Every owner's manual opens with a series of safety warnings. Some are obvious, like never using a cardio machine barefoot. Still, there are often a few rules that surprise even us, your veteran editors. Here are a few gems for the E35. You may want to consider some of these, and you would never know about them if not for the manual and for us.

The Sole E35 should never be installed on a shag carpet or extra thick carpet. It can damage both the carpet and the machine. We'd guess it's because the feet get a chance to sink in, which brings the pedals and flywheel closer to the carpet, where it can catch and tear.

Do not use aerosol cans in the same room with an elliptical machine. The motor can spark unexpectedly and cause a fire. You should not use portable oxygen near the Sole E35 for the same reason.

To Sole's credit, the manual also acknowledges that the heart rate sensors are not 100% accurate and should never take the place of medical advice. The heart rate numbers are a guide, not something to plan your life by. One final note--the buttons on the console are calibrated at the factory. They do not need a lot of pressure to operate. So push them, but do not mash them, as mashing could cause damage and affect your warranty.

Assembly is straightforward, although there is a lot of mounting hardware to work through. The nuts, bolts, and washers go on in steps, with a separate page for each portion of the assembly. Sole provides all the hand tools you need, including two box wrenches and two Phillips head screwdrivers. Assembly shouldn't take more than four hours and will go faster if you ask a handy friend for help. If you do run into any problems, Sole Fitness provides several options for contacting customer service.

Here is a warning, from looking at the directions: when you assemble the Sole E35 elliptical trainer, you assemble it from the frame up. Sometimes a cardio machine will arrive with everything in place except the handlebars and console, or a similar setup. This is not the case with the E35. The assembly instructions, including exploded views of each bolt placement, go on for several pages. This is not to discourage you from purchasing the E35, we just want our readers to know what they are up against.

Once assembled, the E35 is pretty easy to operate. The pedals are actually angle adjustable, not just height adjustable. Pulling a lever changes the angle, so you can tweak the settings until you get comfortable and have a full range of movement. The incline angle is set from the console, by pushing a button, which is a nice advantage over models with manual incline adjustment.

The interactive console is packed with features and conveniences. Program selection buttons, the master control key, and an audio-in jack sit below the brightly lit LED readout. The headphone jack is on the opposite side, and there are also speakers if you want to play music out loud. You get cooling fans, and the large digits on the display will give you time, distance, watts, calories, and heart rate (when you grip the sensors).

The Sole Fitness E35 Elliptical trainer gives a quiet and comfortable ride, thanks to the frame, suspension, and oversized steel flywheel. It is not made to be portable and does not fold up when not in use. While it is less expensive than other elliptical machines that straddle the line between commercial and home use, the Sole Fitness E35 is still not cheap. For the price, we expected a bit more, like the ability to sync and share data or download new workouts from compatible apps. So while we aren't discouraging you from buying the Sole Fitness E35, we do want to make you aware that there are similarly priced options that will offer a richer experience over time.