Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

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.