Elliptical Trainer Reviews

Sole E25 Elliptical Trainer

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Sole E25 Elliptical Trainer

Manufacturer: Sole
Customer Rating:
List Price: $1,999.99
Sale Price: $999.99
Availibility: Usually ships in 24 hours
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Product Description

Enjoy an efficient full-body workout without heading to the gym with the Sole E25 elliptical trainer. Boasting a heavy 23-pound flywheel, a high gear ratio not found on most comparable models, and a pair of upper body handles, the E25 delivers an extremely smooth workout with plenty of top-end resistance. Users will also appreciate the unique oversize and adjustable foot pedals, which were designed in collaboration with a leading physical therapist and sports enthusiast. The pedals are not only extra large, but also feature a 2-degree inward slope that reduces the ankle and knee stress that's common in other elliptical machines. And thanks to the stationary handle bars with built-in pulse sensors, it's a breeze to monitor your heart rate as you exercise (a chest strap is also included for highly accurate wireless monitoring).

Workout specifics include 16 resistance levels, seven total programs, and a 20-inch stride length. Perhaps the handiest feature from a user perspective, however, is the easy-to-use electronic console, which integrates a blue backlit LCD display, a cooling fan, and a water bottle holder. The E25, which offers a maximum weight capacity of 325 pounds, carries the following warranties: lifetime on the frame, three years on all parts and electronics, and one year on the labor.

Specifications:

The E25's LCD display will track your key workout metrics.

Assembled Dimenstions: 71 by 27 by 68 inches (L x W x H)
Stride Length: 20 inches
Front Drive
Steel Frame: 34mm
Resistance Type: ECB
Adjustable Pedals: 3-Position Pin
Articulating Pedals
Flywheel: 23 pounds
Resistance Levels: 16
Power: Plug in
Pulse Grips
Display Type: Small LCD, Blue
Heart Rate Telemetry Belt Included
Track Display: Yes
Audio System: Yes
Incline: Manual
Six Standard Programs
One User-Defined Program
Cooling Fans: Standard
Water Bottle Holder: Yes
Rear Rail Shroud: Yes
Weight Capacity: 325 pounds

Manufacturer's Warranty
Frame - lifetime; labor - one year; parts, brake, and electronics - three years

About Sole
Sole brings over twenty years of treadmill and fitness product design and manufacturing to the table in their line of innovative equipment designed for fitness-conscious people. The company's treadmill line is simple in design, with an emphasis on quality and warranty all at a great price. Sole's easy-to-use treadmills offer a great value and feature a convenient, space-saving portable design. The treadmills have a very stable base with four wheels for ease of movement, folding decks to conserve space, and a 30-year motor and lifetime deck and frame warranty. Sole is always looking for ways to make their equipment better, more efficient, with higher quality at a great price.

About Elliptical Trainers
Elliptical trainers represent the next wave of advancement in low-impact cardiovascular exercise machines and continue to grow in popularity. By simulating motions experienced through walking, stepping, cycling, and skiing, elliptical machines allow for a smooth and fluid motion while building strength in the arms and legs. Similar to the exercise position for treadmills, elliptical trainers are used by standing in an upright position while holding the handrails of the machine. With elliptical trainers, however, your feet remain in the foot pedals throughout the exercise regimen and circulate in a smooth and seamless motion, resulting in little to no impact on the knees, back, and hips.

Elliptical trainers are compatible for all ages and fitness levels and allow you to select the difficulty level through the incline and intensity settings. Additionally, elliptical trainers allow you to determine the complexity of your workout based on your needs, all while listening to music, watching television, or reading a magazine while exercising in the comfort and safety of your own home.

Although different types of elliptical trainers offer an assortment of features, many of them include an array of challenging programs, forward and reverse directional movement, EKG grip pulse handles, a lightweight portable design with easy fold-up capability, and a monitor displaying calories burned, distance, speed, time, and heart rate. Other types of exercise machines, namely treadmills and bikes, offer excellent cardiovascular exercise and muscular training for the legs in a forward-motion exercise. Elliptical trainers take this to the next level by offering an upper and lower body workout with dual motion, challenging and diverse programs, and a low-impact exercise machine that won't strain sensitive joints.

Product Details

Features a 23-pound flywheel and dual-action functionality for an upper and lower body workout
Grip pulse monitoring and heart rate chest strap; oversize, adjustable foot pedals
Sixteen resistance levels and seven programs for a challenging workout
Offers a 20-inch stride length, LCD display monitor, cooling fan, and water bottle holder
325-pound maximum weight capacity; measures 71 by 27 by 68 inches (L x W x H) when assembled

Video Reviews

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Customer Reviews

Great machine for the price

Review Date: December 11, 2008

Reviewer: S. Lambert,

I've had this elliptical for a month. Between my husband and me, we use this machine 8-10 times a week. I will update this review if my opinion changes.

This is a GREAT machine for the price. A LifeFitness was out of my price range, and research showed that this was a great "budget" model so this is the one I went with.

Pros:
- 20" stride. My husband and I are both tall and 18" machines don't feel right.
- Warranty. Compare this to other brands. I couldn't find a warranty this good.
- Stability. This machine is VERY stable for us, even for intense workouts. Far more stable than the Horizon and Nordic models I tried.
- Price. This is a "budget" machine but it doesn't feel like one to me.
- Heart rate strap: Love having this!

Cons:
- As the previous reviewer said, the console and fan aren't great. Oh well. I care far more about the quality of the machine than whether the console looks modern.
- The iPod connection works great, but the sound is a bit tinny. See my comment above. This is a very minor issue.
- Not fun to carry downstairs! But we managed. Assembly took a couple hours.
- No heart rate control. Most people don't use this, so it doesn't matter. I would have liked it, but it was not worth the price to upgrade to a different model for me.

This 2009 version has a manual incline. Mine arrived in non-working condition. A repairman was sent, did some adjustments, and now it works great. I am happy with the customer service about this issue. This was all covered by warranty, of course. Having the incline is a very nice feature (the e35, about $300 more in price, has a power incline).

For those with low ceilings: My husband is 6'2" and he can comfortably exercise in our basement with 7' ceilings. Don't quote me on this, but 8" clearance seems like enough.

Overall, this gets 5 stars for me - remember that this is a budget model, so you may not get the best programs and the best console. But so far, so good for us!

Incredible service!

Review Date: September 22, 2009

Reviewer: BigDub, Chicago, IL

I have had this machine for a few months now, and it has been incredible how solid and stable it is. But what is more, is the service I have received from Sole. Anytime, day or night, I have been able to get them to assist me with questions, or concerns I have had about the unit.

Originally I was disappointed that I wasn't able to buy an extended warranty, but I see now that won't be necessary. The machine is solid and stable, and I don't forsee any problems. The interaction I have had with Sole, both pre-sale, and post-sale, has been exemplary.

I looked at many lower end models, in the $600 range, and then I jumped up to over $1500, and found this little unit right in the middle. I feel that every dollar was well spent on this machine. My cholesterol has already lowered, and I feel great. Well worth $1000.

The Perfect (Budget) Elliptical

Review Date: October 10, 2009

Reviewer: reviewer,

Because I broke my last elliptical from over-use, I spent quite a bit of time researching to find a replacement machine that was well made and good quality, but still reasonably priced.

My research led to this machine, and I could not be happier with my purchase. I live in Canada and ordered over the phone, but shipping was still free and it arrived quickly. It was very heavy, so I needed help getting it up to my apartment. Assembling it alone was not difficult, but moving the heavy parts by myself was; if you're alone (and not a heavyweight champion), I suggest enlisting some help.

All set up, the machine works perfectly: it is smooth, has easy to use display and user settings, a great ipod docking station, and also adjustable foot petals to mitigate the common 'numb toes syndrome.' It was a little squeaky at first, but I fixed it by tightening some of the bolts and putting some grease (included) on the polyurethane wheels and rails.

All in all, I am quite pleased to have purchased what seems to be a gym-quality machine that is within my budget. I highly recommend this elliptical.

Great Elliptical for the Price

Review Date: January 5, 2010

Reviewer: Abby J. Treesh, Fort Wayne, Indiana

We've had the E25 for about 10 months. This is a great elliptical machine for the price. It is really heavy and very sturdy and it wasn't too hard for us to put together ourselves. Most of our time putting it together was spent trying to retrieve a wrench we dropped inside the flywheel housing. Be sure to get the main middle support bolts really tight - this is the part that supports all of your weight and holds the display - get the bolts as tight as you can physically get them - but don't drop anything down the hole - retrieving the wrench was not fun or easy.

We use it about 2-3 hours per week and hadn't really had any problems except there was a thumping sound after about 2 months of use that was fixed by cleaning and lubing the wheels and tracks. After about 6 months or so, we started hearing a squeak coming from the right pedal. It got louder and louder...I wish we had called Sole about the squeak sooner. We told them the problem and they sent a new part. The bolt under the front part of the plastic pedal needed replaced on one side. The contracted repairman came out and fixed it with no problems and gave some tips on what possible problems to look for and what we might expect to see in a machine like this over time. He also gave some general maintenance tips. Everything was covered under the warranty since it had been less than a year since we bought it.

The only con with the design is that the little fan that is mounted on the top of the display panel is kind of weak and basically pointless. The display is pretty basic, but I expect you would have to pay a lot more for a fancy display. The heartbeat monitor - both the handle monitor and the supplied wireless chest belt type monitor both work well. The machine itself runs very smoothely as long as it is completely level and it doesn't wobble or bounce like some of the cheaper machines do. It is really quiet when everything is working properly...ours is in the living room and someone can easily watch television without having to adjust the TV volume while someone else is working out.

If you are really going to use it a lot or you are not comfortable with eventually doing some basic repairs yourself, you may want to pay the extra money for the E35 since it is a very similar machine but has a longer warranty and it has a powered incline. It's a machine with a lot of moving parts, so there are bound to be some maintenance issues eventually - just like a car. We are totally happy with our E25 - we just clean the wheels and rails with alcohol once in a while and put a thin coat of the supplied lube on the rails to avoid thumping.

Overall, we are very happy with our machine and the service we received

exercise

Review Date: February 3, 2010

Reviewer: Grace Braun, Ludington, MI

I read the articles and reviews before I purchased the E-25 and they helped me to make a very wise choice. Because I read now in Consumers reports that the E-35 is the best for your money. I chose the 25 because I did not see the necessity of paying more to have an item that could go bad if the kids over used it (the auto ramp is the only difference between the two that I could see). Other reviewers said about 3-4 hours to put it together and they were right - 2 people are not a must but do help out. I am very happy.