Customer Reviews

Sole E25 Elliptical Trainer (2009-2010 Model, DISCONTINUED)

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Nearly four months ago, I bought one of these. I still don't have a working elliptical.

Here's the problem with this elliptical: if it doesn't work, forget your expectations from getting your computer or TV fixed: you can't send a 300 pound elliptical in for repair. Nor does Sole have a dedicated staff of repair technicians; they contract to companies who do parts replacement on many different brands and models of fitness equipment. Your repairman may have never seen your particular model before, and won't necessarily know its nuances as a qualified sustaining engineer would.

Worse, the actual diagnosis has to be done remotely by phone. Then they'll ship parts to you by ground. And only after you finally receive the parts can you schedule the repair visit -- the whole process takes weeks per repair. The repairman isn't paid to do anything other than swapping the parts, so you're technically SOL -- no pun intended -- if the technician wasn't able to successfully guess the right problem from a single phone call.

Imagine trying to get your car repaired this way!

That's why, nearly four months later, hours of my time, and two repair visits, I am still stuck with a non-working elliptical, and there's no end in sight. On the plus side, the repair contact at Sole has been really kind and great to work with (despite things being set up to be very hard for him to actually solve my problems.)

But I have to admit if I knew it would be this much trouble, I would have paid the extra bucks for a Precor. I can't recommend this product in good faith.

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!

I had this product (2008 model) for 1.5 years and it broke 2 times. I use it 5 days a week, and I weigh less than 120 lbs. My husband weighs about 200 lbs and it seems like every time he starts using it, the machine will break within a few weeks. The part that broke about six months ago was the left connecting arm. I called Sole and they sent out technician to replace the part for free.

Now the exactly same part on the other side - right connecting arm broke off. The process to call/wait for technician is very lengthy and hopeless. I called Sole and told them exactly the part that was broken because it's the same part that broke last time, they said I have to wait for the technician to call me and make appointment so he can come out to take a look. They said the technician will call within 24-48 hours, but it always takes a few days for the technician to call. I asked if they could already send the replacement part while waiting for the technician, they said no and told me to keep waiting for technician's call. I know from the past experience that once the technician calls (who knows when that will be), he will call Sole to order the replacement part, which will take another 1-2 weeks to arrive. Then we have to contact the technician again to make another appointment for him to come and install the part. That will take another week. (And last time they even sent the wrong replacement part, so they had to re-send and all, so add another 2 weeks)

So within 18 months, 2 parts broke. I'm not able to use the machine for about a month every time it breaks. I'm expecting something more reliable for the price I pay, will definitely not recommend this product to anyone.

Update at 6 months: the squeaks I mentioned below were fixed quickly after a call to Sole -- they sent new parts and a technician - all fixed under warranty. I have no complaints - the machine works great, still used nearly every day.

I have had the E25 for about 2 months. I assembled it myself to save money -- not too hard, but this machine is understandably heavy and was quite a chore to move into place. The action is smooth, though I have a few squeaks that bolt tightening is supposed to fix - taking off covers is a pain and I'm dealing with it for now. This display is fine - I agree the fan is almost useless- but that's minor. The many programs are good and can be individualized.
I can get a very strenuous workout. Incline feature (manual really is no problem) adds variety. The "feel" of the motion is sturdy,and smooth, the machine totally stable and is very much like the ones at the expensive gym I no longer have to pay dues to or drive to. My daughter and I use it nearly every day.

Once assembled, the E25 model is solid. But boy oh boy is it time consuming to put together. SOLE advertised set up at 25-35 minutes. Come on! It is easily a 3 hour effort! With practice I suspect I could cut that time in half. If you can negotiate "set up" for a reasonable fee, run with it. Otherwise expect to get your heart rate up for the wrong reason.

I have been to so many stores both online and off to research the pros and cons over a very wide variety of elliptical within the last 8+ months. I recently purchased the Sole E25 and use it, if time allows, on a daily basis. For the price that was advertised I believe that this product cannot be beat. The original price that I found online and at the store was a little over a thousand and was advertised as being half off. I went to the manufacturer website to find that this product is primarily sold from Dicks's Sporting Goods and the company has been very helpful with not just my elliptical purchase. I have owned said elliptical for about 2 weeks now and as long as you keep it clean, both exterior dust and rail buildup, and you will have little to no problems.

My Pro's and Con's are as follows:

Pros
* Durable - has taken a few hits (literally) from the family and not a dent.
* Solid Stability - Unit doesn't rock from side to side with your movement as some other models.
* User Friendly - You can choose between 10 different programs including 2 customizable ones as well as 2 heart rate programs.
* Price = Quality = a real budget model that feels like a solid buy.
* Challenging - I found a different set of challenges with the resistance levels for this unit to help better my workout.
* Adjustable - Both foot pads as well as the rail angle help to change up the workout and keep your body guessing and challenged.
* Warranty - 1 year labor as well as 3 years for parts, brake, and electronics. Lifetime warranty for the frame.

Cons
* Weight = heavy to move (200+ lbs)
* Fan - not that it is really necessary.
* Storage Area - Limited area and in a somewhat inconvenient placement (behind heart pulse sensors) so it is hard to get a 1ltr water bottle in and out without a possible drop.
* Adjustments - The only bad part about said adjustments is that they are manual adjustments and have to be done when you're off machine.

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.

I recently bought the Sole E25 based on good reviews and after trying it out a local fitness store. Other ellipticals at the same price did not have as smooth of motion or as sturdy of a frame. Although sturdier than other machines in local stores, the neck of the machine is not as solid as those found in your local gym. If you have balance issues then you may consider a higher quality machine, but most people will not be bothered.

Setup of the machine was difficult and highlighted some of the quality issues. The manual descriptions were vague, too many steps corresponded to each drawing, and in several places the part numbers in the drawings did not match the text. It was also clear some of the text was copied from the E35 manual as some of the manual text corresponded to features only included on the E35. Even more troubling, the hardware also had issues. One set of holes on the base were slightly off, which created a slight misalignment where the pedals and arms meet. However, after a few uses I have not been able to notice it being a problem. Another hardware quality issue was that one of the holes was not tapped. Fortunately it was a hole used to secure a plastic cover, so I am able to use the machine safely without using that hole.

Overall a good value for the price. You just have to be aware that it will be exceptionally difficult to install and is not quite "gym quality". I would recommend taking a test drive at a local retailer like Dicks Sporting Goods.

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

Elliptical is great. When I made the purchase, I was worried that by going for the lower end model instead of E35 or E55 I was making a compromise on quality, but having used it now I am very satisfied with the product.
Assembling the elliptical is definitely a 2-person task. Important thing to keep in mind during assembly is to tighten the joints as best as possible to avoid noise later on.