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160 of 161 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fantastic for its Price Range, January 4, 2009
The 2009 Sole E35 is an excellent buy for $1,299. I recently purchased one. Below are some considerations to take into account.
First, Be ready to take about half a day to move the box and assemble the machine -- the box is about 290lbs (gross weight) and feels all of 300lbs. Worse yet, if you take the machine out piece by piece so that it's lighter (say, if you want to move the machine up a flight of stairs) you will be very unhappily surprised to find that the fly wheel is bolted to some articulated arms, which are EXTREMELY hard to finagle around and to move when the machine is out of the box.
I cannot stress this enough: IF YOU WANT TO HAVE YOUR E35 SET UP IN THE SECOND OR THIRD FLOOR OF YOUR HOUSE JUST PAY THE EXTRA $99 FOR THE DELIVERY COMPANY TO DO IT. Unless you have (not exaggerating) 3 or 4 healthy, strong guys to move this box, forget about getting it upstairs if it's just you and one other person. I really wish I had just paid the extra money for the shipping company to move it up the stairs of my house.
Once you get the box situated where you want to set up the machine, however, you're good to go. The assembly instructions are VERY well written and very clear. There are a lot of parts and steps, but none of them are very complicated or require a lot of dexterity or "handyman" knowledge. Also, if you need any help, SOLE's customer support is great.
Once I got the machine put together, there was no comparison -- I tried out a few different Ellipticals in the $800 - $1,500 range, and the E35, with its power incline (the power incline works great), 25lb flywheel, 350lb maximum weight capacity, and silky-smooth movement are far and away more than you're going to get with any other machine in this price range. While the display is fairly simple, it comes with some nice extras like a heart-rate monitor that hooks up to the display (this all comes with the machine) so that you don't have to hold on to the heart-rate sensors throughout your workout.
I used Precor machines for years at a big gym. If you're not familiar with them, they're easily the most expensive Ellipticals out there and cost well over $3,500 for their mid-grade model. The Sole E35 isn't a Precor 5 series, but it has a LOT of the features that the Precor does. I would say it's 80% or 90% as good as a Precor, where the only detracting factor for the Sole is that it's not as stable as the tank-sized Precor (the Precor machine is probably 350+lbs) and doesn't have as refined features as the Precor, much like the difference between a really nice, fully loaded Cadillac and a Rolls Royce -- you can tell a difference, but either way, you're very happy with what you've got.
Finally, I'll share what I did as far as working out a deal. If you find a comparable machine or a licensed dealer on E-Bay selling Sole's ellipticals, Sole's customer service people will match prices if you are diligent. In my personal case, I found a 2008 E35 on Ebay being sold by a Sole dealer for $999 shipped, so I called Sole and asked if they would match the price, and they said they would. I paid them the $999, and lucky for me, when the machine came, I saw "NEW 2009 MODEL" on the box, and it was obviously really cool. So through doing some research and spending time before I made the purchase figuring out what I could work out with Sole, I got it for 30% less than the Amazon.com price. Just keep this in mind -- the elliptical / work out equipment machine market is VERY competitive and the companies will often bend over backwards to get your business.
Very last, I just want to mention that the 2 year in-home service / 5 year parts warranty is better than any comparable machine, and actually better than the warranty on some of Precor's models. So, all in all, I would highly recommend the 2009 Sole E35.
UPDATE AFTER ONE MONTH: Still solid as a rock, with just a few clinks here and there while in full motion on the machine. Heart monitor works great, power incline still functioning perfectly. No problems to report.
UPDATE AFTER THREE MONTHS: Still going very strong. Haven't had to call customer support about anything. I have experienced a little bit of "knocking" that suggests a bolt might be loose somewhere, but I think this is a common issue that comes up. When I put the machine together I realized that I had made a mistake tightening the bolts that connect the fly wheel arms with the handlebars. I corrected the mistake, but I think I might have overlooked something, so I'm guessing that the "knocking" is probably my fault. I'll fix it sometime and then update -- not really a big deal or that annoying.
Otherwise, I'm really starting to appreciate the refined features of the machine like the heart rate monitor and the power incline. While these things were off my radar when I was looking for a machine, I now appreciate them after using the machine 5 or 6 days a week. Sole really designed these features well, and they work just like they're supposed to. I'm still very satisfied and I think the E35 is a great piece of home equipment.
UPDATE AFTER FIVE MONTHS: Still no complaints. Holding up nicely. I've lost 20+ pounds and this has been a great, really convenient way to work out in the morning before heading to work. I tightened some of the bolts in the joints and now it works with minimal squeaks or creaks.
Though I stated this before, it is even more true now: when you get into the routine of using this machine 4 - 6 times a week you REALLY start to appreciate the power incline and resistance settings, which have held up very nicely. Likewise, the heart rate monitor has held up well and it is another feature that I felt "so what" about when I bought the machine, but now greatly appreciate as a feature.
Again, given that I got my unit for $1,000 shipped, I feel like I got an exceptional bargain for how well this machine has held up and continues to work basically exactly as it did out of the box after months of frequent use.
Just make sure that you clean the rails and the wheels. They are magnets for dog hair and dust, but cleaning them once a month or so seems adequate. You can't go wrong at this price point for the value you get.
10 MONTH UPDATE: Still works nicely and no problems or complaints. I have had to tighten the bolts again at the point where the arms connect, but this really isn't that big of a hassle and is probably something that has to be done on all elliptical machines from time to time. Still very glad I invested in this machine.
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110 of 111 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Warranty / Service / Credit Promise - worthless, January 24, 2009
Warranty / Service worthless
I did a lot of research before I purchased my Sole E35, and one of the big issues I factored in was the warranty. My experience so far is that their warrant is worthless.
On 1/17 called the tech support/warranty department in the morning and got a recording that the office was closed (okay, Saturday - understandable) but I could not leave a message because the mailbox was full (first sign of trouble). So I went online and completed a work ticket on the Sole web site.
1/20 called again and this time got a person (after a long wait on hold) -I told her I was following up on my electronic work ticket, she checked the computer and said she had no record (so much for their web site). I asked if she at least had received my warranty card (I both mailed it and completed the online form) - the Sole lady on the phone literally laughed in my face, I kid you not. She stated that they receive "thousands" of these cards and do not have time to enter them - I am not embellishing here. So I started at square one and gave her my issue (the left arm was bent and thus the left arm and leg peddle clicked and bumped). She then become professional and polite, took my information and said someone would call me in with 24 hours.
1/22 (50 hours latter) - no call, I called Sole again (forth attempt to get service) - this lady was very nice, apologized for the delay, checked the system (this time I was in there), but said they were very backed up with service calls (perhaps an indication of their quality?)- she could not give me an estimate of when they would get back to me, just promised that they would - someday.
I will update this entry if Sole ever follows up, so if you are reading this and I do not have a date of follow up, it means they have not.
One other point - Sole states that you can assemble their machine in "about 25-35 minutes" -In all honesty, this is another exaggeration (as other reviewers have pointed out). It is probably the same marketing person who came up with the line on their web site "With SOLE you can expect the best product, the best warranty, the best service and the best support. We will do whatever we can to help you make the most of your fitness equipment." Right now I just be happy if they returned my repeated phone calls.
UPDATE: 2/11 - I had to call a couple of more times - though to be fair, they closed their office for a couple of days because of the bad ice storm. But finally got a follow up, SOLE has shipped a replacement part to me (I got it today) and I got a call from a local rep to repair my unit - they will be able to fit me in next week. Like another review, total time to get this resolved will be just around 30 days - as long as you are willing to be persistent.
UPDATE: 2/14 Now Amazon.com is adding to the problem. Purchase this using their credit card 1 year interest fee promotion. When I got the first bill I noticed it was charging me interest, so I wrote an email (and thank goodness I kept a copy) on 12/28 on this problem. Customer service responded that same day and reassured me that this purchase was under this 1 year, interest free program. I just got my second bill and again saw that it was charging me interest. This time I called, got a lady who was very professional, and assured me they would fix this problem and credit me the interest charged to my account - I will not hold my breath.
Can any of these companies act with any competence? Can any of these organizations deliver on what they promise online? It is getting to the point I am spending more time fixing problems about this purchase than actually using my Elliptical trainer. BTW - my Elliptical still has not been repaired.
UPDATE: 2/20 - Sole repair person shows up, he is unable to repair - the flywheel is defective. Suggested I speak with Sole about just replacing my unit since the unit they sent me is defective and will require extensive rebuild. Said he was going to submit his report to Sole that he was not able to fix this band new elliptical machine Sole sent me.
UPDATE: 2/23 - Call Sole warranty and advised them of the situation. I request that they send me what I paid for, a working - non defective elliptical machine. Sole advises me to go to their web site and complete a Return Authorization Request form. I do so, and within less than an hour get an email back stating "Unfortunately you will need to speak with Amazon to get a replacement for this machine. Please let us know if you have any further questions." From Cody - Cody@SoleTreadmills.com. I sent an email back asking "Why" - my warrant is with Sole, not Amazon.com - and the reason I requested that they exchange my machine now is that their warranty department has not been able to fix the machine Sole sent me after over a month (no reply as yet).
I call Sole back and advised them that 1) I am reporting them to the better business bureau 2) I am updating this tread on how worthless their warranty is - and how defective their products are. 3) I am contacting Amazon.com and advise them I want to stop payment on my credit card for this product, since I have not received what I paid for - a brand new, working Elliptical Machine. 4) instead of working with Sole I am now going to spend my time searching for consumer advisory web sites to post my experience with Sole so that other customers do not get burned by this company. 5) I am going to look into a small claims court case agains Sole for for fraud to recap my $1,300 for a band new machine that does not work.
Again - more proof on how worthless this warrant is -I just sent my second payment and I have yet been able to use this machine.
UPDATE: 2/23 - Just followed Sole's instructions about going through Amazon.com about returning my defective machine - got this message from Amazon.com: "a restocking fee equal to 15-50% of the original purchase price will be deducted from your refund according"
So Amazon.com is charging me for returning a defective product that Sole warranty's department has been unable to fix after over a month of trying to work with them in good faith.
This does not take in account that this machine is very heavy and I am going to have to pay someone to help me pack it up and bring it downstairs to be shipped. I had to pay someone to bring it upstairs when it was delivered - but that was my decision. But it seems very unfair I am going to have to incur these costs because of Sole's failure to deliver what they promised in product and service.
DO NOT BUY THIS MACHINE from SOLE, it is a nightmare of incompetent customer service.
PS - did not mention, but the left arm the Sole repair men did replace when he was here Friday, the incline control no longer works on it - so it is worse.
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17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Pain to assemble - It'd be great if it worked or if Sole would fix it, June 30, 2009
Assembly was a pain. Sole chose to go with a manual that adhered to the sort of style they had back in WWII, with one explosion diagram having all the parts numbered, and a separate diagram showing each screw and washer with their associated part number. Then the assembly text consists of stuff like:
1. Install the Incline Rail Assembly (2) into the U-channel bracket of the Main Frame (1). Secure with the six bolts & associated hardware as follows: From the sides install two 3/8x1-1/2 Hex Head Bolts (107) with two 3/8x19mm Flat Washers (142) and two 3/8x7T Nylon Nuts (134). From the top install four 5/16x2-1/4 Hex Head Bolts(108), four 5/16 Split Washers (158), four 5/16x20 Flat Washers (157) and four Star Washers (151), as shown in figure 1, and tighten with the 13/14 mm Wrench (159) and 12/14 mm Wrench (162).
So you get to flip back and forth between the pictures of nuts and screws, which is a couple of pages before, and the explosion diagram, which is a page after, all the while trying to remember and relate parts 107, 142 and 134 with their images and their numbers on the explosion diagram. The Sole technical writers really need to go shopping for some stuff at Ikea and take a lesson from their consumer assembly manuals.
For the 90 minutes I was able to use it, my E35 performed beautifully. Very quiet, smooth. Although it didn't eliminate the tingle-toes I get from working out on an elliptical, I believe Sole has improved the pedal angle so that tingle-toes are less prevalent. I was sure I'd made a good purchase.
Then, after about 90 minutes of use, it started making a loud "SNAP!" sound with each revolution. So I opened a request for warranty service on the Sole website. I immediately received confirmation email saying "We will make sure your request is completed in a timely manner." I waited five days and...nothing. So today I called them. I was a little taken aback when the company I reached wasn't named Sole. Rather, [...]. The service rep said she had no record of my service request. This is a very bad sign. I'll see how my service request turns out and will update this review. But for now, I'm not happy with my purchase, and am afraid that getting service will be a nightmare. Accidentally "losing" a service request that has been logged into a database smacks of the sorts of tricks rebate clearinghouses use to minimize costs by being as uncooperative as possible. Sigh...
7/1 Update: Jackie from Sole ([...]) called and after discussing the problem, she says she will order replacement plastic covers, which she suspects are causing the snapping noise. She says they should arrive by FedEx in about a week, at which time I can expect a call from a service technician to set up an appointment to come out and replace the parts. If the tech discovers something else is wrong, Sole will ship the parts needed and the tech will arrange another visit to repair. I verified that Jackie was responding to the ticket opened on the phone yesterday rather than the service request I filed online. Another reviewer here noticed the same probelm with their online service request mechanism. Anyway, I'm somewhat more optimistic I'll end up with a working unit in the next week or two.
7/9 Update: The plastic parts arrived via FedEx. I spoke with Jackie again, and she says they are having trouble finding a technician in my area. Her supervisor has taken up the search for a technician. She will call me once they have found someone. I'm tempted to just dive in and try fixing the damn thing myself. But that would void the warranty.
7/31 Update: A repair technician arrived to fix it. He found the broken part. It turned out not to be one of the parts that Spirit Fitness (aka Sole) had shipped, but he was able to reassemble the elliptical in a way that allows it to be used without the missing part.
8/3 Update: I received email confirming a FedEx shipment from Spirit MFG which presumably contains the broken part.
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