130 of 133 people found the following review helpful.
By J. Pucciarelli
I did a ton of research online including here at the Amazon site and allellipticals DOT com. This helped me focus my research down to two brands Sole and Smooth. Before visiting stores, my first choice was the Sole E35.
I went to Dick's Sporting Goods and Sears and tried the machines. The help I got at Dick's was tremendous. It was a slow night and the salesperson was very generous with her time. They had an E25, E35, E55, and E95 on display. I tried them all and was amazed at the difference in feel. When I left the store, I really wanted to buy the E95. My wife was more adamant than me - she loved the smoothness and heft of the E95.
Tried the Smooth at Sears. Not so good experience. Machines that have sat on a store floor are really a good way to see how they will look and feel after a couple of years in private home. Based on my in-store experience, and the fact that most of the really highly-rated Smooth reviews are two or three years old (versus new reviews highly rating the Sole machines), I decided to by the Sole.
Somewhere in the reviews here on Amazon was a guy who said he found sellers on eBay for the Sole machines. I checked and found one seller who quoted "factory delivery" and a lower price for the E95 - lower by $200 than the Dicks / Sole direct / Amazon price. I called Sole and told them I wanted to buy from them, and asked them to match. I added the $100 "deliver to any room" feature - very much worth it as my house is 175' from the road, and two flights of stairs were involved. When I ordered my machine (direct from Sole), the guy who took my order encouraged me NOT to have the in-home assembly ($140 extra). Being handy, I decided to do it myself.
Product arrived at the ABF depot within a week. They called and were polite and courteous. Ordered on a Monday, and my wife got them to deliver the product within two days - 12 days from order to home delivery total.
Delivery was friendly and professional. Two guys hauled the 260 lb box up the driveway and placed it precisely where we wanted it in the basement. The box had been roughed up in-transit, and my wife asked them to open the box and check. They did this graciously and noted the box damage in case any damage was found subsequently. The drivers said they were the ones who did the in-home assembly. They gave my wife a bunch of tips on how to assemble the machine which she relayed to me.
My wife and I assembled the machine on Saturday, and it took us about 3 hrs. Looks perfect and runs great.
Sole appears to have completely updated the packaging and assembly instructions (based on comments in other reviews). The hardware is now packaged by step, something I have never seen before. So all the little bits you need to assemble "Step 1" are packaged together in a blister pack. There are four major steps and then half a dozen or so sub-steps inside each. In addition to a master parts list, the instruction manual has a parts listing required for each step. I photocopied the full-sized parts pages (which include pictures) and held that alongside the assembly steps. As an aside, one of the reviews talks about how difficult it is to snake wires through the mast. Appears someone at Sole read this, and they now have a plastic tab preloaded into the mast to aid in snaking the wires through it.
As far as the assembly itself, there are a couple of major component parts such as the rear assembly and mast which are heavy. You really need a second adult. Doing it by yourself would be virtually impossible.
The only part of the assembly I had any trouble with was something which should have been simple - plugging in the five electrical plugs to the back of the console. This is very difficult because the wires are short. If you have large hands, find someone who can help! I ended up using a needle-nose pliers to complete the job. The driver said this was the most difficult part of the assembly - and he was right!
Having done the assembly once, it would take me 90 minutes to do the second one. I took my time, checked and rechecked, so you may do better if you assemble it.
I have completed five work-outs to date. I absolutely love the machine. That I got delivered to my house for just under $1600 ($1499 plus $100 delivery) made it sweeter.
One final note - you definitely need to pay attention to ceiling height. Mine is the basement where my ceilings are 87" high. I am 5'10". On this machine, I have 2" of clearance. Measure first!
Highly recommended.
39 of 41 people found the following review helpful.
By Brian L. Blevins
I purchased the E95 a few weeks ago. The Amazon delivery arrived when scheduled and the service was great. I was a little concerned with the height of the machine. I am 6'2' and have it located in the basement with 90" ceilings. I have about 3" of head clearance with no incline and my hair rubs the ceiling at full incline. The E95 is very smooth and the integrated programs are great. I especially enjoy the wireless heart rate strap and the associated workouts. The machine is heavy and the assembly is not difficult but does take some time. I would highly recommend it
32 of 33 people found the following review helpful.
By Steven James
Having never attempted an elliptical before I wasn't quite sure what I was in for. When this giant package arrived at my front door I had the delivery men deposit it in my basement, which has now become a workout room. I immediately got to work removing it from the box and attempting to assemble it. 4 hours and 1 nervous breakdown later I emerged from my basement like the groundhog of lore. The Sole E95 Elliptical was done and ready for action...only I was in no shape to exercise. I needed a cocktail.
The next day, refreshed and with a new attitude, I was ready to begin my exercise program. I am extremely out of shape with bad knees that hurt whenever I walk too much. I gingerly stepped up on the elliptical and started going through the programs. There are a number of different workout levels, so one needs to try them to find the one best suited to their level of fitness. I chose an easy program to start. I LOVED it. I was on the elliptical for 45 minutes and time just flew by. My knees didn't hurt at all, and that night, for the first time in over a year I slept through the entire night without waking up. The next day I was a little sore, but I got back on the elliptical and did the same program and my soreness quickly dissipated.
The Sole E95 Elliptical is better than walking because my knees were not in any pain at all. I feel better both physically and mentally and I have lost 3 pounds in 1 week. I am so happy to have discovered this machine. It is wonderful to be able to exercise without pain. I highly recommend this product, especially if you have problems with sore joints as there are no jarring motions.
Product Feature
- Elliptical trainer with heavy 30-pound flywheel for smooth performance
- Power incline feature adds resistance while targeting different muscle groups
- Commercial-grade 9-inch blue LCD display tracks time, distance, calories, and resistance
- Integrated sound system; oversized, custom-designed foot pedals
- Built-in cooling fans; 400-pound capacity; weighs 215 pounds
Product Description
The E95 elliptical from Sole® is a value in every sense of the word. It's designed with an easy-to-use console that features a vibrant LED readout, and a built-in cooling fan and water bottle holder offer total convenience. Fluid, natural motion is provided by the whisper-quiet drive system, while the combination of a 29-lb flywheel and high gear ratio ensures a smooth feel with plenty of top-end resistance.
Product Detail
- Amazon Sales Rank: #204189 in Sports & Outdoors
- Size: One Size
- Brand: SOLE
- Model: E95-11
- Released on: 2010-09-15
- Dimensions: 23.00" h x33.00" w x66.00" l,234.00 pounds
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