Cheap Sole E95 Elliptical Trainer on SaleI've been into health and fitness for about 12 years, and I've owned several cardio and weight machines over the years. Also, I go to the gym so I have experience using commercial grade pieces of equipment. I purchased this machine so that I could do my cardio at home and only have to go to the gym for my weight training. I've been using Sole E95 Elliptical Trainer about 4 days a week, for 45 minute sessions, for about 4 weeks now and I absolutely love Sole E95 Elliptical Trainer! This is a very sturdy piece of equipment, and is very smooth. I am very happy with this product, and as long as Sole E95 Elliptical Trainer doesn't break on me any time soon, I will continue to be a supporter of Sole products. Some people mentioned some difficulties in assembling this machine, but I don't recall having any major problems other than the issues mentioned below, which I don't think were really related to the assembly. I did take it real slow (and had someone looking over me lol) just to make sure I didn't mess anything up, so just be sure to set aside plenty of time so you can follow the directions exactly. Fortunately, they include all the tools you need and all of the small parts (screws, bolts, etc.) are separated out in a package according to the step you use Sole E95 Elliptical Trainer.
There were 2 very small issues I had after I assembled the machine, but they were very minor so I didn't think Sole E95 Elliptical Trainer warranted taking a star off the rating. First, after assembling Sole E95 Elliptical Trainer and getting on it to test Sole E95 Elliptical Trainer out, I noticed some type of squeaking noise. After narrowing down where the sound was coming from I found out that it was caused by the rollers, so I applied the supplied lube to the rails and that solved that problem. The other issue was another noise I noticed while being on Sole E95 Elliptical Trainer for a few minutes. I narrowed that noise down to one of the "O" bolts that screw into the end of the end where you connect the leg arm to the arm handle. The problem was caused because you couldn't screw the "O" bolt in all the way because if you did you could line the arm handle up with Sole E95 Elliptical Trainer. Anyways, I called Sole and they had a technician call me. He shipped me the part I needed (another "O" bolt, washer, etc.) and that solved the problem. Sole E95 Elliptical Trainer should be noted that, after seeing what they sent me, I could have very easily fixed this problem myself by just using a washer on the "O" bolt, but I figured I'd just let the part come in from the technician. These 2 issues were very minor and the noises were not very loud, but I thought I should at least mention them.
Some other things:
- Another poster mentioned the tube of lube that comes in the box, and I believe that is used to lube the railings that the rollers ride on. At least that's what I used Sole E95 Elliptical Trainer for.
- Someone mentioned the arm grips being a bit large, and they are somewhat large compared to other machines, but I got use to them after a few workouts.
- If you like really hardcore, grueling training sessions then get on this thing and pump the resistance level up to 10+ (it goes to 20 I think). This thing has more resistance than any home piece of equipment I have ever seen, and just as much as most of the commercial ones. The bottom line is no matter how strong you are, I don't think you are going to outgrow this thing.
You usually get what you pay for, and if you are serious about getting a good piece of home exercise equipment that will give you an awesome workout, then expect to pay at least this much. I actually purchased this thing from a local Dick's Sporting Goods because Sole E95 Elliptical Trainer was the same price but I probably paid a good bit more once you figure in sales tax (10% here in Montgomery, AL). If you have a local sporting goods store that carries this elliptical, you may want to go check it out there first just to make sure it feels ok to you.
May 15, 2009 update: I'm still very much enjoying this machine and getting a lot of use out of Sole E95 Elliptical Trainer. I didn't say anything about the included heart-rate monitor in my original review but thought I should mention it now because I've been using it a lot. Unlike the hand-grip monitor that this machine and others like Sole E95 Elliptical Trainer have, the included chest strap monitor seems to be very accurate! I've experimented with it a few times by slowing the pace down and picking the pace up and watched as the on screen display accurately reflected the change in heart-rate.
