Sole’s E35 Elliptical – Perfect For Small Spaces [A Review]

Sole’s E35 is a moderately priced elliptical that’s packing a lot of great stuff in such a compact package.

With a 25 lb flywheel, 20 resistance levels, and 20 levels of incline, the E35 can hang with any elliptical in its price range when it comes to performance.

And with a surprisingly spacious 20″ stride length, it can accommodate folks of most heights comfortably.

This stride length is surprising because of how compact the E35 is – at less than 6′ long, it’s a good foot smaller than many home ellipticals.

The E35 also comes with a new touchscreen console loaded with entertainment apps and free streaming workouts and this is Sole, so of course it’s backed by a great warranty.

Add all this together and the E35 could very well be the best elliptical in its price range.

But before you decide, you need to know the whole story – and that’s where I can help.

In this review we’ll take a look at everything this elliptical has to offer, as well as where it falls a bit short.

I’ll also provide a side-by-side comparison with some of the other top ellipticals in this price range, so you can see how it stacks up against the competition.

After reading, you’ll know whether or not the E35 is the right elliptical for your home gym.

Sole’s E35 offers a great combination of performance specs and console features and comes with a smaller footprint than most, making it a great option for homes with limited floor space.

Sole’s E35 Elliptical

Sole Fitness has a great reputation in the home fitness world and they’re easily one of my favorite brands.

I like that they build with heavier-duty components and offer better warranties than most their competitors.

And that’s definitely Sole’s m.o.

I also like that they paired with physical therapists to design the pedals (I’m a PT in case you didn’t know).

To date, Sole offers around 5 different models to choose from in their elliptical lineup.

They’re all numerically labeled with higher numbers indicating higher-end features and a larger price tag.

Differences between the models include flywheel weight and weight capacity, with the higher-end models having heavier flywheels and higher weight limits than the less expensive models.

With this in mind, the E35 falls in the middle of their lineup – it’s priced above the budget friendly E25 and below the highly popular E95.

For more info on how the different ellipticals compare, check out my Sole elliptical guide.

Pros

• 20″ stride length
• 25 lb flywheel
• 20 levels of magnetic resistance
• 20 levels of power incline
• 10″ touchscreen console
• Built-in entertainment apps
• Free streaming workouts with Sole+
• Screen mirroring
• Wireless charger
• Fitness tests
• Custom designed pedals
• Multi-grip handlebars
• Bluetooth speakers
• Integrated tablet holder
• 350 lb weight capacity
• Awesome warranty

Cons

• Assembly can be challenging

Stride Length

I think stride length is the single most important spec to consider when researching an elliptical.

The stride length is measured in inches and refers to the distance the pedals move front to back during your workout.

This distance is critical because it will dictate how comfortable (or uncomfortable) your workouts are going to be for as long as you own said elliptical.

Finding your appropriate stride length depends on your height and leg length, but it’s been shown that a stride length of 20″ will fit most users comfortably.

For this reason, 20″ has become the gold standard for quality home ellipticals.

Well, Sole’s E35 comes with a 20″ stride length, so we can check that box immediately.

Again, people of most heights should be able to use this elliptical fairly comfortably (by most heights I mean 5’3″ – 6′, see the highlighted guide above for more specific info).

Some ellipticals offer longer stride lengths in the 22″ – 24″ range, but they’re pretty rare in this price range.

Others, like the awesome Sole E95S offer power adjustable stride lengths, giving you the ability to set your preferred stride length (but you’ll have to pay more for this technology).

The E35, like all Sole ellipticals, comes with a heavy-duty steel frame that will provide a solid base during your workouts.

This elliptical weighs 211 lb fully assembled, so you shouldn’t have to worry about it wobbling or wiggling during use.

Because of this added weight and stability, this elliptical is able to safely handle users weighing up to 350 lb.

This is impressive in any price range, considering the average is more in the 300 – 350 lb range.

The weight of this elliptical is impressive, but even more so when we consider how compact it is.

With a footprint of only 70″ x 31″, the E35 is a good foot or so shorter than some full size ellipticals (like Sole’s E95).

This alone could be a big perk for homes with limited floorspace.

Overall, structural integrity is a key aspect to all Sole products and the E35 doesn’t disappoint. With a 20″ stride length and sturdy frame, this elliptical is designed for comfort and durability.

Flywheel

Flywheel weight is another key spec you’ll want to pay attention to because it relates directly to how smooth the operation of the elliptical is going to feel.

Just like in indoor cycles, most home ellipticals utilize a weighted flywheel to provide the resistance.

And when it comes to flywheels, heavier is considered better – mostly because the extra weight builds more momentum as the flywheel spins.

This added momentum helps the flywheel (and the pedals attached to it) spin, which reduces any lag between pedal strokes.

The result is a smoother, more fluid ride.

Heavier flywheels should provide more resistance than lighter ones too – think about it, it’s more weight you’re having to work against.

The resistance depends on the magnetic system as well.

Anyway, when it comes to home ellipticals, 20 lb is considered the minimum necessary to ensure a smooth ride.

This rule isn’t written in stone and it doesn’t mean ellipticals with lighter flywheels can’t feel awesome, it just means having a flywheel over 20 lb is preferred.

Ok, with all of that said, the E35 comes with a 25 lb flywheel.

This exceeds our 20 lb goal and should be plenty of mass to offer a smooth feel, but also provide plenty of resistance to challenge folks of all skill levels.

The E35 comes with 20 levels of resistance and 20 power adjusted incline levels to give you plenty of control over the intensity of your workouts too.

Another nice thing about being able to adjust the incline is that it allows you to target different muscle groups – increasing the incline angle is going to target your glutes and hamstrings more, fyi.

Overall, the E35 scores highly in the flywheel department. For an elliptical in this price range, it’s packing a lot of weight.

The combination of resistance and incline levels also gives you a lot of wiggle room to set and progress the intensity of your workouts.

Features

Sole’s E35 Elliptical comes with the following features:

10.1″ touchscreen console- the updated E35 comes with a 10″ touchscreen console which makes it easy to see all your stats and choose all your workouts and it comes with some extra fun features too.

Entertainment apps- like having all your favorite entertainment apps pre-loaded and easy to access during workouts. Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, Prime, and more are already installed and ready to go. You do need to have your own individual memberships though.

Sole+ – the console is also pre-loaded with Sole+, Sole’s streaming workout app that gives you access to thousands of free instructor-led workouts. That’s right, it’s 100% free.

Screen mirroring- another cool feature this console offers is screen mirroring, which allows you to see anything from your phone on the console. With screen mirroring, you can access any app you want from your phone and see it on the E35.

Built-in workouts- it also comes with several built-in workout profiles, including popular fitness tests to see how you stack up.

Custom designed pedals- Sole partners with a physical therapist to design their pedals. The result is a large (15″) pedal that has a 2° inward slope in order to reduce ankle and knee discomfort. The pedals are also adjustable, giving the ability to choose between 3 different positions based on your preferences.

Multi-grip handlebars- the handlebars are also large, allowing several different grip options during your workouts. Changing grip position is a good way to target different upper body muscle groups during your workouts. You can also conveniently adjust the resistance and incline levels from the buttons located on the moving handles.

Bluetooth speakers- you can sync up with your phone or tablet and listen to music wirelessly through the built-in bluetooth speakers.

Wireless charging- Sole got rid of the USB charging port and replaced it with a newer, wireless charging pad. So now you can charge your phone without having to mess with wires.

Integrated tablet holder- there’s a built-in tablet holder conveniently located above the console, so you won’t have to worry about blocking the screen if you choose to watch Netflix on your pad.

Fan- there’s also a cooling fan integrated into the console, might help keep ya more comfortable during those more strenuous workouts.

Assembly

Putting the E35 together can be a bit of a chore.

I love the Sole brand and their products rock, but they need to work on their assembly manuals- these things are kinda hard to follow.

The biggest problem is that they include too many things in each step.

According to their manual, there’s only 4 steps to assemble this elliptical. But when you get into it, you realize that each step has like 10 different steps in it.

I also wish they would put the written instructions and images on the same page.

Instead, they give you the written instructions for the first 2 steps on one page, and the images for those steps on another page. And it’s the same way for steps 3 and 4.

This forces you to go back and forth between pages for reference as you’re putting the elliptical together.

The process itself is fairly straightforward, but having all the steps mashed together can be a little overwhelming. Luckily, they have assembly videos on youtube you can reference if necessary.

All the necessary tools are included.

Overall, the assembly process is a bit challenging, but doable. I’d expect most people to spend a few hours getting the job done. If in doubt, paying for professional assembly is always an option.

Warranty

The Sole E35 Elliptical comes with the following warranty:

• Lifetime frame/flywheel
• 2 year parts
• 1 year labor
• 90 day cosmetic

Sole doesn’t mess around with their warranties – this brand is known for offering some of the longest warranties on the market and this guarantee on the E35 is no exception.

Lifetime on the frame is obviously awesome, but 2 years on all parts and electronics is pretty good too, considering most offer 2- 3 years on parts.

A year on labor is pretty average, this is what most brands offer.

Overall, this is a wonderful warranty, especially given the price range.

Sole’ E35 vs The Competition

	Sole E35	NordicTrack New AirGlide 7i	Spirit XE195	Schwinn 490
Stride length	20″	~18″	20″	20″
Flywheel	25 lb	25 lb	24 lb	11 lb
Resistance	20 levels	22 levels	20 levels	25 levels
Incline	20 levels	-5 – 15%	n/a	-5 – 15%
Weight limit	350 lb	300 lb	350 lb	330 lb
Console	10″ touchscreen	7″ HD touchscreen	7.5″ LCD	7″ LCD
Warranty	Lifetime frame 2 year parts 1 year labor	10 year frame 2 year parts 1 year labor	Lifetime frame 5 year parts 1 year labor	10 year frame 2 year parts 90 day labor
Price	~$1500	~$1500	~$1400	~$1200

That about does it for everything the E35 has to offer, so let’s switch gears and talk about some of the other ellipticals in this price range.

The E35 normally sells for around $1500, so let’s use this as our guide for selecting comps.

The 7i comes with a power incline up to 15% as well as a decline down to -5%, giving it a unique downhill feature not found on many ellipticals.

The 7i is actually a little more compact than the E35 too, but it does come with a smaller 18″ stride length and a shorter frame warranty.

At 7″, its HD touchscreen console is a bit smaller too – you also have to pay a monthly membership fee to access all the workouts through iFit.

It’s warranty is better (5 year parts), but it comes with a simple LCD console with only a handful of workout programs (and no apps).

Finally, I want to mention Schwinn’s 490, which is a bit cheaper at around $1200.

The 490 is another compact elliptical that comes with a 20″ stride length and an incline range from -5 – 15%.

Overall, based on the comps, I’d say the E35 easily holds its own and then some.

Sole’s E35 vs Sole’s E95

	Sole E35	Sole E95
Stride length	20″	20″
Flywheel	25 lb	27 lb
Incline	20 levels	20 levels
Console	10″ touchscreen	13″ touchscreen
Warranty	Lifetime frame 2 year parts 1 year labor	Lifetime frame 3 year parts 1 year labor
Footprint	70″ x 31″	83″ x 34″
Price	~$1500	~$2000

Before I wrap this review up, I wanna talk briefly about Sole’s E95.

The E95 is a higher-end model and it costs about $500 more, but the upgrades are pretty subtle.

The E95 comes with a slightly heavier flywheel, a larger frame, an extra year on the parts warranty, and pedals that are more adjustable.

The console on the E95 is a little larger too, but the E35 offers all the same great console features found on the more expensive E95.

And the E35 comes with a much smaller footprint, making it a better choice for smaller homes.

The E95’s extra robustness may make it a better choice for larger users and homes with multiple users, but otherwise, the E35 could be the better buy between ’em.

I’m not hatin’ on the E95 here, but just pointing out how good a deal the E35 really is.

For a more detailed comparison, check out my full article on Sole’s E35 vs Sole’s E95.

Final Thoughts

This shouldn’t come as a surprise at this point, but I’m a fan of Sole’s E35.

What can I say, I’m a sucker for a heavy flywheel and long warranty.

In all seriousness, this elliptical has a lot going for it.

I talked a lot about the flywheel weight and long stride length, but the custom designed foot pedals are kind of a big deal too.

As a physical therapist myself, I’m a little biased, but I like that Sole consulted with a therapist to specifically design these pedals to improve comfort and reduce chances of injury during use.

After all, the more comfortable an elliptical is, the more likely you are to actually use it.

The biggest downside to the E35 in my book is putting it together – the assembly can be challenging, but I don’t consider that a deal breaker.

And as I think the above table shows, the E35 easily holds its own with any elliptical in its price range.

And given the similarities to the more expensive E95, one could easily argue the E35 is Sole’s best deal.

Overall, the E35 is a well-priced, high-end home elliptical with great console features. If you’re looking for durability and performance, you can’t go wrong.