The Sole E95 is a mid-range elliptical with top tier specs and advanced features. Combine these with Sole’s warranty and you have the makings for a serious contender for best in class year in and year out.
Highlights for this impressive elliptical include a 27 lb flywheel, heavy-duty steel frame, adjustable pedals, and oversized multi-grip handles.
And now that it comes with an upgraded touchscreen console with screen mirroring and built-in entertainment apps, the E95 can hang with the best of them when it comes to console features too.
So, if you’re looking for a high-end elliptical that can give some commercial grade machines a run for their money, the Sole E95 might be what you’re looking for.
But before you decide, you have to know what you’re getting into – and that’s where I can help.
In this review, we’ll discuss all the specs and features that make this elliptical what it is. I’ll also stress which specs I think are most important to consider when comparing ellipticals to help you in your search.
After reading, you’ll know whether or not the E95 is the right option for your home gym.
Alright, let’s get to it.
The Sole E95 Elliptical
Sole Fitness started out making treadmills for hotel chains.
Their treadmills where a big hit in the light commercial world, so I guess they decided to make the next logical step and transition to residential equipment.
The rest, as they say, is history.
Sole’s reputation for making quality products grew, as did their lineup. Sole branched out and started making bikes, ellipticals, and rowers as well.
Even though Sole is probably most known for their awesome treadmills, their ellipticals are equally as impressive.
They currently have several different ellipticals in their lineup, 4 of which are priced as mid-range units ($1000-$2000).
The E95 is the most advanced of these mid-range machines.
For more info on how the different models stack up, see my complete Sole elliptical guide.
Pros
- 20″ stride length
- 27 lb flywheel
- 20 levels of magnetic resistance
- 20 levels of power incline
- 400 lb weight capacity
- 13.3″ touchscreen console
- Access to entertainment apps
- Bluetooth speakers
- Screen mirroring
- Wireless charging
- Cooling fan
- Handle controls
- Tablet holder
- Adjustable pedals
- Multi-grip handles
- Heart rate monitoring
- Good warranty
Cons
- Takes up a fair amount of floor space
Stride Length
I like to start my elliptical reviews with the stride length. Personally, I think this is the most important spec to consider because it relates directly to how comfortable your workouts are going to be.
And let’s be real- if your elliptical isn’t comfortable to use, you aren’t going to use it.
The stride length on an elliptical refers to how far the pedals move front to back during use. This spec is measured in inches and as you might guess, larger is better.
It’s better to have more room and not need it, then to need more room and not have it. Especially for the taller folks out there.
You’re also more likely to get a good workout in if you can stretch out comfortably. If the stride length is too small, you’re gonna feel like you’re marching in place.
I don’t know about you, but I wouldn’t buy an elliptical to just march in place.
How big is big enough? Depends a little on your height, but the gold standard for home ellipticals is a stride length of 20″. It’s been shown that most people can comfortable use an elliptical with a stride length of this size.
The Sole E95 passes our first test and comes in with a 20″ stride length.
It also has a step- up height of 14″, which is pretty standard for these machines. If you’re worried about your ceiling height, check out my guide on ellipticals and low ceilings.
Besides an appropriate stride length, the E95 also comes with a heavy-duty frame. The solid steel structure can handle users weighing up to 400 lb.
Having such a high weight capacity is a good indicator of how solid this elliptical is.
Speaking of solid, this thing weighs 242 lb fully assembled- solid indeed.
Overall, the E95 has a good stride length and is built like a tank.
Flywheel
Yes, ellipticals use flywheels too, just like the spin cycles.
I’m not sure people are as obsessed with flywheel weight when it comes to ellipticals as they are with spin bikes, but it’s an important spec to compare.
Just like spin bikes, when it comes to elliptical flywheels, heavier is also better.
And that’s because the extra weight builds more momentum as the wheel spins. This reduces down time between strokes and makes for a more fluid feel.
Elliptical flywheels vary greatly.
A lot of budget ellipticals come with flywheels in the 13 – 18 lb range, but higher-end models should come with flywheels over 20 lb.
This will be heavy enough to ensure a smooth feel and will more closely resemble the fluidity of the commercial grade machines.
The Sole E95 comes with a 27 lb flywheel.
Not only does this easily surpasses our 20 lb cutoff, but the extra weight will increase the machines overall resistance (theoretically anyway, it will definitely make you work a little harder from a cold start).
This elliptical comes with 20 levels of magnetic resistance to give you full control over that heavy flywheel.
You also have access to 20 levels of power incline, giving you the ability to make your workouts as intense as you want.
Overall, the E95 scores highly with the heavy flywheel and plenty of resistance/incline settings to fine tune your workouts.
This machine is robust enough to handle even the most advanced athletes.
Features
The Sole E95 comes with the following features:
Workout programs- Sole doesn’t usually load their products up with a bunch of workout programs, but with the recent upgrades they’ve started adding more profiles. This elliptical comes with several classic profiles, as well as a fitness test and a couple of heart rate guided workouts as well.
13.3″ touchscreen console- this elliptical comes with one of Sole’s largest displays, making it easy to select workouts and see all workout data at the same time. This new console also gives you access to some built-in entertainment apps, like Netflix, as well as others.
Screen mirroring- this features lets you hook up your phone and see anything you have on your phone through the console. This means you can access any entertainment or fitness app you want and see it through the E95’s console.
Bluetooth speakers- the built-in bluetooth speakers make it easy to sync up with your phone and listen to your favorite workout tunes wire-free.
Fitness tracking- you can also use bluetooth technology to sync the E95 up to your phone for fitness tracking. You can choose to use the free Sole app, or one of the other several fitness apps this machine is compatible with.
Wireless charging- the updated console has a wireless charging pad, so you can charge your devices up while you workout.
Tablet holder- they integrated tablet holder is conveniently located above the monitor, so you don’t have to block your view of your stats in order to use your tablet.
Adjustable pedals- the pedals are oversized and cushioned for comfort (physical therapists apparently helped them design!), but you can also adjust the level of each pedal for a customized fit- this is their “Worm Drive”.
Multi-grip handles- the large handles give you a lot of different options for your grip, both narrow and wide, to help you target specific upper body muscles. You can also control the resistance and incline settings from the handles.
Heart rate monitoring- this elliptical is compatible with chest strap heart rate monitors, although one isn’t included with purchase.
Cooling fan- the fan will help keep ya a little more comfortable during those more intense workouts.
Assembly
Putting the E95 together isn’t the most challenging task, but it’s not the easiest either.
I like that the assembly manual includes to-scale images of the hardware used for each step, but I wish the hardware images and assembly images for each step were on the same page.
There are also written directions for each step that are pretty good, but they’re on separate pages from the image.
You’ll have to look at the image and then look back at the hardware sheet for reference to see which piece goes where.
This isn’t the biggest deal, but it could be a little easier.
There’s only a few steps to assembly, but there’s a lot going on in each step (especially the last one). I think it would be a little clearer if Sole broke the instructions into more steps, with less action in each one.
All the necessary tools are included.
Overall, it’s very doable to assemble this yourself if you or a family member are somewhat handy.
This machine is heavy, so it would be nice to have some help getting the box to its destination in your home before assembly.
I’d expect to spend a couple hours at least on assembly. When in doubt, professional assembly is always an option.
Warranty
Sole backs the E95 up with the following warranty:
- Lifetime frame
- 3 year parts
- 1 year labor
- 90 day cosmetics
I think this is a great warranty.
Lifetime on the frame is expected from an elliptical in this price range, but it’s not a given.
And 3 years on parts is pretty good, considering most competitors offer 2-5 years.
One years on labor is standard procedure, so nothing special going on there.
Overall, I think this is a fair guarantee from a brand known for offering generous warranties.
Final Thoughts
The Sole E95 has a lot going for it.
I like the 20″ stride length and the heavy, 27 lb flywheel – when the “best in class” discussion comes up, these are the 2 most important specs to be considered, with warranty being a close 3rd.
And the E95 scores highly in the warranty department as well.
Personally, I’m more interested in equipment that is designed with performance specs in mind, more so than hi-tech features, but with its new touchscreen console, the E95 scores highly in the console department too.
And I really like the screen mirroring function because with your phone, you can access any entertainment or fitness app you want and view it through the large console.
Pretty sweet deal.
The adjustable pedals are pretty cool too.
There’s really not much to complain about here, but it is a pretty large machine, so you need to make sure you have enough floor space for it.
So, is the Sole E95 the best elliptical in this price range?
I would probably say so, but there’s always room for debate.
NordicTrack’s Commercial 14.9 is a tough competitor and it too comes with some great specs and features, although the E95 is heavier-duty and comes with a better warranty.
Either way, I think the E95 is a great elliptical for the price. Highly recommended.
