The Sole E95 is a popular, highly-rated elliptical that would have scored higher in our rankings if it had a lower MSRP. You can purchase it online, even from Sole, for far less than it’s listed, but it has a hefty regular price tag. Based on our research, you can buy an excellent elliptical machine for under $2,000, and the E95 pushes the upper cost limit of mid-priced machines, even on sale. For a small price break, Sole waives sales tax on all orders in the contiguous United States, unless you live in California or Utah.
While it’s marketed for home use, this elliptical boasts many features of a fitness club machine. Much like the Sole E35, it has a quiet drive system with both forward and reverse functionality, and it has a high gear ratio for a smoother ride. The main differences between the two machines are the E95 has a heavier flywheel, more resistance, a larger display and a higher maximum user weight capacity.
The Sole E95 has a 27-pound flywheel and a 20-inch maximum stride length. Its oversized foot pedals are cushioned with foam, and there’s an inward slope of two degrees on each pedal to help reduce strain on your ankles and knees. Unique to this elliptical, the pedals have a worm drive dial with 10 settings to help you adjust them to fit your personal stride. Also, the E95’s handgrips are custom molded. The moving handlebars give you a full upper body workout, and the stationary handles have pulse grips. The E95 also comes with a chest strap for more detailed heart rate monitoring.
This elliptical machine weighs 236 pounds and can accommodate a maximum user weight of 400 pounds. It has a cooling fan, a sound system and a water bottle holder to help you stay comfortable while exercising. For variety and more realistic trail runs, it has a power-adjustable incline with 20 levels. To add even more challenge to your workout, there are 20 levels of resistance. You can adjust the incline and resistance on the console and by using integrated buttons in the handlebars.
Our favorite elliptical machine, the NordicTrack C12.9, offers 35 workout presets. The E95 only has 10 – six standard programs, two heart rate programs and two custom programs. On the plus side, it stores two user profiles, its console is adjustable and it has the largest display among all the ellipticals we reviewed. Its 10.1-inch thin-film-transistor LCD has excellent resolution and provides detailed workout feedback. Also, the E95 is Bluetooth compatible, so you can sync it with your smart device and transfer data to the Sole app, Fitbit, Record, Mapmyrun and Apple Health.
The Sole E95’s dimensions are 82 x 31 x 67 inches (length, width and height). Sole provides curbside delivery free of charge and charges $99 to carry the machine inside. If you’d like professional assembly, it’s available for $239. If you need warranty service, Sole has one of the best warranties in the industry. The E95’s steel frame is covered for the lifetime, electronics and parts are covered for five years and you get two years of coverage for labor. All warranty service will be performed in your home. Sole customer service is available by phone and email. Although we reached out by email several times with questions, we didn’t receive a response.
