Sole E35 Elliptical Review 2023

In-depth Review of Sole E35 Elliptical

Preprogrammed Workouts, Apps, and Features

The updated Sole E35 Elliptical comes with a 10.1” touch screen and the ability to keep your workouts structured and you entertained while using it. Ellipticals are a common type of equipment to zone out on while you’re using it, so the E35 offers the perfect opportunity to get your workout done while not getting bored. It also doesn’t require a subscription to access the content on the screen, which we really appreciate.

This elliptical comes with onboard workout modes such as strength, cardio, fat burn, hill, HIIT, heart rate, and fitness test. You can also create custom workouts with preset resistance and incline levels or just hop on and adjust the E35 as you go in manual mode. These workout programs are similar to ones you’d find on commercial gym equipment.

There are charts that reflect the format of the class to give you an idea of what to expect beforehand.

For entertainment, the E35 Elliptical has 12 preloaded streaming apps available to stream directly on the screen.

These include Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, YouTube, Max, Spotify, ESPN, CNN, Disney+, Peacock, Audible, and Kinomap. What’s really nice about these apps is that you just have to log into your account for each to stream, no separate subscription is required.

If these apps are enough options, you can also mirror your phone to the screen. This is a little easier to do with an iPhone, but it’s available for Android devices by downloading and using a separate app. This way, if you want to stream trainer-led workout classes or anything else, you can.

The Sole E35 also pairs with the Sole+ App to track your workout history and give you access to some trainer-led studio classes on different equipment, including ellipticals. This app is free and is nice to have for the variety and it makes pairing your phone to the E35 really simple. I recommend using this app to create a profile on the E35, this way your workout history is saved as well as your login information for each of the preloaded apps, so you don’t have to re-login every time you use the E35.

Console

Centered on the console is the 10.1” touch screen. This isn’t the largest screen, but for a midrange elliptical, it is a good size. Everything is well within reach and easy to see on the E35. The screen is fixed into the console, and the entire console tilts up and down slightly, depending on your height.

The Sole E35 has pretty good functionality on the console.

There aren’t many adjustment buttons. Besides the stop and start buttons, you have to use the adjustment buttons on the moving handles to adjust the resistance and incline levels. Arrowed buttons for these would be a nice addition to the console, but the handle buttons are easy enough to use and reach.

The fan is pretty weak. It’s positioned at the top of the console and you can angle the vents to point the air at you, but it is too weak to really cool you off. The speakers surround the fan and point at you. They can be heard, but we wish the volume went a little bit louder. Some streaming videos are quieter than others, therefore they’re a little harder to hear. You just have to adjust the volume on the screen, but it’s pretty easy to do this while using the E35.

The Sole E35 Elliptical now has a wireless charging pad. (The phone with this adorable photo of my cat isn’t included).

It works with compatible phones and there’s a ledge below the pad to hold your phone when it’s charging. This ledge also serves as a device rack. There is of course a device rack above the screen that has an adjustable top clip for larger tablets, too. A large oversized cupholder is below the console for your water. All in all, the layout of the console is intuitive and comes with everything you need.

Construction

As far as size, the Sole E35 isn’t the largest or smallest elliptical we’ve tested. It is somewhere around the middle and I think its size makes it work well for people of most heights. It has an impressive 350 lb weight capacity, and a lifetime frame and flywheel warranty that indicates a well-built machine. It performed well for us too, but I’ll get into that in a little bit.

Frame

The frame is long and fairly narrow.

Ellipticals, in general, are large machines so it is best to have a designated space for the E35. It also doesn’t fold up. The steel frame supports the base with 3 floor stabilizers. Under each stabilizer are 2 leveling feet that the elliptical rests on. The rear 4 leveling feet are adjustable with a wrench to help prevent rocking. The front 2 feet aren’t adjustable. On a future upgrade, we’d like to see these feet be adjustable, too. It is nice to be able to adjust the rear feet if you need to though and the E35 was stable to use for us.

Pedals

The pedals are large at 15” long and 8” wide to support most people.

The bottom is textured and the ridge around the sides and front of each pedal prevents your feet from being able to slide off. This oversized design makes them compatible to use with athletic shoes. They aren’t padded like other pedals we’ve used like the NordicTrack AirGlide 14i, but they’re comfortable enough.

They do adjust in 2 different positions to be fairly flat and angled downward at the front, depending on which is more comfortable for you.

There is a red handle at the back of each pedal to pull to adjust between the 2 settings. These pedals don’t adjust as much as the higher-end E95 model, but I don’t think they need to. We found that the 2 settings were enough for us to each get a comfortable angle. The point of the adjustability of these pedals is to help prevent toe numbness since your toes don’t lift off the pedals. Numbness in your feet is common and this is a great way to minimize it.

The pedals move in a standard elliptical motion that is primarily forward and back. The stride length isn’t adjustable like the NordicTrack FS14i FreeStride Trainer, so you’re getting a typical elliptical exercise from this machine. The stride length is 20” which is a good range for most users, especially those who are taller.

Handles

The moving handles also move in a standard elliptical movement of forward and backward. This allows you to get a total-body low-impact workout when you use the E35. The handles offer multiple areas to grip, depending on your height and which upper body muscles you want to target. I’m 5’1” and the middle to lower handles are most comfortable for me, while the middle to upper handles are most comfortable for our reviewers over 6’.

These handles have a grippy texture so your hands don’t slip, and even though the adjustment buttons are positioned at the top, I can reach them just fine.

The lower handles are non-moving which makes them beneficial for lower body targeted training and getting on and off the machine. The pedals move, even when it’s unplugged so these handles provide a stationary place to hold while getting on and off. These handles also have pulse grips to check in with your heart rate while holding them. You can use a compatible heart rate monitor or your Garmin Watch for more accurate heart rate tracking by pairing it to the screen though.

Flywheel

The Sole E35 has a nicely weighted 25 lb flywheel. The flywheel is what helps to contribute to the overall stability of the machine (along with the frame). It also makes the pedal strokes feel smooth, even, and consistent because of the evenly weighted flywheel. When it comes to flywheels, we like to see ones that weigh over 20 lbs. Typically less than this can cause the machine to feel a little lacking in quality and stability.

The flywheel is positioned on the front of the E35 under the console.

It is a front-drive elliptical which makes it a little more compact than rear-drive ellipticals. I like this design because it keeps the weight centered at the front of the machine and it helps to keep the console stable and in place. We didn’t experience any shaking of the screen or console while using the Sole E35.

Incline

This elliptical offers 20 levels of incline, which helps add more variety to your workouts.

The incline lifts the pedals and places your body in a slightly different position to target more of your posterior leg muscles than when you’re at level 1, which is the lowest level.

One aspect of the incline that is important to consider, is that it raises you up higher than when you’re at no incline. Factoring in the step-up height, plus your height, and the incline is important to make sure your ceiling is tall enough to comfortably use the Sole E35. The step-up height (from the lowest pedal at level 1 incline to the floor) is 14” high and it increases to 16” when fully inclined to level 20.

Resistance

The E35 also offers 20 levels of adjustable magnetic resistance. The amount of resistance is a good range. The highest level isn’t quite as much as I’ve used on commercial ellipticals, but it makes for a great workout. It is also nice to be able to add in that incline feature with the resistance for more variability.

The magnetic resistance makes the E35 practically silent. The incline can be heard adjusting, but it’s still pretty quiet, too.

Performance & Functionality

Overall, we’re really pleased with the performance of the Sole E35 Elliptical. This midrange model is a good-sized machine with great training options and included streaming content that’s packed into a quiet, stable design.

The E35 is great for most homes and people because it doesn’t generate very much sound and it is an accommodating size for most. Our team ranges in height from 6’5” down to 5’1” (me), and we all found the E35 to be really comfortable. With its solid construction, we anticipate users should be able to get a lot of use out of the E35. It also is a good option if you have multiple people in your home who want to use the elliptical. The E35 has the option to save multiple profiles on the screen, making it more convenient for multiple users.

Even though 20” stride lengths on ellipticals are usually a little long for my short legs, the stride length is comfortable on the E35, especially compared to the larger E95 model.

I think that is because the frame is slightly narrower so the pedals and handles are a little closer together on the E35. This geometry makes the E35 comfortable for me, while still accommodating to taller folks.

The E35 weighs 211 lbs so it is heavy and sizable, which is typical for most quality ellipticals. It isn’t as compact as the ProForm Pro HIIT H14, but since it provides a standard elliptical workout with horizontal-moving pedals, its longer footprint is understandable and comparable to other standard ellipticals. We recommend keeping the E35 in a designated space while you use it and when it’s stored, it can be moved when needed.

There is a rear-mounted handle at the base of the rear floor stabilizer.

When you lift it up, it tips up the backend of the machine to engage the front-mounted transportation wheels to move it around. Just keep in mind that the E35 is pretty heavy, so moving it might not be possible for some people.

Warranty

Sole includes an impressive lifetime warranty for the frame and flywheel. A 2-year electronics/parts, 1-year labor, and 90-day cosmetic items warranty is included, too. Due to the size and weight of the E35, it is best to have at least 2 people for assembly.