Sole E95s Elliptical Review – 2023

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Last Updated: August 4, 2023

The Sole E95S is a quality elliptical with an adjustable stride length, front-drive steel frame, and a high weight capacity of 400 pounds. This elliptical is a step up from the E95 with a slightly higher price tag, but you get a lot of functionality. In this review of the Sole E95s Elliptical, we’ll take you through what to expect.

The Sole E95S is a front-drive elliptical which means the 30-pound flywheel is at the front of the machine. The E95S is designed for heavier, more frequent use than the E95 and features an impressive lifetime warranty on the frame and flywheel. The many adjustable features help support various-sized users. You get power adjustable stride length from 18” to 24”, a lot of content options on the console, and 20 levels of resistance and incline. There are plenty of onboard workouts to choose from as well as manual mode to do your own thing. The 13.3” touch screen is centered for good visibility and the handlebars offer multiple grips to activate different upper body muscles or support users of varying heights. We are impressed with the design and solid frame on the E95S and think this elliptical should work well for most people.

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Why You Should Trust Our Review Of The Sole E95s Elliptical

When it comes to Sole machines, we’ve used many of them so we know what to expect from their lineup of ellipticals, treadmills, and exercise bikes. Sole makes really solid, heavy-duty machines, so we relied heavily on our experience using ellipticals like the Sole E95 to form this spec review of the E95s. We are personal trainers and fitness instructors who test and review all kinds of fitness equipment. Our goal is to help you make informed buying decisions, we bring you this review of the Sole E95s to help you decide if it’s for you.

Summary

The Sole E95 has many impressive features that make it an impressive elliptical machine. The adjustable stride length allows users of all sizes to use the E95S. An increased weight capacity and heavier flywheel round out the package to give you some impressive features and stable construction. The E95s has a higher price tag than other ellipticals, but we feel you get a lot for your money here. The stability of the frame makes a big difference since we find many of the lower-priced ellipticals have a tendency to rock when in use. This paired with the touch screen to feature nice training and content options, makes the E95s stand out.

In-depth Review of Sole E95s Elliptical

Onboard Workouts, Apps, and Features

The Sole E95s Elliptical has been updated to feature a touch screen with a lot of included content. The E95s includes onboard workout programs with preset resistance levels to follow along with as you workout. There is also a manual mode to adjust the elliptical as you workout, too.

In the “All Programs” section, you’ll find templates to create custom workouts to save, as well as fitness tests where you can put yourself to the test to see how in or out of shape you are. All of these are pretty standard but have nice options and functionality to add structure to your training.

The E95s also includes preloaded streaming apps like Hulu, Youtube, Spotify, and Netflix to stream from. These come available to use without an additional subscription, too. So, all you need to do is log into your account for each app and stream while using the Sole E95s.

If you don’t find something to stream with these apps, you can also mirror content from your phone on the touch screen and play the content through the elliptical speakers. We’ve noticed on other Sole machines that this feature is available for Android devices just yet, but I’ve had no problem mirroring my iPhone.

The Sole E95s also connects to the Sole+ app for an easy way to create a profile and pair your phone. I recommend creating a profile and not just using the guest profile so you don’t have to log into the apps every time you use the E95s, and so you can save your workout stats and history.

We’ve spent a lot of time using the new consoles on the new Sole treadmills, bikes, and other ellipticals, so we assume the features and functionality should be very similar on the E95s.

Console

The E95s console now includes a 13.3” touch screen. Ellipticals tend to have slightly smaller screen sizes in general than some treadmills, so this screen size should be plenty large for most people. It is centered in between the handles and should be clear and easy to navigate. It doesn’t appear to be adjustable.

The adjustment buttons seem to be a little limited. There aren’t any quick adjusting numbered buttons to skip to certain resistance and incline levels. The buttons on the handles are nice for adjusting the resistance on the right and incline on the left, though.

We’re a little unsure of how powerful the fan and speakers will be. The fans on Sole’s other equipment are typically weak, so we assume this one is, too. The speakers should be clear but it is impossible to know until we can get the E95s in our studio for testing.

There is a wireless charging pad for compatible phones to charge while working out. We really like this added feature, it is convenient. There is also an extra lip underneath to hold your phone when charging and mirroring content. There is also an adjustable device rack above the screen if you want to stream content from your own device.

A large oversized cupholder is below the console for your water bottle or whatever else you might need nearby. The front stationary handles also have pulse grips built in so you can check your heart rate while holding them. The E95s also should pair with a Garmin watch like other Sole equipment for more accurate tracking.

Construction

The Sole E95s has a standard front-drive elliptical design. Sole claims it is their most versatile elliptical. We definitely like its features and the looks of its construction. It comes with a lifetime frame and flywheel warranty as well as a 400 lb weight limit to indicate a well-built machine.

Frame

The E95s frame has a few key features you can see just by looking at it. For example, this elliptical has an upright design with a front-mounted flywheel. The front position keeps the footprint of the E95s a bit smaller with all the weight localized on the front end which enhances stability. The frame does not fold up, but there are wheels on the front stabilizer so you can lift and roll it if needed – be aware though, this is a heavy machine at 275 lbs so it probably isn’t easy to lift. It is most likely best to try to keep it in a designated area in your home. The frame is grounded on three stabilizers, with one at the front, center, and rear of the machine. Each stabilizer beam has leveling feet beneath it to keep the E95s balanced and centered on your floor which helps to prevent rocking and wobble side to side.

There is also a double-track system under the pedals. Most ellipticals have a single-track system, but the double bars help to add more stability and strength and allow for a higher weight capacity on the E95s.

The frame is a heavy gauge steel that is reinforced throughout with smooth welding and seamless joints. You can see the handlebars connect directly to the foot pedals for a fluid synchronized motion between hands and feet. The multi-position handlebars also allow for several different grip positions depending on your height.

Pedals

The foot pedals have several features that make them versatile as well as convenient for most. As you can see, the surface of the pedal is gently textured with a contoured edge to hold your foot on without slipping off the side or front. The pedals are oversized and should support any size athletic shoe.

Another unique feature of the E95s is each pedal has a two-degree inward slope which reduces ankle and knee stress common on elliptical machines. There is also an adjustable leveling feature that allows you to find the right angle for your stride. The pedals can be adjusted to articulate as necessary which reduces the incidence of numb toes and sore Achilles tendons that may result from improper foot alignment in the pedal.

In addition to the articulation adjustment, the E95s pedals also can be lengthened or shortened to match your stride length. These pedals will extend to match a stride length from 18” up to 24”. Different lengths will also target different muscle groups, so you can engage hamstrings, glutes, calves, and quads with different settings. The adjustable stride length is nice so people of various heights can use the E95s comfortably. I like using ellipticals with adjustable stride lengths.

Handles

The E95s has both static handlebars with heart rate sensors and multi-position moving handlebars that move in line with the pedals. The static handlebars sit below the console and are attached to the main frame. These are stationary and do not move. These provide a nice hand-hold for getting on and off the machine. We’ve used other ellipticals that do not have stationary handlebars, and it can be difficult to get on and off the machine safely when there aren’t any solid handlebars to grab onto. We like the fact that Sole includes both these stationary handles as well as moving ones.

The multi-position handlebars that move in line with the pedals have several grip positions. These bars form an elongated semi-circle that provides two vertical and two horizontal positions. There are also buttons on these handlebars for adjusting the stride length on the pedals. The moving handles are angled up to provide a vertical grip so you can keep your wrists, elbows, and shoulders in alignment while in use.

Incline

The E95s has 20 levels of incline. This increases training variables for a more well-rounded workout. The combination of digital resistance levels and an incline range can certainly generate one glute-killing workout! The combination of incline and resistance makes the E95s a challenging but low-impact workout machine.

Incline is automated in the onboard programs, so you can start any program and the machine will adjust for you as you progress. This allows users to keep their hands on the handles at all times.

Resistance

The E95s uses magnetic resistance to increase the challenge as you work. The magnetic resistance is most likely quiet and smooth. Magnets adjacent to the flywheel oppose the wheel’s rotation to create resistance. There is no friction which reduces both noise and wear on the flywheel. There are 20 levels to choose from.