Ohiyo!

Tonight I am continuing my ongoing reviews of the brand new 2008 Sole Fitness Ellipticals and Treadmills. Sole has done an incredible job in their upgrades, which in the ellipticals consists mainly of thicker, sturdier tubing on their supports. You have no idea how great it is to see a fitness manufacturer who has found a near perfect design and then stuck with it, without making meaningless changes. Sole continues to produce some of the best award-winning ellipticals around.

The elliptical I want to single out for today is the 2008 Sole E95 Elliptical trainer. We picked our review model up by ordering it direct from Sole Fitness. With the current trend of some of the shadier retailers who like to use bait-and-switch and other tactics to bully you in to the wrong equipment (something I talked about in-depth recently), we’ve found the two best places to order your Sole E95 are at Amazon.com, Sole’s largest authorized distributor, or direct from the manufacturer, Sole Fitness, itself. These are the only two ways to make sure you are getting exactly what you order and the only way to guarantee that your warranty will be support. Luckily, you’ll be able to get the best prices online from them as well.

Best Buy Elliptical Award runner up for Best Elliptical under $2000

The Sole E95 was one of the runner ups this year for the Treadmill Sensei’s Ichi-Ban Best Buy Awards for an elliptical priced at under $2000 and, to tell the truth, it was a solid contender for the top spot. With the upgraded heavy duty tubing and slick new design, the Sole E95 has carried over all the features from last year that made it a top rated elliptical.

It’s got 20 levels of magnetic resistance to allow even a hardcore user to tweak their workouts to meet their fitness needs.

It still has 10 workout programs, including heart rate control programs, as well as wireless and pusle grip heart rate monitoring options. It also still possesses Sole’s patented 2% inward incline pedals. Those pedals, some of the most comfortable on the market, are also articulating and adjustable. For anyone getting on a Sole E95 Elliptical for the first time, my recommendation is to play with the pedal adjustment. What may seem like a minor tweak may wind up giving you an incredible feeling work out.

The Sole E95 strangely is listed with a 29 pound flywheel this year. I have absolutely no clue as to why Sole has changed the spec on this because, when you take it apart, it seems to be the exact same flywheel as was in the E95 Ellipticalcrosstrainer last year. A lot of manufacturer’s play with their specifations on paper to mess with consumer reactions to a product and to show some sort of change has taken this place. In this case, the two flywheels are the same.

The Sole E95 Elliptical has all the features to make it a great elliptical. From the comfortable, naturally positioned and padded footpedals, to the four rear wheels which ride along rails (as opposed to the two rear wheels often found on lesser ellipticals), the Sole E95 shines.

The only reason the Sole E95 elliptial receives a ranking just short of perfect is because of the plastic guide rails on the back of the unit. This year the plastic is quite a bit more sturdy than in years past (and sturdier than what you’ll find in its lesser counterpart, the Spirit XE ), but it still seems a little wrong to me. While the user manual states you shouldn’t stand on the plastic guiderail shrouds on the Sole E95 Elliptical, most people will end up doing so – often accidentally. This would be ok except the plastic will crack under too much abuse. This is a minor nitpick on an otherwise great machine because the plastic shrouds do help protect the elliptical’s railings from dirt and dust, but I would have like to have seen the Sole E95 elliptical trainer with a metal shroud instead of a plastic one.

For being just short of a perfect performing elliptical crosstrainer, the Treadmill Sensei gives the Sole E95 Elliptical 4.5 out of 5 Golden Buddahs.

The Sole E95 receives a near perfect 4.5 gold buddahs out of 5.

Get more information on the Sole E95 Elliptical. Find the best price online, avoid gray market bait-and-switch, protect your warranty and Save More with Free Shipping!

You can also order the Sole E95 from Sole Direct and save more with Free Shipping and Pay NO TAX

Sole E95 Elliptical 2008 Specifications
Stride: 20″
Flywheel: Listed at 29lbs but same as last year’s 30lb flywheel
Display: LED
Programs: 10
Resistance Levels: 20
Heart Rate Monitor: Yes
Heart Rate Control: Yes
Articulating Pedals: Yes
Adjustable Pedals: Yes
Max User weight: 400lbs
Product weight: 215lbs
Price: Under $1700

-The Treadmill Sensei
http://www.treadmillsensei.com

Ohiyo!

This past month, the Treadmill Sensei has been able to track down a few of the 2008 Sole ellipticals and treadmills. The units are cosmetically a little different than models from the previous years, and some key components have been upgraded, but overall they are still essentially the same best buy award winning units from years past.

Today I want to talk about the 2008 Sole E25 Elliptical – you can read my review of the previous year’s model here. For over three years now, the Sole E25 Elliptical has been one of the best performing, highest quality elliptical priced at under $1000. This year, Sole has done some nice upgrades to the machine while keeping it at the same fantastic price and allowing new elliptical shoppers a chance to purchase on of the smoothest, most natural feeling ellipticals on the market.

2008 Ichi-Ban Best Buy Award Winner.

I’m going to start with the only thing that could even remotely being considered a downside to the Sole E25 elliptical: the lack of heart rate control programs. Aside from wanting to differentiate this unit from the Sole E35, I don’t really know why Sole didn’t decide to make the upgrade to heart rate contol on the Sole E25 – you’re talking about a fairly simply electronic component. However, 95% of elliptical owners never actually use heart rate contol during their workouts, so it is a very minor little quibble.

Assembling the 2008 Sole E25 is almost identical to models from previous years. The precision machining Sole uses means putting it together should be a snap. If you can get someone to assist you, it might take 30-45 minutes and comes with almost no frustration involved. If you’re looking for more frustration in your ellipticals, I’d suggest a unit from Proform, Bodyguard or Spirit. If you want something easy and unannoying, then stick with the Sole.

Aside from the lack of heart rate control, the Sole E25 is nearly a perfect elliptical machine. This year Sole has added slightly thicker tubing to give the already stable e25 elliptical even more solidity and sturdiness. Normally you’ll feel a wobbly, side-to-side shake on most budget ellipticals, such as those from Proform or Spirit, but with the addition of the heavier supports and a nearly 200 pound unit weight, the Sole E25 will hold up to the heavier workouts that go on with those of us who are trying to lose those extra pounds gained over the holidays. When you factor in the heavy flywheel – listed at 23 pounds but identical to the flywheels on the more expensive Sole ellipticals like the E35 or E55 – and Sole’s patented 2% inward incline on the pedals, the solid construction of the Sole E25 provides one of the most natural feeling elliptical workouts on the market.

Sole has done an excellent job with the 2008 upgrade of the Sole E25. This year, in addition to the heavier frame, the Sole E25 now features 20 levels of resistance and 10 programs – that’s up from 16 resistance levels and 6 programs on the 2006/2007 version of the E25. It’s nice to see an elliptical manufacturer actually coming through with a worthwhile upgrade.

For continuing to be one of our favorite budget best buy ellipticals under $1000, the Treadmill Sensei gives the 2008 Sole E25 Elliptical 5 out of 5 golden buddahs.

As still one of the best budget ellipticals and best buy ellipticals under $1000, the Sole E25 comes through once more with 5 gold buddahs.

We have found the lowest price online for the Sole E25. Don’t be fooled into paying $90 or more for shipping. Click to get more information or find out how to Save more with FREE Shipping and no Tax.

2008 Sole E25 Elliptical Specifications
Stride Length: 20 inches
Flywheel: 23lbs
Articulating Foot Pedals: Yes
Resistance Levels: 20
Display: Blue LCD
Readouts: Time, Distance, Calories, Levels
Programs: 10
Heart Rate Monitor: Yes
Heart Rate Control: No
Fans: Yes
Max Weight Capacity: 325 lbs.
Unit weight: 190lbs
Price: Under $1000

Ohiyo!

Today the Treadmill Sensei is going to continue with my reviews of the 2008 Sole treadmills and ellipticals. This time around I want to talk about the outstanding Sole E55 elliptical. This unit has been around for a few years now and Sole has done an excellent job with it. This year they’ve updated a few things but kept it almost exactly the same as last year. As with the other 2008 Sole equipment, this was a stroke of brilliance on the part of Sole management. Heck, when you’ve got a best buy award winning line of equipment, why would you change it?

For all intents and purposes the Sole E35 and Sole E55 ellipticals are the same unit. The only real difference comes in the form of the console and heart rate control programs the Sole E55 has. Yes, it has a slightly different monitor, but aside from the HR Control programs it doesn’t do anything beyond what the console of the Sole E35 does.

In regards to the flyhweels being listed as being of different weights for each machine…as I’ve mentioned in a few other spots, the flywheels actually appear to be identical and one could be used for the other. I believe this is the same flywheel that was used in all of the Sole products last year (or one very similar). Strangely enough this flywheel was listed as being 30 pounds. I think Sole is just trying to help customers differentiate product with those different flywheel weights, but in reality I’m very much of the mind that they are the same.

So really what you’ve got with the Sole E55 is the exact same great elliptical as the Sole E35 but with the addition of heart rate control. HR Control, if you use it, is an outstanding feature and gives that extra little “Umph” to the Sole E55 and makes the elliptical well worth the additional $150 it costs. However, if you’re like most owners, it is a feature you will never actually use and that makes it a bit of a waste. In other words, if you use HRC programs then the Sole E55 and its higher price tag make perfect sense, but if you’re the average joe customer then you should save that $150 and stick with the Sole E35.

For being a top rated machine but for not being enough of an upgrade, the Treadmill Sensei gives the 2008 Sole E55 Elliptical 4 out of 5 Golden Buddahs.

The Sole E55 is a fantastic machine IF you make use of heart rate control programs. If you don’t, then make sure to check out the 2008 Sole E35 elliptical instead and save yourself $150.

Get the absolute Lowest Price online for the Sole E55 — Save More with Free Shipping, Pay No Tax and protect your warranty

2008 Sole E55 Elliptical Specifications
Stride: 20″
Flywheel: 27 lbs
Articulating Pedals: Yes
Programs: 8
Resistance: 20 Levels
Display: LCD
Heart Rate Monitor: Pulse grip and wireless
Heart Rate Control: Yes
Max Weight Capacity: 375 lbs
Elliptical Weight: 200 lbs
Parts Warranty: 5 years
Labor Warranty: 2 years
Price: Under $1450

-The Treadmill Sensei
http://www.treadmillsensei.com

Ohiyo!

The Treadmill Sensei really hates fitness manufacturers because they keep putting out new treadmills and ellipticals every year. Sheesh, can’t they just take a year off so I can catch up! Don’t they see that I’m freakin’ swamped here!!

Seriously, though, every year fitness manufacturers release either all new equipment or ugraded, updated versions of their older equipment. Just like the auto industry, the next year’s new equipment starts appearing in June or August of the previous year. So what I’m going to do here at the DOJO for the next week or so is to focus on the new 2008 models of previously released equipment. This will, I hope, help everyone see what new offerings are available on some old favorite machines.

Today I want to talk about the brand new, 2008 Sole E35 Elliptical. With its newly redesigned ellipticals, Sole Fitness continues to deliver some of the best feeling, most comfortable and most natural feeling ellipticals available for under $2000. It’s easy to see why the Hilton and Omni Hotels have chosen Sole to exclusively provide equipment for their hotel chains. For the past 2 years the Sole E35 has come away with the Ichi-Ban Best Buy Award for an Elliptical under $1500 and, if Sole keeps up their quality and innovation, I expect it to continue to win in the future.

Winner of the 2007-2008 Ichi-Ban Award for Best Buy Elliptical Under $1500.

In an effort to further differentiate their product from Spirit Fitness Ellipticals, this year Sole has redesigned the Sole E35 Elliptical. They’ve kept the best features from the past and fine-tuned the Sole E35 to be, once again, one of the best ellipticals available on the market today.

The first thing I want to mention about the Sole E35 unit we received in here at the DOJO is just how freaking great the new design looks. Now, I know that has absolutely nothing to do with the E35′s performance but it is worth mentioning. The new Sole E35 has surpassed the great look of last year’s model and is now one of the spiffiest looking machines I’ve had the pleasure to work on.

Next, I want to mention the flywheel on the Sole E35. Flywheels have been a bit of a shell game when it comes to elliptical manufacturers. It’s really hard to tell what is there under the shroud and what a manufacturer is basing their weight estimates on. This year Sole has given different flywheel weights to all of its ellipticals. However, and this is based purely on our observations here at the DOJO, the flywheels all seem to be exactly the same again this year as they were last year (and actually look to be the same flywheel drive as last year). I truly believe they only gave the Sole E35 and E55 different flywheel weights in order to allow their salespeople to “upgrade” consumers to a “better” unit for more money. The only significant difference we found in the SOle E35 and Sole E55 ellipticals was in the heart rate control programs. That’s it. The two ellipticals have the same exact feel when you get on them…and it’s a very nice workout feel.

The elliptical itself is slightly beefier than last year’s model, weighing in at about 15-20 pounds heavier and with an increased maximum user weight capacity (375 pounds this year versus 300 last year). This comes from a slightly heavier duty shroud around the flywheel and an upgrade in the unit’s tubing. Individually it doesn’t amount to much, but when you add it up you’ve got a much more solid elliptical in the new Sole E35 and one that will handle much harder and punishing workouts.

There are a few other changes as well, some upgrades and some features have been removed. Most interesting is the lack of heart rate control programs in the Sole E35 this year. Sole must have decided that users in this price range really aren’t interested in the HRC programs and so saved them for the upgraded Sole E55. I do think the heart rate control programs are one of the most misunderstood features in treadmills and ellipticals both. While it is a nice feature to have, most users really have no need for it and will never actually make use of it. If you’re an athlete doing heart rate training or you’ve been set up with one by your doctor for medical reasons, then you’ll want to check out the Sole E55. For everyone else, the Sole E35 is going to be more than enough of an elliptical for your needs.

The 2008 Sole E35 elliptical has also been upgraded to 20 levels of resistance over 16 last year, which is a nice little bit of icing on the cake.

Aside from that, the Sole E35 still has most of the same best buy award winning features as last year – adjusting and articulating foot pedals with a 2% inward incline, a fantastic 20″ stride, 8 programs, pulsegrip and wireless heart rate monitoring and the great Sole warranties and customer service.

Sole has done a great job in their redesign and it’s nice to see a beefier, sturdier Sole E35 elliptical this year. For being the best buy awarding winning elliptical under $1500 for yet another year, the Treadmill Sensei gives the Sole E35 Elliptical 4.5 out of 5 Golden Buddahs.

Another “WOW” from Sole, the Sole E35 elliptical is a best buy elliptical with 4.5 gold buddahs out of 5.

Get the absolute Lowest Price online for the Sole E35 — Save More with Free Shipping, Pay No Tax and protect your warranty

2008 Sole E35 Elliptical Specifications
Stride: 20″
Flywheel: 25 lbs
Articulating Pedals: Yes
Programs: 8
Resistance: 20 Levels
Display: LCD
Heart Rate Monitor: Pulse grip and wireless
Heart Rate Control: No
Max Weight Capacity: 375 lbs
Elliptical Weight: 200 lbs
Parts Warranty: 5 years
Labor Warranty: 2 years
Price: Under $1300

-The Treadmill Sensei
http://www.treadmillsensei.com

Ohiyo!

A few days ago your Treadmill Sensei posted what had to be one of the best sales for a treadmill he’s ever seen. To follow up with that sale, and at the request of quite a few of my loyal readers, I wanted to post a great Elliptical Deal going on right now. As with the Quantum Treadmill sale, Amazon has a simply amazing deal on one of the top ellipticals on the market today (and a two time Ichi-Ban Best Buy Award Winner for Best Elliptical Under $1000), the Sole E25.

Featuring all of Sole’s patented fitness technology: a heavy duty 23+ pound flywheel, large articulating foot pedals with a natural feeling 2 degree inward slope to increase workout comfort, 16 levels of resistance, the best 20″ stride available on a home elliptical, heart rate monitoring, 10 program options and a 325 pound user weight. The Sole E25 is fully loaded and it is very easy to see why it is a best buy award winning elliptical for under $1000.

Now on sale for $899.99, the Sole E25 Elliptical is an Ichi-Ban Best Buy Award Winning Elliptical for Under $1000

Now, for however long Amazon’s sale goes on, it is the absolute best buy elliptical you’ll be able to find for under $900. That’s right, Amazon has dropped the price on the Sole E25 Elliptical Trainer another $100 and made it available for $899.99! This is the single best deal you’ll be able to find for a top rated elliptical for under $1000.

As with the Quantum sale, I have no idea how long Amazon will offer the Sole E25 at this mind-blowing price or how many units they have left. If you’re looking for a commercial quality elliptical for under $1000 — and under $900 — then run, don’t walk over to Amazon and check out the Sole E25 elliptical for $899.99,you won’t be disappointed.

-The Treadmill Sensei
http://www.treadmillsensei.com

Ohiyo!

Do you know what the best part of the Treadmill Sensei’s job is? No, it’s not dating super models. It’s getting to play with a lot of really cool equipment. But, being able to date super models would be great too…although, I doubt Mrs. Sensei would approve!

A lot of the cooler equipment I get to mess around and test comes out of Sole Fitness in Utah. Well, their equipment actually comes out of Taiwan, but Sole is in Utah. And one of the better units to come out of their stable is the Sole E35 Elliptical.

The Sole E35 is easily one of the best ellipticals in the $1001-$1500 range and was the winner of the Ichi-Ban Best Buy Award in that price range for 2006-2007 here on the Treadmill Sensei. It is a great elliptical at price just under $1300.

Winner of the Ichi-Ban Best Buy Award for an elliptical between $1001-$1500

As someone who works on Sole equipment week in and week out, I can tell you that the Sole E35 elliptical is one of the sturdiest units you’ll find under $1300. Weighing in at about 190 lbs and with a 30 lb flywheel, a workout on the E35 is smooth, comfortable and rock solid. This unit shares the same basic frame as the Sole E55 and I think is a slightly better value (although both machines are fantastic) at about $200 less in price. The units are so impressive that Sole inked a deal with Hilton Hotels to provide the units at a majority of the hotel chain’s locations.

With ellipticals you’ll notice that I talk a lot about the comfort of the work out and the shape of the elliptical motion. A lot of companies are producing slightly cheaper machines which are not only a little less stable but also have a “D” shaped pedal motion as opposed to the true elliptical shape and feel of the E35 Elliptical. Sole has done a marvelous job in finding and perfecting one of the best feeling elliptical motions on the market.

The only two problems that I have with the Sole E35 are very minor. The first is the number of programs. Now, most people only use 2-3 programs regularly, but I would have liked to have seen 10-12 programs on a top rated machine like this one.

The second problem is where the Sole E35 ellipticals are sold. If you’re looking to find one offline to try out your only real options are Dick’s Sporting Goods and the Hilton Hotels. I feel that if it were more widely sold that it would be the biggest selling brands on the market. If you’re a bit wary about buying a Sole E35 sight unseen, I’d suggest asking for a 30 day money back guarantee to try out the units because you won’t be disappointed. Most retailers will give it to you on units they have confidence in, such as those by Sole.

For being a top rated elliptical for under $1500, the Treadmill Sensei gives the Sole E35 Elliptical 4.5 out of 5 Golden Buddahs.

The Sole E35 is an Ichi-Ban Best Buy Winner and 4.5 gold buddahs out of 5.

Get the absolute Lowest Price online for the Sole E35 — Save More with Free Shipping, Pay No Tax and protect your warranty

Sole E35 Elliptical Specifications
Stride: 20″
Flywheel: 30 lbs
Programs: 8
Resistance: 16 Levels
Display: LCD
Heart Rate Monitor: Pulse grip and wireless
Heart Rate Control: Yes
Max Weight Capacity: 300 lbs
Elliptical Weight: 190 lbs
Grade: Light Commercial

-The Treadmill Sensei
http://www.treadmillsensei.com

Ohiyo!

One of the popular lines of treadmills and ellipticals right now is by Sole Fitness out of Utah. Their units are all produced by a Taiwanese manufacturer by the name of Dyaco, who is best known for owning Spirit Fitness and having produced equipment for a number of other companies, including Free Spirit, SportsArt, Red Zone and a few others I’m sure I am forgetting in my old age.

Sole itself has been around since around 2002-2003 and have been known more as a repackaging/relabeling company than anything else, as well as being some of the best internet marketers around outside of Smooth Fitness. From what I remember, before Sole hooked up with Dyaco, they were putting out units based on old Reebok Bodytrec designs (does anyone else remember the horrible Sole E89 ellipticals?).

Due to the high quality, mid-range product that Sole sells, they signed a fantastic deal with the Hilton Hotel chains with Sole equipment, which helped to heighten the public’s awareness of the Sole brand. In a further effort to expand their visibility, Sole also signed with Dick’s Sporting goods as their major brick and mortar vendor within the last 2 years.

Overall, thanks to some fine equipment produced by Dyaco, Sole has a very solid line of treadmills and ellipticals which are on the top of most “best buy” lists. The only downside to their product is the aforementioned Compton shipping warehouse. This past year, Sole has greatly improved its shipping department and has become one of the quickest, most reliable fitness equipment shippers around. Combined with its top-notch and highly rated customer service department, Sole is one of the most well rounded fitness manufacturer active in the market today.

Sole contines to be one of the best rated fitness companies by both experts and consumers alike.

Sole Fitness Ellipticals:

• Sole E25 Elliptical – Best Buy elliptical under $1000
• 2008 Sole E25 Elliptical – Best Buy Elliptical under $1000 for 2008
• 2007 Sole E35 Elliptical – Best Buy elliptical from $1001-$1500 for 2006-2007
• 2008 Sole E35 Elliptical - Best Buy Under $1500 for 2007-2008
• 2007 Sole E55 Elliptical – Fantastic upgrade to the Sole E35 for just a little more.
• 2008 Sole E55 Elliptical – 2008 upgrade to great unit
• Sole E95 Elliptical – Best Buy runner up from $1501-$2000.
• 2008 Sole E95 Elliptical – Best Buy Runner Up for under $2000.

Sole Fitness Treadmills:

• Sole F63Treadmill – Ichi-Ban Best Buy Award for a treadmill under $1000.
• 2008 Sole F63 Treadmill – Ichi-Ban Best Buy Award winning treadmill under $1000.
• Sole F80 Treadmill – Nice upgrade to the Sole F63, but be prepared for the higher price.
• 2008 Sole F80 Treadmill – 2008 Best Buy Award Winner Treadmill under $1500
• Sole F83 Treadmill – Decent treadmill in the $1500-$2000 range.
• Sole F85 Treadmill – Best Buy Award for a treadmill under $2000.
• Sole S73 Treadmill – 4 out of 5 golden buddahs.
• Sole S77 Treadmill – One of the best non-folding treadmills on the market.
• Sole TT8 Treadmill – Solid, but over priced treadmill.

-The Treadmill Sensei
http://www.treadmillsensei.com

Ohiyo!

Things have quieted down here at Casa de Treadmill Sensei now that a week has passed since the birth of my grandchild. The quiet gives me time to get back to what is important in life…reviewing treadmills and ellipticals.

Since my son-in-law has been staying with us since the birth (we’re helping take some of the burden off my daughter), I’ve decided to put him to work at the DOJO. We received in 3 Sole E95 ellipticals a week or so ago which are due to be installed at a local apartment complex next week. With that in mind, and with the E95 ellipticals all set up and ready to go, I set my son-in-law on a mission to test the Soles out. In fact, I informed him that a standard elliptical review workout needed to be run for 90 minutes. The poor deluded fool went along with it.

The first thing I had him do was to get on and adjust the pedals on the Sole E95. One of the great features about this machine is the adjustable pedal design which lets you angle the pedals to what is most comfortable for your stride and workout. It’s very nice and it helps cut down on stress to your feet, ankles and Achilles tendons, as well as stops the creeping foot numbness a lot of less ellipticals cause.

From there I had my daughter’s husband launch in to a warm-up program. After a 20 minute warm-up, I got him to really work out using the great selection of programs the Sole E95 comes with. Now, I’ve seen the number of programs mis-listed as 20 on a number of websites, but these units only had 10 programs which is the correct number. Still, with 6 basic programs, 2 heart rates and 2 user-defined, the Sole e95 gives you a lot to work with.

The elliptical performed perfectly. My son-in-law is a medium sized guy at about 5’11″ and 165 pounds, and he’s very athletic. He gave the elliptical as hard a workout as it gave him…and it passed the test. He commented again and again on how sturdy the Sole E95 was and how incredibly smooth the elliptical’s 20″ stride.

All-in-all, the Sole E95 is one of the best elliptical machines under the $2000 price range and competes very well with units up to about $3000. For those who want a heavy duty elliptical that can hold up to a lot of abuse or hard workouts, then the Sole E95 is a winner. For being just about perfect, the Treadmill Sensei gives the Sole E95 elliptical 4.5 out of 5 golden buddahs.

Oh, after the long workout, my son-in-law passed out on one of the DOJO couches. Wimp.

The Sole E95 stood up to a hard core workout by my son-in-law and gets 4.5 gold buddahs out of 5. My son-in-law only gets 3.5 for passing out.

Get more information on the Sole E95 Elliptical. Find the best price online and Save More with Free Shipping!

Sole E95 Elliptical Trainer Specifications
Stride Length: 20″
Flywheel: 30 lbs.
Max User Weight: 400 lbs.
Resistance Levels: 20
Heart Rate Monitor: Pulse grip and wireless
Heart Rate Control: Yes
Programs: 10
Display Type: LED
Elliptical Weight: 215 lbs.

-The Treadmill Sensei
http://www.treadmillsensei.com

Ohiyo!

Happy nearly New Year to you, my loyal readers. Things have been hectic here at the DOJO and we’re expanding over where we were last year. Thankfully, Icon Health & Fitness has been great at marketing and selling its crappy low-end equipment. Their expansion has fueled ours! As a business man, I love the fact that people are buying bad equipment which will end up in our shop for repairs, but as a member of the fitness community I hate the fact they are roping people in to buying their crap.

Luckily, there are still a few companies out there putting out some great equipment. Horizon, Smooth, SportsArt and Sole are all great and I love the fact I don’t get their units in the DOJO very often at all.

Speaking of Sole, one of the great and top rated ellipticals of the last year or so has been the Sole E55. The E55 is a great replacement for the truly horrendous Sole E89 elliptical from a couple of years ago which was based on a Reebok design. Sole got wise after what must have been an insane number of complaints about how uncomfortable the old unit was, and moved on to producing the best buy elliptical under $1500 in the E55.

I’ve actually worked on about 20 of the Sole E55s over the past few months and Sole has done an excellent job in their design. In an attempt to get rid of some of the holiday pounds I’ve gained over the past 2 weeks, I decided to give one of the new Sole E55 ellipticals a good workout and go over the review here.

The first thing you notice when getting on the Sole E55 is just how sturdy the thing is. The unit weighs more than I do and it feels great to work out on. The E55 weighs in at just under 200 pounds and has a monster 30 pound flywheel.

As the pedals start moving, the 20″ stride and Sole’s famous articulating footpads make the ride smooth and comfortable. The articulating (and adjustable) footpads are set just right to give your feet a natural feel and keep your circulation going. If you’ve ever been on an old style elliptical such as the Tunturi, then you know how horrible it feels when your feet get all tingly from the poor circulation the units give you. Another great piece is Sole’s 2% incline on their pedals which feels much more natural than most other elliptical trainers in the E55′s price range.

I ran an hour workout program on the Sole E55 and could have gone on for a lot longer. The unit gives you a good number of programs, 10, but most owners will rarely use more than 3-4 of them. The 20 resistance levels are where the unit shines. They give you a lot of room to work and fine tune your workout.

If you’re looking for a much more reliable and solidly built version of the Spirit XE350 then you absolutely must check out the Sole E55 elliptical. In addition to the higher quality Sole customer service and support, the design of the Sole E55 will fit in a bit better with most rooms. That’s not important to guys like me, but for our wives who make the decisions it can be a deal maker!

A little advice on these units (and any ellipticals with chrome rails): make sure to keep the rails lubricated. You’ll thank me for it. With proper lubrication not only will the unit run almost completely silent, but it will last a lot longer without needing maintenance. Adding the lubricant is as easy as squirting a bit on your finger (or a rag) and running in along the rear bars.

Sole Fitness has done an excellent job with the Sole E55, the Sole E55 gets 4.5 out of 5 golden buddahs. This one of the best buy ellipticals on the market today.

The Sole E55 Elliptical is another 4.5 gold buddahs out of 5 winner.

Get the absolute Lowest Price online for the Sole E55 — Save More with Free Shipping, Pay No Tax and protect your warranty

Sole E55 Elliptical Trainer Specifications
Stride: 20″
Max Weight Capacity: 350 lbs.
Resistance Levels: 16
Hear Rate Control: Yes
Heart Rate Monitor: Yes

-The Treadmill Sensei
http://www.treadmillsensei.com

Ohiyo!

Here at the DOJO I get in a lot of emailing asking me what the best elliptical priced at under $1000 is on the market today. That’s always a tough question to answer because my opinion and what I see as the best may not suit everyon. I can just give you what I think is the best from what I’ve seen and from the units I’ve repaired, set up or reviewed. But you guys keep asking!

Now, based on my experience of just over 20 years now, if I have to be tied down to a single choice for best elliptical under $1000 then it’s going to have to be the Sole E25.

2008 Ichi-Ban Best Buy Award Winner.

By whatever name you want to call it, the Sole E25 elliptical is by far the best elliptical in its price range. What you get is the very comfortable 20″ stride with Sole’s patented 2% inclined pedals (which are a load easier on your feet than a lot of ellipticals — Tunturi, I’m taking to you!). The Sole E25 gives you the closest feel to a commercial grade piece (such as from Life Fitness or Matrix) at a fantastic price.

Truthfully, the Sole E25 is just a stripped down and shortened version of the Sole E35, but you’re really not losing anything important. You’ve got a few less programs (6 on the E25), but most people only ever use one or two. You’ve got a shorter footprint, which is a great thing especially since you keep that longer 20″ stride that all of the Sole ellipticals feature.

If you’re looking for a super heavy duty, high performance elliptical that will stand up to any workout you throw at it and withstand the test of time, you simply can’t go wrong with the Sole E25 Elliptical. It easily ranks as the Treadmill Sensei’s best buy under $1000.

The Sole E25 Elliptical gets 4.5 out 5 of Golden Buddahs. Excellent!

The Sole E25 Elliptical gets a near perfect score of 4.5 gold buddahs out of 5.

Get more information on the Sole E25 Elliptical. Don’t get conned into paying an additional shipping charge from some vendors…Find the lowest price and FREE Shipping HERE.

Sole E25 Elliptical Specifications
Stride Length: 20 inches
Resistance Levels: 16
HR Control: No
Console: Blue LCD
Programs: 6
Heart Rate Monitor: Yes, pulse grip
Fans: Yes
Weight Capacity: 300 lbs.

-The Treadmill Sensei
http://www.treadmillsensei.com