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The Sole E25 is an entry-level elliptical with a few smart features hidden in its low-tech display. Read this review of the Sole E25 Elliptical to learn more about its powerful and affordable design.
Updated: December 5, 2023
The Sole E25 may not have the smart touchscreen display found on many of the brand’s other ellipticals, but it keeps the durable design. The E25’s build may be most comfortable for smaller users. Its smaller footprint is better for smaller spaces. The Sole E25 has onboard training programs and Bluetooth connectivity. Ellipticals offer full-body training with a low-impact stride and moving arms. The Sole E25’s incline and resistance capabilities allow users to train intensely but without the high impact of a treadmill. I’ll recount my experience using this elliptical and how it performed in this review of the Sole E25 Elliptical.
The Sole E25 has a steel frame with a black powder coating to resist corrosion from sweat. The elliptical feels very durable and supportive. There are six stabilizers. The four rear stabilizers are adjustable, but you have to use a wrench to adjust or tighten them. The E25 is one of Sole’s most compact ellipticals, so it is a good choice for users trying to save as much space as possible. The elliptical weighs 209 lbs. A grab bar is attached to the rear stabilizer, so you can lift the elliptical onto its two front transport wheels. Moving the elliptical around a short distance is possible for one strong user, but I would not recommend it. The E25 will perform best when kept in a dedicated space.
The flywheel is 20 lbs, which is a decent weight for an elliptical. The E25 has a magnetic resistance which moves magnets closer to the flywheel to slow it when you increase the resistance level. The flywheel moves smoothly whether you are training at an easy or hard level. The highest level of resistance is quite challenging, and I had to really work to keep the machine moving.
The pedals are oversized. Unlike the other Sole ellipticals, the pedals do not adjust and are not padded. Still, I found them very comfortable and had no foot soreness. Users who are more prone to foot soreness may need more cushioned shoes when using this elliptical, because you do not have the ability to adjust the pedals. The pedals measure about 15 inches long and 6 inches wide, so there is plenty of room for most users’ shoes. The pedals are textured, and I never felt my feet slipping around. When positioned at their lowest, the pedals have a step-up height of about 13 inches.
The Sole E25 has moving handles and stationary handles. The moving handles do not have extra grip options. They are padded. There are incline and resistance buttons at the top of the moving handles. These are convenient for the exerciser, so you don’t have to interrupt your workout to change the elliptical settings. The stationary handles allow users to isolate their legs and retain their balance on the elliptical.
The stride length is 20 inches long. At 5’4”, I felt very comfortable training on this elliptical. The pedals are positioned closer together than those of the Sole E95, which felt more natural to me. The narrow pedal spacing kept me from shifting my weight from side to side as much as I do on a wider elliptical. Smaller users may like the stride width and length of the E25 more than larger ellipticals.
20 levels of incline raise the elliptical ramp up for more training variability. It doesn’t make using the treadmill that much harder, but it changes your positioning to work the muscles from another angle. The incline adjustment is smooth.
Low-tech users will appreciate the simplicity of the E25 elliptical. If you prefer to train with content on your phone or tablet, the E25 is a good choice, because you won’t be paying for features you won’t use. Yet, the E25 does have some smart abilities that give you a great variety of training.
Instead of a touchscreen display, the Sole E25 has an LCD screen. It shows all of your metrics, such as speed, total time, distance, resistance level, and incline. There is a display button located on the console to toggle between your metrics. This button allows you to view your watts, lap time, and other metrics.
Buttons are aplenty on the E25. There’s a fan button opposite the display button. Beneath these two buttons, there are buttons for each training option. I appreciate these buttons, because they simplify onscreen navigation. The last row of buttons are the resistance and incline controls, the start and stop buttons, and an enter button for option selection.
Pressing the buttons generates a loud beeping noise, but this feature can be turned off. It was one of the first things I looked for while testing this treadmill, because I know anyone who is training while children are sleeping or family members are workingn will need quiet. The elliptical manual walks you through finding the engineering mode/setting screen where you can control this feature and others. Even with the key tone turned off, the elliptical will beep loudly when you hold down the stop button to clear a completed workout. Keep this in mind if you are trying not to disturb others in your household.
The LCD screen is busy, but it is backlit for easy viewing in low light. The bottom of the screen is where you will find all of the user messages to help you navigate the programs and settings. It was easy for me to start training, because I did not need to study the manual to set up the programs. It’s a very user-friendly interface.
There is a single cup holder on the E25. It is fairly small, so you can not store very many objects or a large water bottle. The cup holder is sturdy, so your belongings will not fall out while you are training.
The Sole E25’s fan has only one speed. This fan is actually one of the better fans I have tested on Sole products. I felt the cooling breeze while I was training, but it wasn’t the strongest. It was also pretty loud for its output.
There are two device racks on the Sole E25. There is one rack at the top of the console, which has a top clip for securing your device in place. This is the best option for users who want to see all of the onscreen metrics while also viewing training or entertainment content on a phone or tablet. Additionally, there is a tablet rack beneath the screen. A phone fits sideways in this rack without obscuring too much of the screen, but larger devices will cover up some of the onscreen information.
The speakers are powerful enough to hear while training but not much more. The sound is not as clear as I would like, and I had to train with my volume maximized to hear some types of content. You can pair your device via Bluetooth. The speakers will be named ‘BT_speakers.’ I wish Sole would name its device speakers with the equipment name included.
I mentioned the Bluetooth speakers, but the Sole E25 also has a Bluetooth connection that pairs to the console, not the speakers. This connection, which is called ‘E25,’ allows you to connect a Sole+ app or a heart rate monitor. Most Bluetooth heart rate monitors should connect with the E25.
The E25 has stationary handles in addition to moving handles. These handles are a great place to rest your hands if you do not want to train your upper body and prefer to isolate your lower body. They also have pulse grips which allow you to keep track of your heart rate while training.
The Sole E25 provides a training experience that I like just as much as my experience on higher end machines. Of course, you sacrifice the smart training features you would find on a touchscreen, but the Sole E25’s performance is just as smooth and steady as other machines. I’m a small woman (5’4”), so I really appreciated the E25’s build. The handles were narrower and fit nicely in my hands. Larger and taller users may not like the geometry of the E25 as much.
Training on the E25 was smooth and challenging. I’m used to going slow and steady with a higher resistance on an elliptical, but the E25 performed surprisingly well when I tried to move at a faster pace. The Sole E25’s resistance was challenging enough that even experienced elliptical users should get a good workout. Even the easiest level felt smooth. I really like the resistance range and knowing I can get a good workout in on the E25.
The Sole E25 has onboard training. These preset training programs include the hill, fatburn, cardio, strength, two user-defined programs, and two heart rate programs. You can set the time and maximum level of these workouts. The user defined programs allow you to adjust the resistance and incline level for each segment of the workout. It can be a tedious procedure, but it allows you to repeat the same workout in the future. The heart rate training programs provide users the option of training at 60% or 80% of their heart rate. These programs are simple, but provide a good variety of training with the E25’s incline and resistance features.
The Sole E25 also pairs with the Sole Plus app. This app can automatically start and stop the elliptical, but it does not control the incline or resistance settings. Sole now provides free training on through this app when it is paired with a Sole cardio machine. As a new feature for Sole, this integration could use some work, but it is good to see Sole offering free trainer-led content. The E25’s speakers are a little quiet, and some of the Sole Plus videos are barely audible. You may be better off using your device’s speakers in some cases. The Sole Plus app keeps track of all of your elliptical workouts and can be paired with your Garmin Connect account to store all of your workouts in one place.
The Sole E25 Elliptical is a great value cardio machine. The combination of features, performance quality, build, and price just make sense. The Sole E25 may not have the smart features found on Sole’s pricier machines, but it is smooth and challenging. The handles and pedals are comfortable even if they do not offer the variety of other ellipticals, such as multiple grip options and pedal positions. The E25 makes the best of what it offers and has a frame and brake system covered by a lifetime warranty. The Sole E25 is a great option for any elliptical shopper, but may be particularly beneficial for petite users and athletes adding cross-training to their cardio routine.
