Ordered from Amazon as opposed to Sole as Amazon had a longer return window. Nothing to do with warranty, just their policy on initial delivery. Shipping company was great, they called a day before delivery, then a half hour beforehand. The box was in almost perfect condition. Getting it off the shipping crate caused some cardboard damage, but the machine and foam packing was unharmed. Very thick, double layered cardboard at the bottom. The driver did not want to help me get it in the house, and brought it as far as the step to the patio. It was just one half a step. That's okay, I did not want his help anyway, but if you do, make sure you tell the driver. I would expect he or she (not they or them because there was only 1) would get it past the threshold for you if you told him or her.

I didn't read the instructions other than to make sure I was getting the washers in the right place. I feel like more washers should be used, and certainly better quality washers would be nice; they were a bit soft and deformed during assembly. One of the spring washers did not bend back to its natural spring state one tightened, so what's the point? None of this affects operation - unless you don't use the nylon locking nuts provided and nuts fall off during use.

There was one factory issue I found during installation, would may attribute to others' problems that have been reported. At the end of the rail that the tread is attached to, is a joint that is factory tightened. This is the joint that attaches to the wheel. Because it was tightened while off the wheel, it was not aligned correctly. I found that by loosening it with the allen key and one of the wrenches, then attaching it to the wheel, I had not problems. Prior to loosening it, I could not attach it to the wheel. Could be a huge problem if you force it together.

Got it assembled and initially it was quiet as a mouse then started squeaking loud. Since I did not read the instructions, I'm sure I missed the part about lubricating key areas. So 30 minutes of disassembly later I had it lubricated and it's good to go.

Overall it is a quality machine as expected from Sole (had 2 of their treadmills before). I would like to see more tension on the wheel, but cranking up the tension to 20, and incline to 11, after 20 minutes there's a lot of sweat.

I'm 6' 220lbs, my wife is 5'4" 140lbs and neither of us have issues with height or weight related stability or use.

I've never purchased anything like this from Amazon, so I wasn't sure what to expect. The freight delivery guy was so kind and put the 400 lb. box directly in my garage, which was very helpful as it's over 100 degrees in Texas right now and working on getting the machine out of the box in this heat would've killed me. I am 5'4 and 135 lbs. so not the strongest individual to be tackling a 400 lb. box, however I managed to get the machine into the house on my own. The instructions are complicated and should've been spread out to 12 pages rather than 4... luckily my father is incredibly technical and together we put the elliptical together in under 3 hours. This project would be really difficult to do alone, as there were times where I had to hold a piece in place while he secured it. With that said, I have used it every day since we put it together and besides a little noise on the left side (which I think can be fixed), I've had no problems with it! So far, loving the gym-like feel in my own home.

We got the E98. It arrived on its side (mistakenly, tho thankfully nothing was crushed) on a pallet and needed to go up a few steps up into the house, then downstairs. All the loose pieces and the few boxes were light, the flywheel not so much. The packing slip said it was a total of 315 pounds and I would swear the flywheel was 50 of it alone. The legs are attached to the flywheel, so strapping it all to the dolly in such a way that it didn't shift too much was a mental exercise by itself. My brilliant hubby figured that all out and manhandled it up and down the stairs by sheer force of will (and some Motrin).

The assembly instructions are... interesting.. at best. None of the plastic cover pieces have part numbers on them that match the assembly diagrams, I felt like I should have earned an honorary mechanical engineering degree when I was done heheh.. BUT it really wasn't that difficult, just had to focus and read through each section completely before starting, because some places say "do this first" as the last line of the section.
Also, the assembly itself is the first workout because I didn't give myself enough space on the one side.

So that's it for the smart ass comments tho, because the rest is perfect!! It's easy-ish to move (if heavy), ridiculously stable while using it, and offers a lot of options for workout time (starting at 10 minutes), type and intensity. The incline offers 20 positions controlled by the rear of the machine. Movement is smoooooooth, whether you're going fast or slow. The control panel is adjustable in angle to match your height and includes a fan. There's a lip to hold your book or tablet over the display, and also another for your phone or tablet above the display. Hubby is 6 foot 350ish and the machine is just as stable for him as for my size (5'7", none of your biz-ish).

I have always loved an elliptical workout for cardio and effort, and with my hip replacement I wanted a way of strengthening my joint that would also be great for the long term. We also don't have a gym open outside of my work hours so needed something at home. This is perfect in all the ways!

I'll update after some time with it's endurance.

Shipped to my home through a series of freight forwarders. The local delivery guy was embarrassed and had me note the damage on the receipt. You can see in the photo that it was delivered upside down and the box was in poor condition. Despite that, the contents were in fine shape, including the display console. There a a couple of tiny cosmetic blemishes but the assembled device looks and works as well as ones I've used in gyms.

That said, unboxing and assembly were somewhat difficult. There were a couple of errors in the assembly instructions but the worst part was moving the main frame with the flywheel and the attached pedals. The pedals, with their unattached rod ends, hindered moving this heavy component. On the plus side, all wiring connections were very nice and there were no part fit problems. The completed device is quiet and solid. Remember, this is a first impression, but I was pretty impressed. Now, if it wears as well as it withstands the rigors of freight travel, it should be a winner.

I've had my eye on this for awhile. I'm 61 and I think this is perfect for me. Not some rinky dink machine or something way more than I need. I can use it rain or shine as opposed to battling bad weather. It's right in the other room too so I have little excuse for not using it.......unless I break my toe, which I did last week. Nothing to do with the elliptical. I can get some good cardio as well as resistance exercise. I like the idea I can go backward on it too. Seems to hit the legs a little differently that way. I think the elliptical design is easier on my joints than regular running too. I think I'll be able to resume my exercise quicker with this machine than I could running around on the ground outside.