Sole Fitness is a home fitness equipment brand that focuses on building equipment designed to bring a gym-like experience into your space. It offers products such as treadmills, ellipticals, exercise bikes, and strength training equipment. Many of the brand’s machines also connect with an app, which gives you access to guided workouts and training programs, helping you stay consistent and add variety to your routine.
In this review, we will explore what the brand offers across its product range and discuss its build and features. We will also analyze its potential limitations and what real users commonly experience based on consumer reviews.
About Sole Fitness
Headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah, Sole Fitness focuses on designing, manufacturing, and distributing durable exercise machines for home and light commercial use.
As per its official website, it offers a structured range of fitness equipment across treadmills, ellipticals, exercise bikes, rowers, and strength machines. Its treadmill lineup includes models such as the F63, F65, F80, and F85, which differ in motor capacity, console features, and pricing.
In the elliptical category, options like the E95 feature adjustable pedals and performance tracking, while the bike range includes upright and recumbent models designed for low-impact workouts. The brand also includes rowers, strength equipment, and accessories to support a complete home gym setup.
Top Offerings
Treadmills
Sole Fitness treadmills are primarily meant for indoor cardiovascular exercise, with models that may support walking, jogging, and sustained running. These equipments help engage the lower body muscles, including the quadriceps, hamstrings, and gluteal muscles. With the treadmills offering an inclined feature, there can be a greater emphasis on the posterior chain, particularly the glutes and hamstrings, due to increased hip extension demands.
The Sole lineup is divided into folding and non-folding models, with segmentation based on performance and feature sets. Folding models, such as those in the F6X and F8X series, use space-saving mechanisms that may allow the deck to be stored vertically when not in use. These models typically include running surfaces ranging from approximately 20 to 22 inches in width and 60 inches in length, which may accommodate a range of stride lengths.
Higher-tier models in the category include larger touchscreen displays, which may provide access to workout metrics such as speed, distance, incline, and heart rate. Some also include decline functionality, which may simulate downhill movement and alter muscle engagement patterns, potentially shifting load toward the quadriceps due to increased eccentric control during descent.
The brand also offers non-folding treadmills such as TT8 models, which emphasize a more permanent setup and include features associated with commercial-style equipment, such as extended warranties and sturdy belt constructions.
Sole Fitness Advantage
User-Centric Design
ApproachSole Fitness combines its patented Cushion Flex Whisper Deck across most of its treadmill lineup, including models like the F63, F65, F80, F85, F89, TT8, ST90, and F60. This system is engineered to reduce joint impact and minimize operational noise, supporting the brand’s focus on durability, comfort, and home-friendly performance. The design supports a more comfortable and quieter running experience, particularly during frequent or long-duration workouts. Reduced impact may help limit joint strain over time, making the equipment more suitable for consistent home use. Quieter operation also enables use without significantly disturbing others, which is especially relevant in shared living environments.
Sole Limitations
Limited Smart Ecosystem Integration
Sole Fitness provides digital functionality through its SOLE+ app, offering a basic set of connected features. The ecosystem remains relatively simple, with no clear native integration with platforms such as Apple Fitness+, Peloton, or Zwift. External apps typically need to be accessed through a separate phone or tablet rather than the machine’s console, and there is no evident support for automatic speed or incline adjustments based on third-party workouts.
This highlights gaps in cross-platform connectivity. Bluetooth functionality appears to be restricted to audio and basic data transfer, without enabling deeper, real-time workout control. It means the setup often requires the use of multiple devices and manual adjustments during sessions, resulting in a less seamless experience compared to more integrated fitness ecosystems.
Few Customization of Workout Programs
Sole Fitness includes preset workout programs across most of its machines, with customization remaining relatively limited. The system primarily relies on fixed routines with manual adjustments, without offering adaptive training plans, AI-driven progression, or automatic changes based on performance. User profiles are basic and do not appear to significantly influence workout structure. This setup restricts long-term progression, as programs are designed around general fitness rather than structured, evolving routines. Intensity levels do not automatically adjust as fitness improves, requiring ongoing manual input. Workouts may feel repetitive over time, and training lacks the guided progression typically seen in more personalized or app-driven fitness systems.
Sole Alternatives
DeerRun
According to their official website, DeerRun highlights space-saving options with models like the Q2 Urban Smart Walking Pad, the A6 Plus 2-in-1 foldable treadmill, and the Z20 suitcase-style treadmill. On the other hand, Sole Fitness emphasizes its legacy of engineering equipment originally designed for hotel use, focusing on durability and performance through models like the F80, F85, and TT8, which are built to support consistent, high-intensity workouts over time.
The difference in product ecosystems is equally pronounced. DeerRun offers a versatile yet compact range, including under-desk walking pads, foldable treadmills, exercise bikes, rowing machines, and accessories such as a 31.5″ × 18.9″ adjustable standing desk. Its categories are clearly aligned with home office walking, small spaces, and easy storage. Sole Fitness, on the other hand, provides a broader, performance-oriented lineup that includes treadmills, ellipticals like the E95 with adjustable pedals and integrated controls, bikes, rowers, and strength equipment.
Design and build philosophy also show som difference in priorities. DeerRun focuses on portability and minimal footprint, offering foldable frames, ultra-quiet motors, and compact builds suited for apartments or shared spaces. Models like the A1 Pro Move+ include a 3.5HP motor, 350 lbs weight capacity, 10 mph top speed, and 6% incline, while still maintaining a foldable, space-saving structure. It also offers Z10 Pro Muse and Z20 that emphasize ease of storage and movement, with features like remote control operation and suitcase-style mobility. Meanwhile, Sole Fitness, however, prioritizes stability and performance with larger, heavier machines featuring running surfaces up to 22″ × 60″, roller sizes up to 7.44″, and advanced console options including 10.1″, 15.6″, and 21.5″ touchscreens. Its F8X series also introduces incline and decline options, along with robust frames designed for long-term, intensive use.
DeerRun is structured around affordability, compact design, and ease of integration into daily life. Sole Fitness, in comparison, is built around durability, advanced features, and performance progression.
Sunny Health & Fitness
Sunny Health & Fitness and Sole Fitness approach the home fitness category with different priorities, which is evident in how each brand frames its identity and scale. As per its official website, Sunny Health & Fitness focuses on offering equipment across multiple categories with features like HSA or FSA eligibility and U.S.-based support from its location in City of Industry, California. Its messaging centers around making home workouts adaptable to different user needs. In comparison, Sole Fitness presents itself as a performance-focused brand, with equipment originally designed for hotel environments and later adapted for home use.
As per the breadth of product offerings, Sunny Health & Fitness covers cardio, strength, and recovery, including treadmills, indoor bikes, rowers, ellipticals, steppers, and Row-N-Ride machines designed to accelerate recovery and improve circulation. It also organizes products into collections like Signature Line, X Series, and Home Gym systems, allowing you to build a complete setup across categories. Sole Fitness, while still covering core categories like treadmills, ellipticals, bikes, rowers, and strength equipment, keeps its lineup more concentrated and performance-focused, without extending into niche or multifunctional categories like vibration platforms or hybrid training machines.
Technology integration further separates the two brands in terms of user experience. Sunny Health & Fitness builds an interactive ecosystem through the SunnyFit App, which provides unlimited access to thousands of on-demand workouts across cycling, running, rowing, strength, and yoga. It supports over 200 smart devices, enables real-time performance tracking, and includes an AI fitness coach that dynamically adjusts workout plans based on your feedback and workout data. It also combines reward systems and challenges to encourage consistency. Meanwhile, Sole Fitness, through its SOLE+ app, offers free fitness video classes ranging from 10 minutes to 60 minutes, with a focus on instructor-led sessions and heart rate-based training. While effective, its approach remains more structured and less adaptive compared to Sunny’s AI-driven personalization.
Pros
- Its offerings are designed for durability and long-term use.
- Incline features up to level 15 are included in its treadmill offerings.
- Offers devices that are compatible with the Sole fitness app.
Cons
- Slow customer service response times are reported.
- Reports of long delays for replacement parts are mentioned in user reviews.
How Did We Evaluate?
Brand Reputation
We assessed Sole Fitness’s brand reputation using publicly available information from the Better Business Bureau. The company has not been BBB accredited and has received a rating of A-. Recurring complaint patterns have included concerns related to product condition at delivery, delays in service or repair timelines, and coordination challenges involving third-party delivery and installation providers. Communication gaps, including delayed responses and inconsistent follow-ups, have also appeared in multiple complaints.
Based on the available information, the company’s brand reputation has been supported by a moderate complaint volume and a generally consistent response record. However, repeated issues shared by the people have indicated areas where operational improvements may strengthen reliability.
Real User Experiences
We evaluated the real user experiences of Sole Fitness using publicly available customer feedback from Trustpilot, where the brand holds a TrustScore of 2.9 out of 5 based on 1,100+ reviews. Some customers report positive interactions with staff and service teams. Several users describe technicians as professional, knowledgeable, and efficient in diagnosing and fixing issues. Similarly, users of the Sole SB900 bike and F80 treadmill mention that when products function as expected, they find them well-built, stable, and suitable for regular workouts.
However, the brand’s F85 treadmill, ST90 treadmill, and E95 elliptical highlight problems such as malfunctioning consoles, glitchy screens, or machines stopping unexpectedly during use. Some report that the equipment failed within a short period. They also report receiving incorrect models, damaged equipment, or incomplete shipments. While some customers have positive experiences with the brand’s offerings, others encounter ongoing challenges that impact long-term satisfaction.
Frequently Asked Questions
The brand states that its products can support high-intensity workouts, with treadmills using powerful motors suited for interval training and ellipticals offering multiple resistance levels for HIIT. Originally designed for heavy hotel use, the equipment is built to handle regular, rigorous daily exercise.
The brand claims that its machines include Bluetooth connectivity and use the SOLE+ app to sync workout data with platforms like Apple Health, Google Fit, and Fitbit. Some newer models also connect to Zwift and Kinomap, though interactive control features remain limited.
The brand states that its offerings generally include power incline, typically ranging from 0 to 15 levels across models. However, decline functionality is not standard and is limited to select high-end units like the SOLE TT8 that support downhill training.
Conclusion
Sole Fitness is built around stable, heavy-duty machines designed to replicate a gym-like experience. It claims to support structured and consistent training through preset programs, onboard displays, and limited app-based guidance.
However, the experience remains relatively basic from a digital and progression standpoint. The ecosystem offers limited personalization, minimal adaptive training, and restricted third-party integration. If you are considering Sole Fitness, you are more likely to benefit from its stable construction and straightforward performance focus. However, there appear to be limited smart features, less flexible programming, and potential service-related delays. Reviewing warranty terms, delivery conditions, and support availability can help set realistic expectations and reduce potential friction after purchase.
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Alisha Matthew has been a practicing nutritionist since 2016. She holds a master’s degree in nutrition from the University of IOWA. She is a staunch believer in improving the human health index by educating people about nutrition and the importance of nutrition in leading a healthy and happy life. Her long-term goal is to keep educating people on general health and keep herself updated with the latest trends in the field of health.