New Sole SC200 Stepper – Hybrid Elliptical Machine

Overview: The Sole SC200 Stepper is one of the newest machines in the lineup, a hybrid elliptical and stepper that puts more of an emphasis on targeting the lower body while keeping the low impact of a traditional elliptical trainer. At only $899 on sale, it offers a great value for those looking to burn some calories and lose weight.

Let’s take a look at some of the best features…

Two Machines in One

One of the most obvious benefits of the SC200 is that it gives you two machines in one, so you can choose what type of workout you want. Longer strides give you the elliptical motion, shorter strides are more in line with a step machine workout. The latter gives you more of an emphasis on the leg muscles.

Compact Design & Portability

The SC200 Stepper is only 56 inches long and 18 inches wide, so it doesn’t take up a lot of room, especially compared to a traditional elliptical or treadmill. It’s also only 165 lbs. which is very light for a piece of exercise equipment, and comes with transport wheels so you can easily move it around for storage purposes.

Quality & Value

With Sole, the one thing you can always be confident is that you are getting a high quality product. The SC200 has rubber-grip handlebars, aluminum rails that are corrosion resistant, built in levers for safety and stability and powder-coated steel tubing. The best part is that you get a solid machine for only $899, $100 cheaper than their base model E25 elliptical trainer. So although it doesn’t have all the bells and whistles, it is well worth the price for its quality.

The Sole SC200 Stepper Test Drive

We’re starting to get used to the hybrid ellipticals around here, as so many companies are starting to offer combination workout machines. You have the Bowflex Max Trainer, ProForm Hybrid Trainer, NordicTrack Free Striders and dozens of other two or three in one exercise machines.

The SC200 is quite similar to many of the others, except the quality of the machine is much greater than other similarly priced models. For starters, it is relatively easy to assemble which is always a plus. Jumping on the machine, it feels much sturdier and well-built than it should at this price level. We’d even go so far as to say it feels like something you might use in the gym.

There are 20 different resistance levels to choose from, and 10 different workout programs to choose. There’s 6 standard, 2 custom and 2 heart rate programs. You can use the grips or if you have a wireless chest strap (it’s not included here) you can measure your heart rate more accurately that way. (Note that the SC200 does not have incline capability…if that is something that interests you take a look at the up-level SC300 model.)

The elliptical/stepper motion feels good, although if you are very tall it might not be as comfortable as one of their other ellipticals, such as the E35 trainer which gives you up to a 22″ stride.

There are some nice touches…there’s a built-in cooling fan, speakers with an audio jack and an accessories tray.

What did we not like? Although the Sole SC200 Stepper will definitely give you a solid workout, there are some things it is lacking. The display is very basic and a little dated…we’ve started getting used to all of the touch screen displays that you’ll find on more and more machines these days…so the backlit LCD just doesn’t do it for us anymore. But it is not a deal breaker.

There’s also no reading/tablet rack, which is odd especially for a machine that doesn’t have internet included. At the very least give us something to put our tablet on.

But all in all, it is a nice entry level machine that does what it should do…give you workout variety and the ability to burn calories and build muscle.

Conclusion

If you’re looking for something a little different than the typical elliptical machine, the new hybrid elliptical is not a bad choice. Although there are better hybrid trainers out there, they tend to cost a lot more than this one does.

It’s very hard to beat the value that Sole offers, and with 20 resistance levels and 10 workouts plus an elliptical and stepper in one well designed machine, you really can’t go wrong with this one.