I got the Sol. It has some of the best ratings and I love it. The only negative is it's size. The machine is enormous! I originally was looking at the Bowflex because the commercials looked so good but after researching it decided against it. It has some of the worst ratings of any of the exercise machines. I was surprised because I had a Bowflex resistance machine when they came out about 30 years ago and really liked it.

Did you check consumer reports?

I have the XE550 and like it alot. I researched ellipticals and this one was my choice. I went to several fitness shops to try out different brands. You definitely need to do that and find the one that feels the best to you. For online research you could go to treadmilldoctor and amazon but there are several other sites that offer reviews. A point to note is that the Spirit XE series is almost identical (cause they're made by the same company) as the Sole brand (with the Sole E95 being the equiv of the Spirit XE550) so if you research reviews it would help to look at the Sole 95 reviews as well. When you first start using an elliptical you won't be able to do much time on it cause your legs are used to the movement but they will strengthen quickly. I felt like a total whimp when I first started but now it's much easier. I just built up slowly. It's a great workout!! Again, definitely go to as many fitness shops as you can and try them all out for a short workout. But for a recommendation on a user of the Spirit XE550, I am very pleased with my purchase. Very quiet, very stable and super quality.

See link below where Smooth ellipticals were discussed on this website. Here is a link that might be useful: Ellipticals thread