The Best Pasta Makers: 4 Compared (and One to Skip)

RBE top pick

Marcato Atlas 150 Pasta Machine

Check price on Amazon See why it wins Compare all

The Atlas 150 is the pasta maker to gift: made in Italy, 150mm rollers, a 10-position thickness knob, premium tier and it is built to last. The Pastafecto is the flagship-tier automatic extruder for effort-free pasta, and Cuisinart's product page no longer loads. The Atlasmotor+ is the motorized it-depends. Skip Aunt Gina's: the budget roller is narrower, has fewer settings and does not publish what its rollers are made of.

A pasta maker is one of the great kitchen gifts: simple machine, dramatic result. The classic is Marcato's Atlas 150, a hand-crank roller made in Italy since 1965. The alternatives split two ways: motorize it, or automate it into an extruder. We looked at the Atlas 150, its motorized sibling, Cuisinart's Pastafecto and Fante's budget roller on what the makers publish and what the extra money actually buys.

RBE top pick

Marcato

Marcato Atlas 150 Pasta Machine

Buy it

The Italian classic - 150mm rollers, a 10-position thickness knob, made in Italy and built to last.

Best for: The definitive pasta-maker gift - the machine Nonna energy comes from, for anyone who'll actually make pasta.

$$$ · premium

Why we like it

• Made in Italy: Marcato calls it a design icon since 1965, and it is the manual-pasta benchmark many tutorials assume.
• 150mm-wide rollers with a 10-position thickness knob - Marcato says it is the only machine on the market with ten positions; the numbered dial sits on the left side.
• Anodised aluminium rollers that Marcato says are food-safe because they do not release harmful dust or particles.
• Interchangeable cutters and accessories: Marcato lists 10 extra accessories, from spaghetti chitarra to mafaldine.
• Simple crank mechanism with few moving parts.

Know before buying

• Premium-tier money for a manual machine - budget rollers sell the same silhouette for far less.
• Hand-crank means one hand feeds dough - a clamp and a steady table are required.
• Keep it dry and clean it with a brush; check Marcato's care instructions.
• Marcato's store now lists the machine as Atlas+, which it says makes one more pasta shape than previous models.

Check price on Amazon Read our detailed assessment ↓

Cuisinart

Cuisinart Pastafecto Pasta & Bread Dough Maker

Buy it

The automatic extruder: dump in flour and egg and get shaped pasta. Cuisinart's product page no longer loads.

Best for: The weeknight pasta lover - fresh shaped pasta with zero technique; not for the sheet-pasta purist, and only while stock lasts.

$$$$ · flagship

Why we like it

• Automatic: it mixes, kneads and extrudes with no cranking.
• Interchangeable shaping discs give extrusion variety that rollers can't match.
• Also kneads bread dough, a second function for the counter space.
• Countertop automatic machine.

Know before buying

• Cuisinart's PM-1 product page no longer loads, so remaining stock is likely retailer-only and spare discs may be hard to find.
• Flagship-tier money for extruded pasta, and extruded texture is different: denser, chewier, not the silky rolled sheet.
• No lasagna sheets or ravioli: extrusion makes shapes, not sheets.
• Discs and parts need cleaning - more fiddly than a brushed-down roller.

Check price on Amazon Read our detailed assessment ↓

Marcato

Marcato Atlasmotor+

It depends

The Atlas with the Pastadrive motor included - same rollers, hands-free, no clamp needed.

Best for: The serious home pasta-maker with hand issues or big batches - the motor makes volume real; everyone else buys the manual Atlas.

$$$$ · flagship

Why we like it

• Same Atlas roller quality - anodised aluminium, 10 thickness positions - with a motor doing the cranking.
• Both hands free to feed and catch dough - the real advantage; solo pasta gets much easier.
• No clamp needed - Marcato says it works on any flat surface.
• Lasagne, tagliolini and spaghetti accessories are marked as included, and more shapes are available through the Atlas accessory range.

Know before buying

• Costs notably more than the manual Atlas to motorize the same sheets, and Marcato's own store quotes it in euros, so US pricing varies by importer.
• The motor is the value, not the pasta - purists prefer the feel of the crank.
• Another corded appliance - a manual Atlas needs no outlet.

Check price on Amazon Read our detailed assessment ↓

We'd skip it

Fante's by HIC

Aunt Gina's Pasta Maker

Skip it

Fante's Great Aunt Gina's machine - the Atlas silhouette on 5.5-inch rollers, with 9 settings and a double cutter.

Best for: A one-time curiosity buy. For anyone who'll make pasta more than twice, the Atlas 150 is worth the difference.

$ · budget

Why we like it

• Budget-tier money for a roller plus double cutter (spaghetti and fettuccine) and an extra-wide clamp for counters 1 to 2.4 inches thick.
• 9 thickness settings from 0.5 mm to 3 mm - Fante's publishes the range, which Marcato does not.
• Fante's (Harold Import Co.) sells a replacement handle and clamp, plus Cousin Carla's angel hair and wavy lasagna attachment - a small ecosystem, not none.

Know before buying

• 5.5-inch rollers are about 140 mm - narrower than the Atlas's 150 mm, so lasagna sheets come out slimmer.
• Fante's publishes a chromed steel body but says nothing about the roller material; Marcato publishes anodised aluminium it calls food-safe.
• One add-on attachment versus Marcato's 10 - the accessory range is where the Atlas keeps paying back.
• Made in China, chromed steel - Fante's own care notes warn that steel parts rust if they meet water.

See our pick instead See it at Amazon anyway Read our detailed assessment ↓

How we judged the field

A pasta maker should roll smooth sheets at consistent thickness - and survive being a gift. The benchmark is Marcato’s Atlas 150, hand-cranked and made in Italy, a design Marcato dates to 1965. The alternatives split into motorization, automation and imitation. We looked at the Atlas 150, its motorized twin, Cuisinart’s extruder and Fante’s budget roller on what each maker publishes about its rollers, thickness control and accessories, and on the candour of the price gap. We do not test machines; the comparison rests on manufacturer specs and owner reports.

The Atlas 150 is the machine: made in Italy, with the 10-position thickness knob Marcato says no other maker offers. The rollers are anodised aluminium that Marcato says are food-safe because they do not release harmful dust or particles. Marcato does not publish the sheet thickness in millimetres, only the ten numbered positions, which is why you will see different figures quoted around the web.

It’s a long-term pasta maker: the crank is simple, and Marcato lists 10 optional extra accessories on its own store. Note that Marcato now sells the machine as the Atlas+, which it says makes one more pasta shape than previous models. The hand crank is the main friction: one hand cranks, one feeds, and you need a stable table or clamp. For anyone who’ll actually make pasta, this is the gift.

The Pastafecto is the automatic answer: it mixes, kneads and extrudes pasta through shaping discs. It kneads bread dough too. It sits in the flagship tier.

Cuisinart’s own product page for the PM-1 no longer loads, so treat it as a buy-while-you-can: retailers may still list it, and replacement discs may get scarcer. Different product, different buyer. Extruded pasta is denser and chewier than rolled sheets - rigatoni and fusilli, yes; lasagna sheets and ravioli, no. For the weeknight pasta lover who wants fresh shapes with zero technique, it delivers; the purist will notice the texture gap.

The Atlasmotor+ is an Atlas with the Pastadrive motor included: a 10-position thickness knob, both hands free to feed and catch dough, and Marcato says you can work without a clamp. Lasagne, tagliolini and spaghetti accessories are marked as included. Marcato’s own store prices it in euros, so what you pay in the US depends on the importer.

Whether it’s right depends on output. The motor adds a notable premium for the same sheets, but for big batches, mobility issues or someone making pasta weekly, hands-free changes the experience. For occasional use it’s an expensive convenience; for a serious pasta-maker it’s the tool.

Aunt Gina’s is Fante’s Great Aunt Gina’s Pasta Machine, a Fante’s by HIC product: a hand-crank roller with 5.5-inch rollers, 9 thickness settings from 0.5 mm to 3 mm, a double cutter for spaghetti and fettuccine in the box, and an extra-wide clamp that fits counters from 1 to 2.4 inches thick. Fante’s lists a chromed steel body and says it is made in China, and advises keeping it away from water.

The gap with the Atlas is in what each maker states. The Fante’s rollers are about 140 mm wide against Marcato’s 150, so lasagna sheets come out slimmer; the knob has 9 positions against Marcato’s 10; and Fante’s says nothing about the roller material where Marcato states food-contact anodised aluminium. The accessory story is smaller than the Atlas’s but real: Fante’s sells a replacement handle and clamp, and Cousin Carla’s angel hair and wavy lasagna attachment fits this machine, so it is one add-on against Marcato’s ten optional accessories. It is a fair budget roller, not a fake. But a pasta maker is a decades-long tool, and the saving buys narrower sheets and an unpublished roller spec. Buy the original if you want a long-term tool.

Atlas 150 vs Atlasmotor: which should you buy?

Same rollers, same sheets - the price difference is the Pastadrive motor that frees both hands.

Buy the Atlas 150 for almost everyone - the crank is part of the ritual and the savings are real. Buy the Atlasmotor when volume or hand strength justifies it - for weekly pasta or mobility limits, it’s the upgrade.

What to look for

• Roller material matters: Marcato publishes anodised aluminium rollers; if a maker doesn’t say what the rollers are, ask.
• Roller width matters: narrower machines exist (the Fante’s is about 140mm), and width sets how wide your lasagna sheets are.
• Count the positions, not the millimetres: Marcato publishes 10 positions and no mm range; Fante’s publishes 9 positions and 0.5 to 3 mm. Compare like with like.
• Extrusion isn’t rolling: extruders make shapes, not sheets - different texture, different buyer.
• The motor is about hands, not speed: it frees the feeding hand - worth it for volume, not for weekly dinners.
• A pasta maker is a cook’s gift: it’s spectacular for someone who cooks; a drawer item for someone who doesn’t.

Our final take

The Marcato Atlas 150 is the pasta maker to gift: Italian-made, with 10 thickness positions. The Cuisinart Pastafecto is the no-technique extruder for shaped pasta, worth it only while stock lasts. The Atlasmotor+ motorizes the same rollers for hands-free batches. Skip Aunt Gina’s: a fair budget roller, but narrower, with fewer settings and an unpublished roller material. Buy the Atlas; add cutters later.

Deciding between the top two? See our head-to-head: Marcato Atlas 150 Pasta Machine vs Cuisinart Pastafecto Pasta & Bread Dough Maker.

More in Home & Kitchen

Marcato Atlas 150 Pasta Machine vs Cuisinart Pastafecto Pasta & Bread Dough Maker Head-to-head → The Best Popcorn Machines: 4 Compared (and One to Skip) The Best Portable Air Conditioners: 4 Compared (and One to Skip) The Best Portable Blenders: 4 Compared (and One to Skip) The Best Portable Generators for Home Backup: 4 Compared (and One to Skip) The Best Pressure Canners: 4 Compared (and One to Skip)