Marcato Atlas 150 Pasta Maker

Having had an American version pasta machine in the past that I left with my sister, when my daughters sent me the Marcato Atlas 150 machine for Christmas, I was surprised at how light it was. It has more settings than the American version and the cuts are more precise. I love the color - a bronze-orange color that looks like a spicy addition to my kitchen equipment rather than a piece of industrial machinery to hide away between uses. Turning the handle is not nearly as stiff as the previous version making it faster and easier to use. I love this machine and would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a pasta machine. By the way, electric pasta machines are less precise when you want vermicelli or very thin pasta which is why all the Italian women in our family use a hand operated machine. My sister's grandson, a chef in Orlando, uses her machine to make Ice Cream Sandwiches ... using a cake dough and running it through the machine to ensure the same thickness for all sections.