Marcato Pasta Machines: Are They Worth the Price?

If you've been looking at pasta machines and noticed the price gap between a Marcato and a generic alternative, you're asking the right question. A cheap pasta machine costs £25 to £40. A Marcato Atlas+ costs considerably more. This article explains what that difference actually buys you, and which Marcato machine makes sense for your kitchen.

What you get with a cheap pasta machine

The £25 to £40 machines you'll find on Amazon or in homeware shops are typically made from chrome-plated steel. Chrome plating is a coating over a base metal, and once that coating wears or chips, the rollers are exposed to moisture and rust. The thickness settings on cheaper machines are often imprecise, meaning the gap between positions varies and your pasta sheets come out uneven. Most have no compatible accessories, so what you buy is all you ever get.

They work. For occasional use, some people are perfectly happy with them. But they're not built for regular use and they're not built to last.

What Marcato does differently

Marcato has been manufacturing pasta machines in Campodarsego, near Padova in northern Italy, since 1930. The rollers on every Marcato machine are made from food-grade anodised aluminium. That's the critical difference: the rollers are the parts that touch your dough, and anodised aluminium won't rust, won't chip, and won't release metal residues into the pasta. Anodising is a surface treatment that hardens the aluminium itself rather than coating it, so there's no plating to chip or wear away.

The manual Atlas+ models have no electronics to fail. The moving parts are the rollers, the thickness dial, and the crank. Maintained properly (kept dry, brushed clean, never washed under water), a Marcato machine gives no mechanical reason to stop working. Marcato backs every machine with a two-year warranty, and the brand's own parts and accessories remain compatible across the range.

Customers who've switched from other machines tend to notice the difference immediately. One Pasta Kitchen customer who'd owned an Imperia machine for over ten years wrote: "This Marcato feels even more solid and smooth than the Imperia. The rollers flatten and work the pasta really well." Another put it more directly: "Don't even look at cheaper alternatives."

Marcato vs cheap pasta machines: the key differences

Which Marcato pasta machine should I buy?

Marcato makes several different pasta machines, from the manual Atlas+ to motorised and specialist models. The right choice depends on the type of pasta you want to make, how often you plan to use it and whether you prefer manual or motorised operation.

Atlas+: the best all-round manual choice

The Atlas+ is Marcato's core manual pasta machine and the best starting point for most home cooks. It makes lasagne sheets, fettuccine, tagliolini and rounded spaghetti as standard, with 10 thickness settings and compatibility with Marcato's 150mm cutting attachments. If you want a straightforward manual machine that can grow with you, this is the one to start with.

Atlasmotor+: for hands-free rolling

The Atlasmotor+ combines the Atlas+ with Marcato's Pastadrive motor. Instead of turning the handle, the motor drives the rollers for you, leaving both hands free to guide and support the pasta sheet. It is a good choice if you make pasta regularly, prefer motorised operation or simply want the rolling stage to feel easier.

Multipast+: for more pasta shapes from one set

The Multipast+ pairs the Atlas+ with additional cutting attachments, making it the better option if you already know you want to produce a wider range of pasta shapes. It gives you a more complete setup from the start rather than buying extra attachments individually later.

Regina: for extruded pasta shapes

The Regina is Marcato's dedicated extruder for shapes that a roller machine cannot make. It uses five interchangeable dies to produce bucatini, fusilli, maccheroni, maccheroncini and rigatoni. Choose it if those tubular and shaped pastas are your priority. It complements an Atlas-style roller rather than replacing one.

Atlas Roller 150: for sheet pasta or existing attachments

The Atlas Roller 150 is a sheeting-only machine with no built-in cutters. It suits cooks who already own compatible Marcato attachments, want to choose their own cutters separately, or mainly make lasagne and filled pasta such as ravioli and tortellini.

Atlas 180: for wider pasta sheets

The Atlas 180 rolls sheets up to 180mm wide, 30mm wider than the standard 150mm machines. It includes fixed cutters for fettuccine and tagliolini and is useful if wider lasagne sheets or larger batches matter more to you than attachment flexibility. Optional 150mm cutting attachments do not fit the Atlas 180.

Otello: the heritage choice

The Otello is Marcato's limited-edition heritage machine, named after founder Otello Marcato. It rolls and cuts lasagne, fettuccine and tagliolini, with an anodised aluminium body, solid walnut base and walnut handle. It is the choice for someone who wants a more distinctive, premium Marcato machine rather than the most practical route into pasta making.

Pasta Fresca: mixing and pasta making in one machine

The Pasta Fresca combines an electric dough mixer with pasta rolling and cutting attachments. It can knead the dough before rolling it into lasagne sheets or cutting fettuccine and tagliolini, making it the most self-contained option in the range. It suits regular pasta makers who want to reduce the amount of hand mixing and kneading.

Already own a Marcato? Add the Pastadrive motor

If you already own a compatible Atlas+ or Atlas Roller, you do not need to replace the machine to go motorised. The Pastadrive attaches to the machine and drives the rollers for you, leaving both hands free to guide the pasta sheet. It is the simpler upgrade if you already have the machine and want the convenience of motorised rolling.