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Product Description
Lello Full Cycle Electric Pasta Maker
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
128 of 140 people found the following review helpful
I am not impressed. I recently purchased this machine with high hopes that technology had advanced enough to out perform my old worn out, long retired early 90's vintage "Pasta Express From CTC".
There are those instances when time is short it would be nice to not make pasta by hand using a more traditional pasta roller/cutter. So I decided to give this machine a try thinking Lello may have got it right by watching what designs didn't work with other vendors of similar machines over the years. But after three uses it is in my opinion a marginal improvement.
First the good points...
It's mixes the flour into pasta dough very well. The design of the stirring paddles do a decent job of mixing the flour and water together. Using Semolina and whole wheat blend you can generally get perfect consistency dough in about 10-15 mins.
Single direction operating motor for both mixing and extruding. Gone is the need to flip a direction switch for each operation.
Simple operation to swap out extrusion die, and its metal outer ring makes cutting off the pasta easy with a single scrape of a knife blade.
Solid construction. This machine is heavy and definitely stays put on the counter top when operating.
Clean up is pretty simple (use the let it dry dirty method) and all parts disassemble easily. The extrusion auger chamber was the only component that was hardest to clean.
Well written recipe instruction booklet.
Now the not so good points...
Yep... it's made in China (did you expect no less?).
Very noisy. When in operation the motor reduction gears are really LOUD! My first impression was perhaps the unit needs some time to "break in". Nope... the idler gear for the extrusion auger is rattling away sounding like it's in dire need of some grease. The noise this thing makes when mixing dough made me wonder if I shouldn't take it down to the nearest AAMCO transmission shop for a tune up. This is a food processing appliance but it sounds like a gravel yard rock crusher. It had me reaching for my ear plugs. However when under load i.e. extruding pasta it seems to quite down a tiny bit. This machine is one of the noisier appliances in my kitchen, second only to the blender.
Extrusion speed. Can you say sloooooooooooooooow ! I've literally made a ton of pasta over the years using other techniques and this machine is painfully slow. It seems to take forever auto-loading the auger slot and produce pasta on the other end. Once it gets going the pasta oozing from the extrusion die creeps along. Many times the stirring paddles in the mixing bowl fail to push enough material into the auger slot to keep the extruded pasta coming out at a constant rate. This requires you to frequently stop the machine, rearrange the dough, and start it up again. Not very "automatic" in my view, more like semi-auto. Lello definitely needs to rethink how to improve the auger/extrusion chamber components, especially the dough feed slot. This in my view is it's weakest design point.
Smelly. My new machine smelled like paint fumes when operating. Not sure exactly what is causing the odor, but once the motor had been running for a few minutes (empty or full mixing bowl) and the reduction gear oil or motor windings got warm, it smelled like old lead paint. Not very appealing when making fresh delicious pasta. Now the components that are in contact with the food appear to be mostly food grade polycarbonate plastic. But when you smell paint like fumes wafting out from the motor ventilation holes, it definitely evokes thoughts of the recent issues regarding lead tainted plastic in products coming from China.
All in all I give this unit 2 stars. I find mixing the flour in a bowl or mixer and using a traditional pasta roller/cutting machine is overall quicker, and much more straight forward. Plus there is nothing like getting personal with the food you eat by using your own hands to prepare it. Sure it's a wee bit messy, but the time spent making your pasta manually and cleaning up after will overall be less than the time it takes to make the same amount using this machine. I sent my machine back for a refund. Perhaps I'll wait another 15 years before trying another "automatic" pasta maker again.
There are those instances when time is short it would be nice to not make pasta by hand using a more traditional pasta roller/cutter. So I decided to give this machine a try thinking Lello may have got it right by watching what designs didn't work with other vendors of similar machines over the years. But after three uses it is in my opinion a marginal improvement.
First the good points...
It's mixes the flour into pasta dough very well. The design of the stirring paddles do a decent job of mixing the flour and water together. Using Semolina and whole wheat blend you can generally get perfect consistency dough in about 10-15 mins.
Single direction operating motor for both mixing and extruding. Gone is the need to flip a direction switch for each operation.
Simple operation to swap out extrusion die, and its metal outer ring makes cutting off the pasta easy with a single scrape of a knife blade.
Solid construction. This machine is heavy and definitely stays put on the counter top when operating.
Clean up is pretty simple (use the let it dry dirty method) and all parts disassemble easily. The extrusion auger chamber was the only component that was hardest to clean.
Well written recipe instruction booklet.
Now the not so good points...
Yep... it's made in China (did you expect no less?).
Very noisy. When in operation the motor reduction gears are really LOUD! My first impression was perhaps the unit needs some time to "break in". Nope... the idler gear for the extrusion auger is rattling away sounding like it's in dire need of some grease. The noise this thing makes when mixing dough made me wonder if I shouldn't take it down to the nearest AAMCO transmission shop for a tune up. This is a food processing appliance but it sounds like a gravel yard rock crusher. It had me reaching for my ear plugs. However when under load i.e. extruding pasta it seems to quite down a tiny bit. This machine is one of the noisier appliances in my kitchen, second only to the blender.
Extrusion speed. Can you say sloooooooooooooooow ! I've literally made a ton of pasta over the years using other techniques and this machine is painfully slow. It seems to take forever auto-loading the auger slot and produce pasta on the other end. Once it gets going the pasta oozing from the extrusion die creeps along. Many times the stirring paddles in the mixing bowl fail to push enough material into the auger slot to keep the extruded pasta coming out at a constant rate. This requires you to frequently stop the machine, rearrange the dough, and start it up again. Not very "automatic" in my view, more like semi-auto. Lello definitely needs to rethink how to improve the auger/extrusion chamber components, especially the dough feed slot. This in my view is it's weakest design point.
Smelly. My new machine smelled like paint fumes when operating. Not sure exactly what is causing the odor, but once the motor had been running for a few minutes (empty or full mixing bowl) and the reduction gear oil or motor windings got warm, it smelled like old lead paint. Not very appealing when making fresh delicious pasta. Now the components that are in contact with the food appear to be mostly food grade polycarbonate plastic. But when you smell paint like fumes wafting out from the motor ventilation holes, it definitely evokes thoughts of the recent issues regarding lead tainted plastic in products coming from China.
All in all I give this unit 2 stars. I find mixing the flour in a bowl or mixer and using a traditional pasta roller/cutting machine is overall quicker, and much more straight forward. Plus there is nothing like getting personal with the food you eat by using your own hands to prepare it. Sure it's a wee bit messy, but the time spent making your pasta manually and cleaning up after will overall be less than the time it takes to make the same amount using this machine. I sent my machine back for a refund. Perhaps I'll wait another 15 years before trying another "automatic" pasta maker again.
50 of 52 people found the following review helpful
By TERRIE MIXER
Amazon Verified Purchase
I checked out several brands before deciding on this one. I followed the directions exactly, and the pasta came out perfect. it makes up to 3 pounds of pasta each time.That's a lot of pasta. But, you can freeze the leftover that you don't need right now. the noodles are not sticky and they cook fast. the fettucine cooked in 3 minutes after water boiled. I have no regrets.
24 of 24 people found the following review helpful
Amazon Verified Purchase
If you weigh the ingredients, you'll find the dough is perfect with no fiddling required. I've done all-purpose flour with egg, all-purpose flour with water (reminds me of asian noodles), semolina with a 1/2-1/2 egg water improvisation, and they've all turned out great (tried about 1/2 of the included dies to date - no problems with any).
It appears to be built very well.
To the review of the person who ditched it said they need to constantly push the dough into the auger. I usually have to do this 1 time per batch (takes less than 10 seconds), so I'd chalk that up to operator error.
Its slow to extrude (at first!) About 1 minute after the pasta starts coming out of the die, it goes PLENTY fast enough.
No question - this machine is loud... not loud enough to ding it a star however... I just jack the stereo up louder!
It appears to be built very well.
To the review of the person who ditched it said they need to constantly push the dough into the auger. I usually have to do this 1 time per batch (takes less than 10 seconds), so I'd chalk that up to operator error.
Its slow to extrude (at first!) About 1 minute after the pasta starts coming out of the die, it goes PLENTY fast enough.
No question - this machine is loud... not loud enough to ding it a star however... I just jack the stereo up louder!
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Awesome mixing
I mill my own wheat. I hand make pasta. I've used KitchenAid and Bosch mixers with pasta attachments. All of the extruded pasta fine IF you get the wet and dry ratio PERFECT. Read more
Published 2 days ago by ChefHankM
5.0 out of 5 stars
Replacement for a worn out pasta machine
This machine uses the same process as the one that I wore out but seems much sturdier. The instructions were also more complete.
Published 24 days ago by Claudia Brydon
5.0 out of 5 stars
Now that I know how the dough works, I love it!
It took me a good month to figure the dough out. But basically, you want the dough to look WAY TOO DRY, crumbly, you'll want to add more water after 5 minutes...but DON'T!! Read more
Published 1 month ago by A reader
3.0 out of 5 stars
Fun, but consider these things first.
First of all, there is nothing wrong with this product. Its does exactly what it says. There are a few things you should consider before buying this that I didn't appreciate... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Max
5.0 out of 5 stars
Exact replacement for an old Cusinart
Replaced a cusinart one that we franfly wore out. So older pasta dies fit this. Works great. Best way to clean is to leave it out overnight then the dried pasta flakes off.
Published 2 months ago by Robert S. Mchale
1.0 out of 5 stars
Cheaply made
This item broke on the very second use. Why would anyone use plastic threads on something that has to withstand a lot of force?!
Published 2 months ago by Eric
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Machine and Customer Support from Lello! Bravo!
I purchased this pasta maker for my wife for Christmas. She had wanted one for a while and this machine looked like a good solid purchase. I was right. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Warren Z.
3.0 out of 5 stars
Great Homemade pasta with little effort
I ordered this to replace a pasta machine I have had for years. It is very similar and works great.
Published 4 months ago by linda burchfield
5.0 out of 5 stars
Easy, Yummy and GREAT CUSTOMER SERVICE
My wife and I had researched, read positive and negative reviews, and "YouTube'd" many products before this purchase. Read more
Published 4 months ago by David Quiel
1.0 out of 5 stars
Save your dough!
we are very dissappointed in this machine. once extruding, the dough leaks from the side damper. we have yet been able to extrude a full batch because the gluten developes and... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Susan Hall
