Fresh pasta is not only fun to make, but it can be much tastier than dried pasta that is bought in the store. You can make fresh pasta by hand, but this takes a lot of practice and experience. However, with a pasta machine you can soon be making fresh pasta like a professional. The first thing you should decide is whether you want a hand cranked machine or one that uses a motor. Typically the hand crack machines make a variety of flat pastas while some of the powered machines have dies that can make tubular pasta such as penne or macaroni. The powered machines can be harder to clean though. The hand crank machines are virtually foolproof, and the flat sheets can also be used for lasagna and ravioli. Another thing to consider when making pasta with a pasta machine is that even when the pasta is dried, it will never have the same texture and mouth feel as commercial dried pasta. This is not to say that one is better than the other, just that they are different and this difference should be planned for when deciding what sauce to use on the pasta.