I've tried batch after batch of pasta dough with this device, and I've always had trouble with everything sticking together as it extrudes, no matter how stiff I make the dough. The only way I've been able to circumvent this problem is to have someone help me separate the extrusions as they exit the device which is a pain. Not really very easy to clean either; it usually takes 10 minutes, and the brush that's included is not effective. This product was very expensive too. Not recommended.

Arrived in a timely manner, works great. Attaches easily to my KitchenAid mixer. Comes with a cleaning pick which easily removes stuck on pasta bits as long as you wait for pasta on the extruder plates to dry completely. I love that I can know exactly what is in my pasta now, and have the ability to have fresh pasta any time at home. I have other KitchenAid attachments as well, including the ice cream maker, pasta drying rack, roto slicer/grinder, fruit and vegetable strainer, so I have used KitchenAid products all my life. They last a lifetime: I just turned 60, and my mother is still using the mixer she got for a wedding gift to mix up bread dough each week end..

5 stars if it wasn't so expensive...way overpriced. All plastic, but made well. Lots of extrusion options. Fits well. Cleans well. Works great. Followed a YouTube video of a fellow rolling the pasta into a foot long roll a inch thick and letting the thing go and pull the pasta in automatically...great idea...better than little pachinko balls.

After reading the negative reviews, using this extruder was eye-opening. I am 99% sure I know why so many people reported the pasta ring cracking on first use. If the auger is not precisely in its clover shaped fitting (you may think it is but check again) AND if the pasta plate is not sitting with its 3 little tabs exactly in the 3 notches (check these too) I can see how it would break the ring. AND if you are not careful and do not read the fine print you may think all is fitting fine even though you have not precisely fit these all together. I almost made that mistake myself. Other wise this is really fun to use and works great. Just be sure to have a bed of flour for the pasta to fall on so it can be separated as it comes out to prevent the strands from sticking together. I used a pasta dough recipe different from the one they provided and it was fine. My only real criticism is that a tool should have been provided by the manufacturer for cleaning the small holes and grooves that fill with dough. They provided a brush but you really need a needle. I made one from a cork and paper clip (see pic) and it works great. I also have one that came with another extruder. So it is fun to use and works well after first use.

The dough must be very firm (as instructions say). Seems to firm to work but it does. However, there are a few of drawbacks:
1) it is time consuming to use the machine, 2) It puts so much strain on the motor of the mixer that one is insturcted to let the motor rest for either 2/3 or 1/2 the time (I have forgotten), that is it has a "duty cycle", 3) if extra pasta is made and frozen it is very subject to freezer burn, and 4) the extrusion heads are time consuming to clean and should be cleaned immediately before pasta in the holes dries out. To do the cleaning the best method I have found is to whittle a wooden coffee stirring stick to the right shape.