I’m planning to surprise my D with a pasta machine for Christmas (hopefully, she’s too busy at school to stalk my posts on CC!)… would love recommendations if there’s an especially good brand— or ones to avoid!
Are you looking for a certain type?
I’d recommend the old school Marcato Atlas hand crank type.
I second @doschicos recommendation, unless your daughter has a Kitchenaid stand mixer, then go for the pasta attachment. Similar approach, but the machine does the “cranking.”
Ditto the Atlas. Electricity takes the fun out of it.
We have an Atlas too. I got it brand new at some consignment store for about $5…including the ravioli attachment. My son wanted to make homemade pasta…he was very happy with my find!
I have the pasta maker for the kitchenaid stand mixer and I hate it. It is OK for fettucini noodles but that’s it. It’s also a PIA to clean
I got the Kitchenaid pasta attachments for my son for his birthday a few months ago. He loves them; no idea if they’re hard to clean because that’s his job. 
But he’s been making all sorts of really yummy pasta with them, so maybe it was more a gift for all of us.
Not sure what he’s going to do when he goes off to college, though. Knowing him, he’ll probably try to take my Kitchenaid with him anyways…
Another vote for the hand crank model.
What a fun gift! I can think of a couple people in my family who would enjoy this. I see the Atlas runs in the $70-100 range. (quick look) Are there features we should be looking for?
Check on ebay. There are a LOT of Atlas pasta makers there. Decent prices too.
I doubt it matters much. The atlas is probably the best choice. Don’t bother withe ravioli attachment IMO. I have never used that LOL. As it is a surprise, does she want one? They take a lot of room to use, and store.
If you want to go easy and automatic I use the Philips pasta maker all the time. Quick and easy and easy to clean: https://www.usa.philips.com/c-p/HR2357_05/premium-collection-pasta-and-noodle-maker
@Dolemite that Philips looks interesting but it’s 9 times more expensive than the atlas!
There is a Jr. model on Amazon - less $$ and compact:
Here is the Atlas on Amazon…$60…or so.
My son says part of the fun is the cranking…and mixing the ingredients.
But seriously check Ebay! This is an item people buy, and then decide they just aren’t going to use it. Some are new in box!
I did do a quick check on eBay. Weirdly though we have sold a lot of eBay, rarely bought from there!
Can’t tell if some have different features though - do you need a different attachment for EACH different type of pasta? For instance in a basic model can you do more than one type of noodle?
Ours cuts a couple of widths… but the big thing is it rolls the pasta dough very thin. When DS made lasagna, for example, he just cut the dough himself after he rolled it.
Price is not the only factor to consider. Does the person have space for rolling out pasta dough? Do they want a hands off, dump all in and walk away kind, bread machine -type experience or do they like to do things manually? Throwing all options out there for the OP.
I love my Atlas. What I don’t love is finding places to put the pasta in between rollings. A single recipe requires a lot of space, the thinner it gets. I have a big kitchen now, but in previous houses, had to use the dining room table. So if your daughter doesn’t have a lot of space, you may also want to give her a drying rack.
Thanks, everyone, for your input! My kid is a serious cook who really enjoys “the process”… she’s done “Boot Camp” at the Culinary Institute of America, and last summer, she followed that up with a class in which she learned how to fillet about a dozen kinds of very large fish. (She was covered in fish guts and had the biggest smile… LOL) The benefits of having an adventurous chef in the house can’t be beat! 
When she was home last, she attempted pasta with a rolling pin and a knife… it was a bit doughy, hence the idea for the pasta maker for Christmas. It’ll live in our kitchen for now, and will go with her when she moves off campus next year.