Fuse Beads have been around since the 1960’s. Children and adults of all ages use Perler Beads to create all types of designs such as coasters, key-chains, and portraits. Creating things out of Perler Beads has become extremely popular over the years. There are blogs, Instagram accounts and Youtube channels dedicated entirely to Perler Beads tutorials.
There are many Perler Bead knock-off brands such as Hama Beads, Melty Beads, Beads, and Pyssla Beads. Collectively, all these beads are commonly called, “Iron Beads” or “Fuse Beads,” which are general terms for being melted together. While the quality of the fuse beads varies from company to company, the way in which they’re fused together, with a hot burning iron, is the same.
Which begs the question – Are Perler Beads the best option for fuse beads?
Many of our customers, schools, after-school programs, nursing homes, hospitals and government agencies, have been forced to stop using Perler Beads in their facilities because it was just too dangerous to have kids around a hot burning iron.
So we created Super Beads, the beads that fuse just with water!
Perler Beads
Pros of Perler Beads
- Once fused together, Perler Beads are strong and durable
- Perler Beads designs can easily be turned into magnets
- Perler Beads come in lots of different colors
Cons of Perler Beads
- Perler Beads need a hot burning iron to melt and fuse the beads together
- Perler Beads require an iron to melt the beads, kids need an adult to fuse the beads together – for kids, this is disappointing because they work so hard on their projects but can’t complete it on their own
- Because Perler Beads require an iron, which needs electricity, you’re limited to where you can make your Perler Bead designs
- Perler Beads designs will crack in half if you bend them
- In order to make 3D creations with Perler Beads, for example, a box, you would first have to make each part separately, iron them and then glue all the pieces together
- Perler Beads are very lose on the pegboard so they often move around and fall off which makes it very hard for younger kids to work with and very frustrating for adults working on big projects. It also makes it hard to pick your board up and go work on them somewhere else
- Perler Beads are hard to turn into key-chains and jewelry because they get melted and flat and lose their hole in the center
Super Beads
Pros of Super Beads
- Super Beads fuse just with water
- Because Super Beads fuse just with water, kids can now complete their projects entirely on their own from beginning to end
- Creating 3D designs with Super Beads is super easy. Simply put all parts of your design into place and spray with water and they’ll fuse together
- Fused Super Beads are extremely flexible and won’t crack – even if they do, simply spray them again with water and they’ll fuse back together
- Super Beads fit so snugly on the pegboard so they won’t move around while you’re working on your masterpiece. If you accidentally hit the board while you’re working, the Super Beads won’t go anywhere. The snug fit also makes it easy and convenient to start working your design in one place and just pick it and finish it in another place
- Super Beads retain their hole after fusing making it so easy to slip something through it and further your creation into earrings, necklaces or key-chains
- You can even make your Super Beads on top of any surface, such as wood, spray them with water and they’ll stick right to it. Want to turn your Super Beads into a magnet? Just spray them with water and place magnet and they’ll stick together
- Because our Super Beads don’t require any ironing and, therefore, no need for electricity, you now have the freedom to work on your Super Beads wherever you want whenever you want
Cons of Super Beads
- Once you spray your Super Beads with water it will take some time for them to dry before they’re completely fused together
- Some of the Super Beads colors leave some coloring on your hands and on the board but don’t worry, the Super Beads are safe and non-toxic and wash right off with soap and water
- Because of the Super Beads‘ advanced fusing technology, they cost a little more than Perler Beads
- As of now, Super Beads come in limited colors – 22 colors to be exact
Were you able to decide which is better for you? Luckily for you, we sell both Super Beads and Perler Beads.
Please let us know in the comments if you think we missed any pros/cons of either Super Beads or Perler Beads. Will you continue working with Perler Beads? Will you give Super Beads a try? Have you tried Super Beads before?
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Who’s Econocrafts? Econocrafts is a manufacturer of unique and exciting arts and crafts kits and hobby supplies. They sell to Schools, After-School, Camps, Recreation Centers, Nursing Homes, Hospitals, Government Agencies, and crafters all over the world. From the classroom to your home, for a party to a DIY project, Econocrafts has everything you need to keep you creatively entertained.
