Reddit reviews Perler Beads Extra Large Clear Pegboard

Hey! I'm by no means an expert in this, but I figured I could at least try to answer.

First off- Welcome! It's super awesome that you're so interested in bead spriting. Now, onto the answers!

• Fuse, hama, and perler beads are all technically different things!
  
  • Fuse beads - Refers to any/all types of beads used for bead spriting. Sort of like how Crayola and Roseart both make crayons, "fuse" is the type of product all bead-based companies produced. They're beads that are FUSED together through, generally, ironing.
    
  • Perler beads, as far as I can tell, are sort of the U.S standard for fuse beads. They're also the only kind I'm familiar with! "Perler" refers to the brand. Their website is here!
    
  • Hama beads, as far as I can tell, are the U.K standard for fuse beads. They're more or less the same (with slight variation in color, and though I've never used Hama, i'd imagine there's a different melting rate) as perler beads. "Hama", like "Perler", refers to the brand. You can view their website here!
    
    • I'm unfamiliar with the quality of Perler vs Hama. I'd order more based on what's convenient for your location- as a beginner, I can't imagine you're dead-set on figuring out the hyperspecifics of qualities!
      
• If I were you, I'd buy supplies separately. I purchase a lot of my stuff from Joanne in-person, but I'd imagine similar products are available online. My purchasing habits sort of go as follows...
  
  • If I know I need a specific color, I buy a bag of that specific color. For instance, I use black beads a lot for outlining, so I always try to have lots of them on-hand.
    
  • You can't do beading without a pegboard! Because I tend to only do sprite patterns, I don't need any specific shape of board. Perler makes a lot of boards in certain shapes- things like horses or dolls- for kids. These are awesome options to look into, but personally, I use a big, clear, rectangular board.
    
  • You also can't iron your designs (or, at least, shouldn't) without some sort of protection. You can get a roll of ironing paper, though I know there's some alternative ironing methods on this sub.
    
  • This might not be the best tip, but it's how I do/did it. If you're looking for a variety of colors and don't mind sorting, you can buy bulk buckets of various colors of beads. Buckets like this have a wide variety of colors, but you won't get quite as many of any one color, and you have to sort. It's a trade-off; you can get a few of a wide variety, or a lot of one color in bags.
    
  • You might want to consider a case if you're planning on organizing your beads.
    
• There's DEFINITELY better advice than this, but if you want it to have a more melty look, more heat is gonna get that. I'd go for lower heat for longer, rather than ramping up the heat for the same amount of time. Too much heat in any case can be damaging; it can warp the board or you can end up with wrinkles in your design.
  
  ​
  
  hope this helps!

The "normal" boards (29x29) link together, so you can go pretty much as big as you have space for. All of these particular items fit on one board each, except for one column on Pop. Otherwise there is this giant board:

https://www.amazon.com/Perler-80-30105-Beads-Classic-Superpegboard/dp/B005IP77G2

This is about the size of 2x3 normal boards. An issue here is the size allows it to warp pretty easily while you are ironing. This can be nice for bigger pieces, but plan on using masking tape to lift it off the board before ironing. Another downside is these don't link together, so you if you need bigger, you are stuck using that many more smaller boards.

Just to throw it in, I found the board that comes on the iPad app kit is something like 27x33, so in some cases (like Pop), I could use that and not have to use two boards or the giant one. Downside is that it has handles that get in the way of ironing. I may just cut/snap them off.

https://www.amazon.com/Perler-80-22671-Beads-i-Pegboard/dp/B009MRLVQE

Here you go

I think [49x69 is the biggest one] (https://www.amazon.com/Perler-80-30105-Beads-Classic-Superpegboard/dp/B005IP77G2/). (standard is 29x29). Make sure you use the masking tape method, because reading the reviews it looks like the big board is more sensitive to heat and warps easier.

I got the Perler Superboard on Thursday. I'm learning a lot, like not ironing on the board because it warps, and how to use the masking tape method.

Funny that you mention that, last saturday, i was looking for a decent tardis pattern and couldnt find one i was satisfied with. I'm sadly limited as far as size goes because i have the big one piece peg board
The few places here in Montreal who sell that stuff only had this one and not the little squares you can connect. I wanted to do a majora's mask too but again, limited by pegboard size :(.