How should a beginner choose a bead brand? Artkal, COCO, Hama, MARD, Perler explained
Why brand choice matters
Different fuse-bead brands (fuse beads / Perler beads) don't share the same color-code system, color gamut or bead size. Once you pick a brand, your color charts, patterns and shopping lists all revolve around it. Beadinn already has built-in color charts for eight major brands — Artkal, COCO, Hama, MARD, Perler and more — and switching brands re-matches every cell to its code automatically.
The brands in one line each
- Artkal S: great-value Chinese brand, 176 colors, standard 5mm, wide gamut and easy to buy — the top pick for beginners.
- COCO: Chinese brand with an extremely wide gamut (291 colors), including fluorescent and macaron shades — ideal for high-detail and gradient work.
- Hama Midi: Danish brand, common in Europe, soft tones, with transparent / fluorescent / pearl specialty colors.
- MARD: pro-grade high-saturation chart (221 colors), full red / purple / green families, strong assembled look.
- Perler: classic American brand, 117 colors, a mature code system, the go-to for overseas bead fans.
How to choose: a three-question self-test
1) Want hassle-free shopping? Pick Artkal or COCO — plenty of domestic channels and easy color replenishment. 2) Are your works realistic / gradient-heavy? Pick COCO or MARD — more colors make it easier to reproduce tonal layers. 3) Following overseas tutorials? Many English tutorials use Perler codes, so Perler lets you match directly.
Not sure? First flip through the full color tables of all eight brands and see whose colors match the picture in your head. Or switch brands right in the bead tool to preview the same image in different palettes live.