I got my hands on the soldering pen from FNIRSI, model HS-02A. I spent a few hours soldering with the pen, and I can share my impressions with you. The soldering pen is stored in a very elegant box, which contains everything you need for the soldering process.
Thanks to Martin Kiklhorn (Twitter/X) for lending me the soldering pen.
The FNIRSI brand is not an unknown name – its products are very popular and sought after. With its pricing, it offers high-quality products such as USB testers, portable oscilloscopes, component testers, and multimeters. And I have only listed a few items that FNIRSI manufactures.
Five years ago, I purchased a USB-C adjustable power supply and was extremely satisfied with it. What about this soldering pen?
FNIRSI HS-02A
This model is sold in several variants, as is usually the case – just the case, the case and soldering pen, with additional tips, or even a power adapter. The price varies accordingly – from (approximately) 500 CZK for just the box to 2100 CZK with complete equipment. I received the version without the power supply, which at the time of writing this article is around 1700 CZK (on fnirsi or aliexpress) excluding VAT and shipping.
The soldering pen can be powered via USB-C, supporting both USB PD and USB QC. The minimum voltage is 9V, and the maximum can go up to 20V. The soldering pen can also be powered from a battery pack using an adapter from a coaxial connector to USB-C.
The power that the soldering pen can utilize is up to 100W, and the data is displayed on a 0.96″ IPS screen. The temperature range is from 100°C to 450°C.
The soldering pen offers the ability to have three preset temperature profiles and also temperature step settings. Of course, there is also a standby mode setting – sleep mode (time and temperature) and a shutdown time when idle.
The soldering pen also has a buzzer, which fortunately can be turned off. The power can also be adjusted – specifically limited if necessary, in percentage terms.
The soldering pen has an anti-static screw for grounding the soldering tool.
The pen has a silicone handle – and this is one criticism I have. After a longer period of soldering, the pen heats up to a point where holding it becomes quite uncomfortable due to its higher temperature – even with the silicone cover. I would estimate the temperature to be around 45˚C.
However, if you are not soldering for half an hour or an hour straight, it probably won’t bother you much.
The pen itself weighs 51.5g without the cable and has a diameter of two centimeters. The weight is therefore slightly higher than that of the more complex soldering tweezers SEQURE HT140 and much heavier than the competing Pinecil v3 (28g with the soldering tip).
Weighed with the soldering tip.
I would add a silicone USB-C cable to the soldering pen – soldering would be much more pleasant, and the inflexible cable that one often has at home for a laptop or phone wouldn’t get in the way as much.
I don’t know what type of cable is provided with the soldering tool in the case of purchasing the full version, including the adapter and USB-C cable.
Even though the soldering pen can draw up to 100W of power (20V / 5A), it seems to me that the heating of the soldering pen is slower. For example, compared to the SEQURE HT140 soldering tweezers.
Conclusion
The overall impression is very positive – the box is robust and well thought out. The entire soldering pen, along with the wire cleaner for the soldering tip, solder (tin), and spare tips, is compactly assembled into one box.
From my perspective, the disadvantages include the higher weight, 51.5g compared to the competing Pinecil v3, which weighs only 28g. I would supplement the packaging with a silicone USB-C cable (the product page does not state what material the USB-C is made of in case you purchase the most expensive variant of the set with the adapter).
And my last criticism would be regarding the slower heating.
Product page: https://www.fnirsi.com/products/hs-02-toolbox
