I used to carry one around for work, the butane ones.
They were great for field technicians, they would work for 3 or 4 solders then be out of butane or just simply stop working for the day lol. Definitely could have been just a shitty style, but it was never the most reliable tool in my bag!
I mean, you solder pipes with a flame, why not circuit boards too?
There used to be little butane soldering irons back in the day before lithium batteries took over.
Every soldering iron I’ve ever used has been a desktop station that plugs into the wall.
Apparently portable soldering irons in general are quite a new concept (1984): https://portasol.com/about-us
I used to carry one around for work, the butane ones.
They were great for field technicians, they would work for 3 or 4 solders then be out of butane or just simply stop working for the day lol. Definitely could have been just a shitty style, but it was never the most reliable tool in my bag!