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!
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!