Having used soldering irons for the last 40 years for work and home use. I've settled on for myself,
A 25w variable temperature iron on my work bench, which has a variety of tips
A gas controllable iron like a large diameter pen, also came with a variety of tips
A larger gas unit which is flame only, for silver soldering.and anything that needs more heat.
The Q
 
I have used a gas one for years. Mine doesn't heat up as quickly as it used to but when it's hot it's bang on
 
Antex
2nd world war monster for starter
temp contolled ESD protected and take a minute to heat up
 
Any views on the antex battery powered ones. Sounds good but they dont give the battery life. Just saw this while looking up butane ones.
 
Just my input. I would avoid the gas powered ones as they tend to throw heat out to one side which can (and I have) burnt things with. I picked up a cheap one that runs off the cigarette lighter which was quite good for emergencies but I normally use a bench soldering iron plugged into the mains. Make sure you look after the tip and get the right size for the job. A Li-ion powered quality one would be a decent purchase.
 
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