[Jake Blake]

" . . . my old Weller 100 / 140 watt soldering gun. It does these jobs a lot faster, . . . "

I've had 3 versions of that gun.  The oldest one of the 3 is the best, . . . with the hex-nuts.  I know it has to be 55 years old, but if you know how to best tighten them, they will last 2 lifetimes ! The newer one's set screws strip out one way or another.
Like so many other tools,  things get cheapened through the years, and they cheapened these Wellers with different set screws that aren't worth a dang.

But I dislike irons also.