My point is that a gun cools as soon as you release the trigger - then heats back up as soon as you pull the trigger. I get it - cold gun vs cold iron the gun heats up quicker.

My point is you turn an iron on, let it heat up and then leave it on until you are done your work. Already hot is gonna be quicker than 6 seconds to heat up every time.

My Hakko doesn't lose heat between solders - because I'm not holding the iron on my workpiece long enough. Like I said I run my irons hot and I flow a small amount of solder before I make the connection to "pre-heat" the connection. I've also been soldering RC stuff for 30 years (I went through a gun phase when I was 12 so I get why people think they are better). The only time I have ever had an issue with irons losing heat was when soldering up NiCD/NiMH batteries. Guns lost heat just the same. In the end I found a 70W Weller with the big fat tip and 10 minutes to warm up was the solution for soldering batteries effectively.

P.S. I'm not arguing - just curious. You are the first person I have ever heard (who clearly has a clue) say they prefer a gun so I am intrigued as to why.