Sorry to see, but those pics are typical of tip wear, given the time frame, its accelerate wear.
Avoid temp unregulated irons, unless you expect to discarded it after one project. I keep temp unregulated irons in my emergency toolkit because they are dirt cheap, lightweight, and I don't do solder repairs often. You'll get as good performance as this Weller with a no-name brand or a Velleman brand iron, they run in the USA between $5-15.
If you want a truly portable iron, there are new models that are fully hand held with temp regulation built in such as the Hakko FX600 or 601.
Although the tips are plated, poorly done ones are uneven so it wear out faster at the thin end, leaving it open to erosion. That "U" shaped erosion at the tip is typical of poor tips, excessive heat [>= 400C] and probably high pressure placed on the tip against the item to be soldered [ the tip platings soften at high temps and are more susceptible to physical scouring, accelerating wear further].
Grumpdoc's link covers all the tech details and you can find more in the archives on soldering.
FWIW I have soldering tips over 10 years old that get used monthly, and look nearly new, follow the 'life extending' tips suggestion linked, but in addition I keep my station at 300C or less and no more than 350C as its adequate for nearly all SMT and through hole work. Shut or lower the station temprather than let it idle between use, as high heat kills tips.
For large ground planes, I use a cheaper unregulated iron that I can sacrifice, yet still has its original tips. A single no-name station in the USA with tip cost less than a single true Hakko tip.