*New* Surefire Sidekick 300 lumen Keychain Light

[applevision]

For $10 the good ol' tube is tough to beat.

In a word, yes. And this is a real issue in technology... you have this notion that "good enough" is really fine for most people, and you see that as you get something "better and better" there are diminishing returns... so to get that 5 or 10% better, it might cost you another 100% of effort...

Good article here that summarizes it nicely: http://www.fastcoexist.com/1679885/...r-lessons-in-simplicity-from-emerging-markets

So, for the average person, the Tube is pretty hard to beat! BUT BUT BUT for connoisseurs of light like us, that extra 10% better could be worth 10x the cost (and nearly is in this example!)... It's also why I bought the Tube as an Xmas gift and am keeping the Sidekick and the SGN3 for myself...

 

[seery]

The Sidekick I ordered through Amazon showed up on Saturday. That night we went to a big Christmas party, so of course it had to ride shotgun!

In those 5-1/2 hours, the Sidekick was groped by well over 100 people, probably closer to 150. Several times someone would didn't know the Flashoholic, would hold it up and yell "Who's light is this?!?!".

The reactions and comments varied greatly.

As the wife and I talked on the long ride home, we arrived at the following statistics from the night.

95% thought it was too big for a keychain or pocket.

95% thought it costed $20 or less.

50% thought it looked and/or felt cheap.

10% thought it was sweet, awesome, mind boggling, or cool.

5% asked where I got it.

And 1 person asked if they could have it.

Even without the usual snow and cold temps to put you in the Christmas spirit, it was a really enjoyable party. The food, friends, music, and atmosphere were absolutely wonderful.

As for my Sidekick, well it's now in Germany attached to the backpack of a very happy 11 year old boy!

Merry Christmas.

+1 for seery; it's always interesting to get feedback from the general public on this sort of thing.


Being used to deflationary CN manufacturing skews the perception of the modern consumer and makes it more difficult for an innovative product like this to suceed.

I agree.

And we now have an entire generation that has grown up knowing nothing else.

 

[scout24]

The same people's jaw hits the floor when the smart key or transponder for their car needs replacing. I've seen anywhere from $150.00 for a Chrysler keyless entry smart fob to over $400.00 for a Mercedes equivalent. Peripherially on topic, since the Sidekick sort of resembles a key fob...

 

[marinemaster]

Every SF i have is worth the $$
Lets not forget most man are superficial and won't spend the $$ on a Spyderco or Surefire or SigSauer...the Sidekick is worth the $$

 

[Kestrel]

Hmm, I may have inadvertently gotten us a little off topic when I ran with the 'folks thought it cost less than $20' bit ...

 

[Monocrom]

The same people's jaw hits the floor when the smart key or transponder for their car needs replacing. I've seen anywhere from $150.00 for a Chrysler keyless entry smart fob to over $400.00 for a Mercedes equivalent. Peripherially on topic, since the Sidekick sort of resembles a key fob...

I'd say the prices went up. I recently had to get a brand new one for my Mazda 6.... It was $300.oo

 

[firsttothescene]

I'd say the prices went up. I recently had to get a brand new one for my Mazda 6.... It was $300.oo

ouch.

 

[marinemaster]

Anybody opened one yet ? very curious what's inside

 

[Monocrom]

ouch.

Yup. And that was after I learned the ridiculously convoluted process needed to program a new fob for my individual Mazda. (I think at one point, throwing down chicken bones and dancing naked around a burning wheelchair was part of the programming process. Maybe not that bad. But still. It was less of a migraine headache to just pay the $300.)

 

[firsttothescene]

Yup. And that was after I learned the ridiculously convoluted process needed to program a new fob for my individual Mazda. (I think at one point, throwing down chicken bones and dancing naked around a burning wheelchair was part of the programming process. Maybe not that bad. But still. It was less of a migraine headache to just pay the $300.)

LOL 😁

 

[scout24]

Back on topic, (I apologize for my part in the wanderings...) has anyone done medium or low real life runtimes yet? Or experimented with more than the three press reprogramming? I'm not ready to try the 250 press HDS unlock, but I still wonder if there's more in there...

 

[carrot]

I'm anxiously awaiting more user feedback on this one. Saw this one advertised just as my Titan started acting up, so I wasn't ready to jump on the bandwagon. In the meanwhile it sure is nice to see something come out from the Surefire factories with almost zero lead time from their marketing department!

 

[Energie]

Anybody opened one yet ? very curious what's inside

+1

 

[Str8stroke]

+1

I did some thermal pics. Kinda sorta gives you a idea of things.

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb...ick-vs-Titan-vs-Titan-Plus-PHOTOS-Photo-Heavy

 

[ToddM]

Who would have thought 10 years ago that SF would bring out a rechargeable plastic pocket light and it would start selling at an online only dealer first. I wouldn't call it a significant move to the consumer market move though, there's only a tiny tiny % of people that will pay $70 for any light, much less a keychain light. I suppose it is branching out to light enthusiasts though. I like the specs, but I think it's larger than I'd want to put on my keys or in my pocket.

Many companies even the big boys that have been relying on mil/leo contracts are putting a lot of effort into finding alternative civilian based business for the last few years, both product and service based.

Now the Tube on the other hand, that is a consumer light! Do people even buy keychain lights anymore? When the photon style lights came out they were ground breaking, in every store, under $15 but you never see them on people keys anymore. Don't get me wrong I won't put anything else on a weapon I rely on but Surefire, but in the world of "my life doesn't rely on it" lights SF is just way too overpriced and usually behind in technology (though they are getting better). Unless SF has a black friday screw up every year like this year.

It will be interesting to see how these do, and if there are any major issues with the first generation. It used to be respected companies rarely had problems with new products. These days it seems like it's best not to buy anything the first 6-12 months it's on the market. Even companies with stellar reputations are using the early customers as beta testers.

 

[Monocrom]

You'll still find a Photon Freedom on my main keychain. It's reliable, it doesn't fall apart in the pocket, and unlike 99% of other coin-cell lights on the market; it's actually waterproof. I know.... I've washed mine under heavy running water. It's why I have so many SF lights. Sometimes, you just don't want to be bothered with " good enough."

 

[Tixx]

Looking forward to a second version!

 

[Tixx]

You'll still find a Photon Freedom on my main keychain. It's reliable, it doesn't fall apart in the pocket, and unlike 99% of other coin-cell lights on the market; it's actually waterproof. I know.... I've washed mine under heavy running water. It's why I have so many SF lights. Sometimes, you just don't want to be bothered with " good enough."

Around my neck for the same reasons.

 

[applevision]

Around my neck for the same reasons.

It's a good point, but it's not really fair!
I am currently wearing a NiteCore Tube around my neck, and it is a fantastic little light. I truly appreciate the "guilt-free lumens" (i.e., there is no battery waste because it is rechargeable) , and the fact that I don't have to worry about buying and replacing batteries when they run down. I also appreciate it's lightness, which is nearly the same as the Photon (which I also love and have used as my neck light in the past…) But, the Sidekick is an altogether different beast: I am positing that it can be a true replacement for a pocket light--perhaps even a holstered light-- not just a keychain light, and yet it is not much bigger than the latter!

In another thread we were talking about how some of the early 4D Mag lights put out 60 lumens. 60 lumens was all you got from four gigantic D cell batteries in the flashlight the size of a billy club! And, in its day, that was plenty for law-enforcement officers and others who needed to use it as a tool. This tiny flashlight, however, can blast out 300 lumens of gorgeous, creamy white light with an amazing spot to spill ratio... This is, in many ways, the light I have been waiting a decade for: it has the size, the convenience, the brightness, and the beam characteristics that I have always wanted, rolled into one super portable tool. If it had a high CRI emitter ( and frankly, this one is pretty good!), I might be tempted to retire from being the flashaholic… Well, then again, probably not…

 

[jon_slider]

I am positing that it can be a true replacement for a pocket light--perhaps even a holstered light-- not just a keychain light, and yet it is not much bigger than the latter!

Im impressed. You obviously have tried the competition. Congratulations on finding Lumen Nirvana.
fwiw, since you mention holstered lights.. the Sidekick and the Copper Olight S10 are close to the same weight, just for reference.. I dont think of the Baton as a neck or keychain light

My present lumen Nirvana contains a tripartite shrine of LED swapped Copper Maratacs, 3000k in dark night, 4500k N219 indoors, and 6000k in daylight. Im still in the accumulation phase of my addiction, Im taking small doses of Copper Worms, Tools, and Maratacs.

The tube is a 10 gram light, the sidekick is 5 times heavier.. I agree its not a fair comparison, but Im still impressed at how happy applevision is with the Sidekick. Thanks for sharing your joy, Merry New Year