*New* Surefire Sidekick 300 lumen Keychain Light

[Monocrom]

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 160 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…

Keep in mind that output is relative. Darkness doesn't get darker as the years roll on by. In an age where 10 lumens was considered average for a hand-held pocket light. 60 was indeed very impressive considering that that was the best most folks had access to if they went to their local hardware store. A couple of generations from now, this SureFire model will be laughed at for putting out ONLY 300 lumens.

 

[Lightman2]

Well I did actually get my SF Sidekick on Christmas day (being today where I am) and to be honest I am dissapointed. With the lumen rating I expected more even knowing it was a wide angle light not a focused light. I have yet to do any initial tests but so far I cannot recommend the light unless for specific reasons you would want it such as a push button side switch and USB charger which are two of the three reasons I requested it. The other reason was lumen rating. I have been into our garage which is dark and we are now at dusk and I tried the light out alongside the Zebra SC32 and the Zebra light kicks the SF light considerably. Even the Zebra SC51 with its non fully charged single AA cell appears to have as good a throw as the fully charged SF Sidekick (both on high mode). The spill of the Sidekick is certainly very good but the combination of throw and spill of the SC32 is better for both and in reality the spill from the Zebra is not far off that of the Sidekick. Sure I love the USB feature and I actually bought this light to replace my old rechargeable REX that LRI Photon use to do. Without measuring the Sidekick looks about 5mm shorter than the SC32. If you looking at USB charge and or a side button activation then the SF Sidekick MAY be of interest but if your looking for something spectacular you will not find it here. I still cannot find fault with the SC32 and still believe it to be an exceptional light. If I knew what I know now already owning the Zebra I would not have requested the Sidekick. Anyway each to their own, some willl love this light and some will, like me, be dissapointed. For me that disspointment was rather large.

 

[jon_slider]

… I am dissapointed….
Even the Zebra SC51...
SC32 is better

sorry you learned from experience that you prefer a light you already had. Just return the sidekick for refund, no loss, cosider it an educational seminar. Let them know you were disappointed with the inflated 300 lumen claims. I think many people are misled by lumen specs, Surefire is not the only company that does that though.

fwiw, Im not sure I know enough to compare the Sidekick to an AA or CR123 light. There may be information correlated to the battery capacity, that impacts max brightness runtime, which as we have seen is very short on the Sidekick.

IF, and I dont actually know for a fact, I hope someone chimes in, if the Sidekick has a 350mAh battery, it might not be fair to compare it to a 2000mAh AA. And in terms of brightness, not sure if the Voltage of a CR123 is significantly higher than on the Sidekick, but if it is, that might explain the difference in performance (if anyone knows the voltage and mAh of the sidekick please share).

Note the Sidekick is rated the same 300 lumens as the Plus, which uses a 750mAh AAA battery. I would not expect an AAA light to have the same maxiumum brightness runtime as a AA light. And I would not expect an AAA light to be as bright as a CR123 light.

point being, in the specs there might be information that helps explain why the 300 lumen Surefires are outperformed by other battery types and sizes.

 

[Lightman2]

Hi Jon ...... agreed, there may be way more technical stuff to consider for a technical reply. I am sure there will be those, as we have seen written on this thread, that like this light. I think that if I did not have my Zebra lights I would have been impressed. No doubt others here will have similar lights to the Zebras offering small size and good lumens or throw and those people will likely be the ones dissapointed. I am a pretty simple guy and just look at a light on what I see which usually goes on a 'size to power' ratio. The smaller the light and the brighter it is means the happier I am. Typically a throw guy versus a spill guy I still thought this light would outdo the Zebras. So for me personally size for size the Zebra lights win out let alone the Zebras UI's which are IMHO unbeatable at this time. The light was a Christmas present and has been all opened and used and so to return is out of the question. If I was in the US I could likely sell to someone here.

 

[seery]

Well I did actually get my SF Sidekick on Christmas day (being today where I am) and to be honest I am dissapointed.

You are not alone my friend.

Two weeks ago I gave my Sidekick away, and I don't miss it.

 

[jon_slider]

Typically a throw guy versus a spill guy I still thought this light would outdo the Zebras.

Zebras are very hard to beat, and the Sidekick is a flood beam. I normally would not compare a Zebra to a "keychain light" format, but given how heavy the Sidekick is, I think its a fair comparison, for similar weight.

I gave my Sidekick away, and I don't miss it.

Please list a reason why the light did not work for you, so others with similar expectations can be better educated. The Sidekick is a compact flat rechargeable light with a floody beam.

The Sidekick, like the Zebras, has PWM.
"I am sad to report that the SC51 has reverted to visible PWM on Lo2 and Med2 levels.

Worse than that, the Lo2 mode is at a very visible 69 Hz (the Med2 is not as bad at 437 Hz)."

The easiest way for Me to avoid disappointment, is to not buy lights that use PWM

 

[seery]

Please list a reason why the light did not work for you, so others with similar expectations can be better educated.

For me personally, it was too big and felt cheap.

I've loved a lot of SF lights over the years, this just doesn't happen to be one of them.

 

[archimedes]

I have been looking for battery info on the Sidekick for a while now ... and haven't found anything.

Purely speculation, but I think it is most likely a Lipo 4.2V and, based on some guesses from stated runtime(s) and charging time, perhaps 350-ish mAh ?

I also notice the SureFire webpage for the Sidekick is "sidekick-a" which makes me wonder if a "sidekick-b" might be planned ? SureFire, for example, lists the current Titan as "titan-a" and the Titan Plus as "titan-b" .

 

[Lightman2]

Reason I do not like the Sidekick in pros and cons fashion below.
Pros
a. USB charging format.
b. Flat design.
c. Switch is a reasonably hard press so no acidential activation that I could see.
d. One hand operation. (Will never go back to two handed operating lights after Zebra).

Cons
a. No real decent throw (should have figured that out from the diameter size of the head/reflector) but the SF video on youtube looked impressive. As most know including me the bigger the reflector the more light caught, collimated and thrown.
b. Size for size (alongside Zebra lights) well under performed in throw, power and runtime.
c. Does not even have flat bottom. SF could have easily offset the key loop to one side and made the bottom flat to allow for candle standing.

I may feel differently about both pros and cons some time down the line. I have had a few SF lights over time and they are supposed (portray themselves, others do also add to the hype) to be the best and granted manufacturing is certainly very good but at this stage I wish I had asked for another light.

 

[jon_slider]

Purely speculation, but I think it is most likely a Lipo 4.2V and, based on some guesses from stated runtime(s) and charging time, perhaps 350-ish mAh ?

I speculate you are correct

for reference, hopefully accurate
An AAA Eneloop is rated 750mAh (2x the Sidekick)
An AA Eneloop is rated 2000mAh (More than 5x)
A CR123 is rated 3000mAh (More than 8x)

For anyone interested in a light that tailstands, with about half the lumens claim, half the weight, and a less floody beam than the Sidekick, Im presently infatuated with the Copper Maratac AAA, and recommend it highly.

But the Sidekick is still a great light for its own reasons. There is no one perfect light, they are all a compromise of features and applications.. YMMV

Sometimes we buy a light and then discover that it wont do something, like tailstand, and it makes us realize whether that feature is a dealbreaker for our needs and priorities, or worth tolerating because the application in which that light is used, does not require tailstanding. BTW, lights that dont tailstand, will do so if dropped into a glass or cup

Merry Xmas, hang on to your wallet.. I can see the writing on the wall, and people are already making new wishes for the next light they want… myself included.. LOL

 

[Robin24k]

I speculate you are correct

for reference, hopefully accurate
An AAA Eneloop is rated 750mAh (2x the Sidekick)
An AA Eneloop is rated 2000mAh (More than 5x)
A CR123 is rated 3000mAh (More than 8x)

You need to look at watt-hours for the comparison to be even slightly meaningful (and even then, discharge characteristics and circuitry differences still haven't been accounted for).

AAA Eneloop: 1.2V 800mAh = 0.96Wh
AA Eneloop: 1.2V 2000mAh = 2.4Wh
CR123: 3.0V 1500mAh = 4.5Wh

If the Sidekick has a 3.7V 350mAh lithium-polymer battery (not 4.2V), that would be 1.3Wh.

 

[Lightman2]

Thanks Jon.

Agreed again. Will look at Martac. Will ensure I think a bit more before making my choice on next lght. Sidekick is nice just not great for me compared to SF video or what I already have. Light that has it all IMO is the SC52. Will keep the Sidekick. Tailstand I will use some bluetack. Already have my eye on a new light once I see more about it.

 

[Vox Clamatis in Deserto]

You need to look at watt-hours for the comparison to be even slightly meaningful (and even then, discharge characteristics and circuitry differences still haven't been accounted for).

AA Eneloop: 1.2V 800mAh = 0.96Wh
AAA Eneloop: 1.2V 2000mAh = 2.4Wh

I think those Eneloop figures are perhaps transposed (or came from the marketing department ).

 

[Robin24k]

I think those Eneloop figures are perhaps transposed (or came from the marketing department ).

Good catch, my fingers are a bit cold. Fixed now.

 

[jon_slider]

watt-hours

thanks for the facts and education, very helpful

Maratac AAA 0.96Wh
Sidekick 1.3Wh
SC51 AA 2.4Wh > almost 2x as much power as the Sidekick
SC32 CR123 4.5Wh > more than 3x the power of the Sidekick

 

[archimedes]

You need to look at watt-hours for the comparison to be even slightly meaningful (and even then, discharge characteristics and circuitry differences still haven't been accounted for)....

Agreed

....If the Sidekick has a 3.7V 350mAh lithium-polymer battery (not 4.2V), that would be 1.3Wh.

I realize that you know this @Robin24k , but to clarify for others, 4.2V would be the max voltage while 3.7V would be the nominal voltage (and the better choice to use for estimating Watt-hours) .

 

[applevision]

Really good discussion here, and I'm sorry to hear that some people have not been impressed with this light.
I think that the Zebralight SC32 is very tough competition in general! In my honest opinion as a flashaholic, Zebralights are some of the best bang for buck lights ever produced, and many times they seem to be a step ahead of everyone… Feeling slightly embarrassed as I type this, I realize that I have nine different Zebralights in my house, more than any other brand. So, suffice it to say: I hear you!

Similarly, the Olight S1 is an amazing little pocket rocket that is actually cheaper and far more powerful than the Sidekick. With 500 lumens and impressive throw for such a small light, it might be more of what you guys are craving.
But, while I love and respect both of those lights, they do not sit in my pocket every day! I do not think it is fair to compare them to the Sidekick, which really is for all intents and purposes, a significantly more compact device to carry. I also used to carry the Maratac AAA on my keychain--it is also a fantastic little light and a much better direct comparison to the Sidekick. Here, however, I can say that I much prefer the sidekick as an EDC. Although larger, it seems to take up about the same amount of space in my pocket given it's smooth, flat shape. The USB recharging is fantastic, and the super bright, very floody beam is superior for my purposes. I was worried that it would be hard to change my EDC of several years (Maratac), but once I compared them side-by-side, it was easy!

In sum, it is great to hear what people don't like about the light as well as what they do. Clearly it is not perfect! However, I do feel that it is an advancement in flashlights, and I'm excited to be "into it" right now. I'm still waiting for a more formal review to learn a little bit more about things like runtime, but I can say that as an EDC this light is pretty awesome. Until the next big thing! Hee hee!

 

[sledhead]

Hopefully the second wave comes soon. Really looking forward to picking one up.

 

[run4jc]

My second one shipped from Amazon and is due to be delivered Wednesday. They say "out of stock" again so I suppose the second wave came and went quickly.

 

[warpdrive]

Cons
a. No real decent throw (should have figured that out from the diameter size of the head/reflector) but the SF video on youtube looked impressive. As most know including me the bigger the reflector the more light caught, collimated and thrown.

For me that's a pro. I have too many different keychain lights that have a clearly defined spot, and this new reflector in the surefire is exactly what I am looking for, just a smooth wide beam.

I prefer a smooth floody beam for close up use, in the car, driveway, getting the mail, working behind the computer etc. I don't have the sidekick yet but I'm expecting I'm going to love the Surefire's beam (have a Titan on order)

I had an earlier Zebra and the accidental activations killed its usefulness for me, but it felt like a great little light otherwise.

But for me, the sidekick has no sex appeal, I'm not going to pull it out of my pocket to marvel at its machining or design, and that's why I cancelled my order. Maybe Gen 2 or 3 will be the one to get. This a relatively new form factor still

Like the other poster said, it just feels too big and cheap. That's the feeling I think I would have had if I had gotten one