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Author's Statement for Transparency and Disclosure
The test sample/s featured in this article have been provided for technical testing and review by the manufacturer. Test samples are retained by the reviewer following publication of the completed review for the purposes of long term testing and product comparisons.
All output figures and test results published in this review are the sole work of the reviewer, and are carried out independently and without bias. Test results are reported as found, with no embellishments or alteration. Though best endeavours are made to maintain the accuracy of test equipment, the accuracy of these results is not guaranteed and is subject to the test equipment functioning correctly.
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Author's Statement for Transparency and Disclosure
The test sample/s featured in this article have been provided for technical testing and review by the manufacturer. Test samples are retained by the reviewer following publication of the completed review for the purposes of long term testing and product comparisons.
All output figures and test results published in this review are the sole work of the reviewer, and are carried out independently and without bias. Test results are reported as found, with no embellishments or alteration. Though best endeavours are made to maintain the accuracy of test equipment, the accuracy of these results is not guaranteed and is subject to the test equipment functioning correctly.
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Streamlight's Sidewinder Rescue is a recent addition to the Sidewinder family. The main change is the addition of a sliding, omni-directional diffuser to increase the angle of visibility.
The Sidewinder (reviewed here) is still one of my favourite lights with its articulated head, choice of output colours and easy AA power, so how will the Rescue fare?
Taking a more detailed look:
The Sidewinder Rescue arrives in a no-nonsense plain cardboard box.
Included with the Rescue are a PALS compatible mounting strap, set of Alkaline AAs, Lanyard and instructions.
Taking a moment to have a closer look at the accessories. The press studs used on the mount are military grade, and will only open when pulled from the direction indicated by the dot.
And the reason it only opens at the dot is that the retaining spring ring is fixed on one side (unlike standard press studs where the ring is generally free floating).
The mount can be put into PALS webbing or wrapped around any suitable holder.
The braided cord lanyard is strongly reinforced and stitched together.
The Rescue is shown next to the older Sidewinder Sportsman model I reviewed in 2012. The body is the same, but there are two additions. The sliding diffuser and a mounting plate (on the opposite side to the clip).
Another view of the Sportsman and Rescue models.
The new aluminium mounting plate on the side is clearly shown. This is intended for the user to glue on whatever fixing material they want to (Velcro or similar) and can be removed by taking out the screw.
The head is angled over and you can see the 'IR safe' setting which selects the blue LED. On the thumb screw you will find the serial number and main model designation (Sidewinder).
Unscrewing the tail-cap thumb screw allows the tethered tail-cap to come away to give access to the battery compartment.
Inside you can see the physical reverse polarity protection incorporated into the contacts.
The articulated head can be set to any position within its 180 degree arc of movement.
The new diffuser has three positions it can be set. Starting in the 'out of the way' position here where it is not over any of the LEDs.
Now positioned over the coloured/IR LEDs.
And finally over the white LED.
If you look inside the rim of the head, you will see two of the indent positions that the sliding diffuser clicks into.
Two things are shown here, the first is the way the diffuser covers the coloured LEDs, and the second is the main white LED which Streamlight simply designate as C4 not publishing the actual emitter used.
With the diffuser in this position we can see the coloured/IR LEDs and the way the diffuser covers the white LED.
The beam
Please be careful not to judge tint based on images you see on a computer screen. Unless properly calibrated, the screen itself will change the perceived tint.
The indoor beamshot is intended to give an idea of the beam shape/quality rather than tint. All beamshots are taken using daylight white balance. The woodwork (stairs and skirting) are painted Farrow & Ball "Off-White", and the walls are a light sandy colour called 'String' again by Farrow & Ball. I don't actually have a 'white wall' in the house to use for this, and the wife won't have one!
Starting indoors, you can see one of the criticisms of the Sidewinder is that its beam is not the cleanest or most refined. There is a definite hotspot with relatively dim spill.
Outside, despite its limited output, the Sidewinder's hotspot gives it some range.
Modes and User Interface:
For the original Sidewinder a claim of "20 flashlights in one" was made, which refers to the set of five modes that are repeated for each of the four emitters. However with the sliding diffuser this is now "40 flashlights in one" as each mode can be diffused or not.
Each emitter has Max, High, Medium, Low and Flashing modes available. For the Rescue model on review, the Sidewinder turns on in Low and has Red, Green and IR coloured LEDs.
See my original Streamlight Sidewinder Review for a photo showing the LEDs of the Sportsman version all lit. The Sportsman also turns on in Max output.
To change output level, the rubber dome switch is held down to cycle through the levels and follows the sequence Low -> Medium -> High -> Max -> High -> Medium -> …… so unlike many lights it ramps up and down and does not jump straight from Max to low.
A quick double-click enters the flashing mode which is set at Max output.
Surrounding the switch is a selector ring for the emitter. This must be pulled up, rotated and dropped back down to lock in the selection. The emitter can be changed while the light is in any mode without changing the output level or mode. Two hands are needed to change the emitter and the selector ring has a raised section to allow for tactile LED changes.
Batteries and output:
The Sidewinder Rescue runs on 2x AA – Alkaline, NiMh or Lithium AAs (NOT 14500).
To measure actual output, I built an integrating sphere. See here for more detail. The sensor registers visible light only (so Infra-Red and Ultra-Violet will not be measured).
Please note, all quoted lumen figures are from a DIY integrating sphere, and according to ANSI standards. Although every effort is made to give as accurate a result as possible, they should be taken as an estimate only. The results can be used to compare outputs in this review and others I have published.
This is a very large table as it includes diffused and non-diffused outputs. I cannot measure the IR output, so that is not included.
| ___________________________________________ | ________________________________ | ________________________________ |
| Streamlight Sidewinder Rescue using Eneloop AA | I.S. measured ANSI output Lumens | PWM frequency or Strobe frequency (Hz) |
| ___________________________________________ | ________________________________ | ________________________________ |
| White - Max | 82 | N/A |
| White - High | 45 | N/A |
| White - Med | 15 | N/A |
| White - Low | 5 | N/A |
| Diffused White - Max | 63 | N/A |
| Diffused White - High | 34 | N/A |
| Diffused White - Med | 12 | N/A |
| Diffused White - Low | 4 | N/A |
| Blue - Max | 9 | N/A |
| Blue - High | 5 | N/A |
| Blue - Med | 2 | N/A |
| Blue - Low | Below Threshold | N/A |
| Diffused Blue - Max | 6 | N/A |
| Diffused Blue - High | 3 | N/A |
| Diffused Blue - Med | 2 | N/A |
| Diffused Blue - Low | Below Threshold | N/A |
| Green - Max | 7 | N/A |
| Green - High | 3 | N/A |
| Green - Med | 2 | N/A |
| Green - Low | Below Threshold | N/A |
| Diffused Green - Max | 5 | N/A |
| Diffused Green - High | 3 | N/A |
| Diffused Green - Med | 2 | N/A |
| Diffused Green - Low | Below Threshold | N/A |
| White strobe | 80 | 4 |
* Beacon and Strobe output measurements are only estimates as the brief flashes make it difficult to capture the actual output value.
Peak Beam intensity measured 2000lx @1m giving a beam range of 89m.
There is super low parasitic drain of 0.1uA. At this drain it would take 2167 years to fully drain the cells!!!
In this trace you can see the relative performance using Alkaline and Eneloop cells. This is actually the most similar performance between Alkaline and NiMh of any light I've tested as normally the Alkaline output is significantly worse. Though the NiMh does win on overall runtime and maintains regulation a little better, the Alkaline output is perfectly good and just comes up short on output at the end of the runtime. By ANSI standards, the runtime is actually the same, but the Alkaline dims earlier than the NiMh.
Troubleshooting
This is a new section I am adding to mention any minor niggles I came across during testing, in case the information helps anyone else.
No issues were encountered during testing.
As per the description of this section, this information is provided in case anyone else finds a similar 'issue' that might be fixed in the same way.
The Sidewinder Rescue in use
Its fundamental form and articulated head makes any of the Sidewinder models incredibly versatile. Leave the head straight and you have a relatively conventional side button light. Bend the head and you have a right-angle light, or put it anywhere in between.
With the various models, some come on in Max, and some on Low. The Rescue coming on in low makes it a better EDC light for my uses and great for the bedside table. The Green low output is good for midnight wandering around the house (there is no red, so green is the next best in my opinion). Changing output level can be done straight from OFF or once already ON by holding the switch until you get the level you want.
The diffuser does not produce an even flood of light, instead it really just makes the output visible from all directions forward of the head, and slightly behind the head. Think of it as a signalling adaptor and you won't be disappointed that you haven't got a smooth flood light. I'd also go so far as to say you would only really use it with the flashing mode turned on. This diffuser is all about maximum visibility of the light, and your position, not for seeing with (hence the model being called 'Rescue').
Without the diffuser it is a great utility light. The ultra-low parasitic drain means it can be left as a standby light for years and you know you can pick it up and use it. If you do this just remember to use Lithium AAs or LSD NiMh cells. However, what I've found, is that it is so useful I just keep reaching for it.
The choice of a model which comes on in Max or Low is for you to decide on. If you want the diffuser for better emergency visibility, then you have to choose the Rescue (which comes on low), but if you don't need that, then another version can be chosen.
A useful update to the Sidewinder, as I can see myself using this with the diffuser when cycling for added visibility. With the diffuser set to one side, the Rescue becomes a normal Sidewinder with all of its versatility and usefulness.
Review Summary
| _______________________________________________ | _______________________________________________ |
| Things I like | What doesn't work so well for me |
| _______________________________________________ | _______________________________________________ |
| Articulated head | Beam quality not the best |
| Multi-colour output | Limited maximum output |
| Built-in optional diffuser | Two hands needed to change colour |
| Ultra low parasitic drain | |
| Easy to feed with AAs |
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