Streamlight Sidewinder? What is this thing?

Not real sure why it's called "tactical" or even what it is all that much good for. Kind of a weird little light! If it had a couple white emitters to give a decent flood, that along with variable levels would have made it a good car light. It's still not bad, but not as good as it could be. I'm sure the 1/2 main emitter and the smaller auxiliary colored emitters make it ideal for someone.

From what I read, I think it is for molle mounting on, perhaps, a plate carrier vest. It stuck me as a modern replacement for the right angle headed military flashlight...
FWIW, I think there are better choices for military use-even by rigging an ARC, Fenix or (insert you favorite small light here) with a ranger band, cable tie or 100mph tape.
BUT, I am just guessing.
UH1C

To me, the Sidewinder is closer to why I became a flashaholic than most of the new Chinese Aluminum tubes that most people here go nuts about -- which offer nothing more than a brighter LED.

The Sidewinder is a nice little, well-made general usage light with lots of nifty features that are not directly apparent. Good for emergency, camping, car, signaling, stash away and use in a pinch. I like mine.

I have a Sidewinder. While it is a pretty neat little utility light, the colored LED's are among the worst I've ever seen as far as beam artifacts are concerned. In addition, mine has a problem where it "flickers" or "pulses" on the lowest 2 levels. I shipped the light back to StreamLight for repairs, and after they had it for over three weeks, they shipped it back to me with a little tag on it that said, "no trouble found" on one side, and, "I agree...functions good" on the other side. To make a long story short, the light STILL pulses on the lowest two levels...and it's not something you have to "strain" to see. All you have to do is take it in a dark room and shine it on a wall to see the problem. They obviously didn't try that. So much for SL's customer service...

PJD

...one more thing: the flickering isn't a battery issue. The light does it with NiMH's, Alkies, and lithium cells.

I've been reading a bunch of older threads on this light and it's has really gotten me interested in buying an angle light for my BOB. I just don't know whether to go with this light or the Pentagon Molle. And since I have other lights on order, it's got to be one or the other. If only the 5mm LED's on these were of better quality, this would be a much easier decision... :mecry:

Eveready's "Hard Case Tactical" flashlight might be another model to consider...

I have one of the Energizer Hard Case Tactical lights as well. In a nutshell, I'd take it over the Sidewinder any day, and twice on Sundays! The colored LED's are some of the most artifact-free 5mm LED's I've evere seen, and the output for the luxI main beam isn't bad at all. Sure, there's brighter lights out there (and I'm sorta mystified as to why Energizer didn't use a Cree or SSC in this light...), but the beam is nice and plenty bright for most tasks. It's built like a tank and should give years of reliable service. Mine immediately found a home in the center console of my truck; and even though it was a bit pricey ($79 at Bass Pro Shop) I'm extremely pleased with it!

PJD

I own the Pentagon MOLLE light and it's a great light - fits comfortably in the hand, good flood and good focus for a 2 AA LED platform.

Some of the drawbacks:
1. On the tan model with the red lens filter - forget the filter. It's crap. Mine is so thick the light output all but disappears.
2. The battery doesn't always make the connection, so you have to rotate the tail cap a nudge left or right.

Major pluses:
1. Great output for a AA.
2. The L shape fits surprisingly comfortably in the hand and will sit on a desk or other flat surface quite easily.
3. The clip is solid and the whole device slides into a PALS strap on MOLLE gear smoothly and stays put. The clip also has a lanyard point if you're so inclined.

For giggles, I dropped one of the Maglite LED replacements into one of the military L lights - some tinkering later, it works very well. Not tactical quality, but certainly a good work light.

-Medina

Every Hunting store I go to or show I attend someone has these and they seem to be very popular.

John

Thanks for info, Everyone.

While that Energizer looks like nice and all, it's a little more than I want to spend right now. So, I think that I am going to order the Molle instead..

Schuey2002 said:

So, I think that I am going to order the Molle instead..

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The molle only have one led and one filter, while the sidewinder have white + 3 colors plus variable output and strobe.

I ordered a sidewinder yesterday, it's very original and want to have colors in one package.

To me, the Sidewinder is closer to why I became a flashaholic than most of the new Chinese Aluminum tubes that most people here go nuts about -- which offer nothing more than a brighter LED.

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I agree 100%. The Sidewinder has actual features that are useful.

The Sidewinder is an excellent general purpose light if you ever have to do anything in the dark with both hands and don't have a head lamp. It also makes a great EDC since it offers so many different light choices and levels as well as the kick-*** rotating head; something that puts it leaps and bounds above any other hand-held light. Small enough to carry and bright enough for short and medium range use.

I'm still pushing my agenda for a single-cell model and a twin-CREE model. It's an excellent platform to build on.

Review is here.

I should mention that Optics Planet has the Hard Case Tactical for $69.95, including free shipping...

fasuto said:

The molle only have one led and one filter, while the sidewinder have white + 3 colors plus variable output and strobe.

I ordered a sidewinder yesterday, it's very original and want to have colors in one package.

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It looks like I will have some extra money to splurge this month on lights, so I am probably just going to order both of them instead...

TMedina said:

[..]
1. On the tan model with the red lens filter - forget the filter. It's crap. Mine is so thick the light output all but disappears.[..]

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I have to comment on this one: The filter does exactly what it is intended to do, namely provide a red light output that will not interfere with your night vision. You'll be surprised how low THAT is. The filter works perfectly for people who really need their night vision protected and work in absolute darkness, like soldiers or (hobby) astronomers.

elgarak said:

I have to comment on this one: The filter does exactly what it is intended to do, namely provide a red light output that will not interfere with your night vision. You'll be surprised how low THAT is. The filter works perfectly for people who really need their night vision protected and work in absolute darkness, like soldiers or (hobby) astronomers.

Click to expand...

You are right on the money with that. My son is an Army scout/sniper. I gave him the Pentagon Molle light with a red and blue filter. He loves it for his missions. He told me he normally uses the blue filter because it tends to illuminate his maps in a way that make certain features on the map stand out better than the red.