Surefire Sidekick... anyone with real use experience with this light?

I've found the SF Sidekick several places online for $25-$27 and shipped from Amazon with prime for $29.99.

Anyway, any of you guys have any extended use with it? I currently carry an E2D or E1B for edc and for $30 bucks thought about adding the Sidekick at 3300 lumens and rechargeable seems like a great deal.

any opinions, feedback, etc are appreciated!

It's a great little light. The flat form factor makes it easier to carry in pocket that round lights.

It's not necessary probably, but I cut electrical tape with scissors and cover the charging port for peace of mind to keep moisture, lint, etc. out of it. I fold it back, charge the light and re-cover it. Works great.

I've had several for years now and they are very handy.

jmclfrsh said:

It's a great little light. The flat form factor makes it easier to carry in pocket that round lights.

It's not necessary probably, but I cut electrical tape with scissors and cover the charging port for peace of mind to keep moisture, lint, etc. out of it. I fold it back, charge the light and re-cover it. Works great.

I've had several for years now and they are very handy.

Click to expand...

thank you for the info. Just pulled the trigger on 3 of them. Ha

I own several also. Use them all the time. Have one clipped to my backpack and one on every dashboard. Just got the clip attachment and usually carry one with me.

I carry one on a dangler clip in my RF pocket. Quick to access and gets used a lot, looking for dropped things, chasing cables in dark cabinets, navigating dark buildings or pathways. Great little light.

I have two. One is attached to my key chain and the Wife's. Work very well. Easy UI. We like them.

Does the new Sidekick have any problems? I was going to buy one 2 years ago but I read they had a lot of problems.

Just an update to my earlier post. Been 1 year and ~ 2 months since my last reply. Nothing has changed. Both still working without issues. Best of luck.

emp13 said:

Does the new Sidekick have any problems? I was going to buy one 2 years ago but I read they had a lot of problems.

Click to expand...

Mine didn't like going through the wash machine...

Why is the SF Sidekick not that popular with the forum members? Why did SF drop the price so drastically?

My guess is because the battery can not be changed. It is in a sealed (glued) housing. If the battery is dead than the light is also trash.
I do have a Sidekick. But I got this light first when the price was down. No problems at all with my sidekick. But I know there will be the time the battery will be dead and the light will not work anymore. Than it is trash.

I have a good friend who bought two when they came out, one for him and one for his Wife. They are on keychains and get used quite a bit. Both are beat up and get charged every few days, neither one has missed a beat. He swears by them.

I figure if you charge it once every 5 days, and you get oh I dunno 500 charges……that's 2500 days or about 7 years. Ok now say you get 1000 charges now you're talking 13.5+ years. Now honestly ask yourself, will you still even want to be using it on your keys in 5-8-10 years? I'd say most would not.

My little MP3 player from 2009 still takes a charge so it stands to reason the sidekick should last you as long as you want to use it. It's not meant for primary use so unless that is your only flashlight it should not become trash for a long long time.

sgt253 said:

Just an update to my earlier post. Been 1 year and ~ 2 months since my last reply. Nothing has changed. Both still working without issues. Best of luck.

Click to expand...

I am quite tempted but sort of turned away by the nasty PWM on low mode shown in a video review. Did you find it tolerable?

FWIW I got the Latest version Stiletto a little while back, which I think is just the big brother to this guy, and I ADORE the light, even as a hardcore charge-all-my-cells-in-my-nice-chargers kinda enthusiast, I am really taken with the light. It's funny because I think this light is basically a summary of things I typically avoid in a light but IDK I just really like it.

bykfixer said:

I figure if you charge it once every 5 days, and you get oh I dunno 500 charges……that's 2500 days or about 7 years. Ok now say you get 1000 charges now you're talking 13.5+ years. Now honestly ask yourself, will you still even want to be using it on your keys in 5-8-10 years? I'd say most would not.

My little MP3 player from 2009 still takes a charge so it stands to reason the sidekick should last you as long as you want to use it. It's not meant for primary use so unless that is your only flashlight it should not become trash for a long long time.

Click to expand...

'Stop making sense', BF. I don't spend money lightly, but not everything has to be an 'heirloom' with a useful life exceeding my own to be worth buying and using. Some people just don't get it or just don't do the simple math.

Edit: BTW, since I fix things for a living I certainly can't be accused of being a fan of the 'disposable culture' per se, but I also try to be reasonable, not rigid!

cp2315 said:

I am quite tempted but sort of turned away by the nasty PWM on low mode shown in a video review. Did you find it tolerable?

Click to expand...

I am quite sensitive to PWM. I use the high (300 lumens) and medium (60 lumens) mostly. The low (5 lumens) really has a discernible pwm for me. I don't care for it.

dotCPF said:

FWIW I got the Latest version Stiletto a little while back, which I think is just the big brother to this guy, and I ADORE the light, even as a hardcore charge-all-my-cells-in-my-nice-chargers kinda enthusiast, I am really taken with the light. It's funny because I think this light is basically a summary of things I typically avoid in a light but IDK I just really like it.

Click to expand...

Same thing happened with me recently. I bought a light that was well outside my usual preferences which I thought I might like, but equally thought I might not like, and might very well hate. I love the thing! I've learned to stand up and peek out of the rut I usually live in, that I don't 'know it all', and that one can miss out on some good stuff if they live in too deep a rut without venturing out of it once in a while! There's a lot of development in the flashlight industry these days, and some great products that may not look like the ones we're used to seeing. There's a lot of cool products, and I'm sure more to come, and one can't possibly 'know it all'. The industry is not 'static', and as an enthusiast, I'm glad it's not.

I'm ok with it having a sealed battery. I am more concerned with reliability since I only carry one light. I use to carry 2 lights but I am carrying less these days. I also read that SF customer service has declined so I don't want to deal with customer service issues. I'm just surprised that so few people on this board own the sidekick.

[/URL]20191220_180441~2 by David Schneider, on Flickr[/IMG][/URL]20191220_180549~2 by David Schneider, on Flickr[/IMG]Hi everyone, thought these 2 photos might be of interest. The wife dropped her keys & her Sidekick popped open. Looks like very little glue if any was used to seal the two side.