*New* Surefire Sidekick 300 lumen Keychain Light

[mn700vforce]

Missed this great deal

 

[Woods Walker]

Seen the deal but didn't even want it for 19.99. A. Had bad past experience with SF Black Friday. B. I am happy with my Nitecore TIP which works great. C. Low frequency PWM unless that has improved. Not for me. Might be for others as to each their own.

 

[Mckinngkb]

I got a Sidekick for Christmas and I like it. Changing modes via the push button is much better than twisting the head on the Titan+ (It's also lighter than the Titan+).

One thing I noticed is when I plug it in to charge it, the led blinks a few times and then shuts off. It does not blink again or come on at all after the initial flashes. Meaning, it doesn't flash through the night or stay on once it's charged. While this may make people happy, I have no idea if it's actually charging or not. So I ran it down and plugged it in overnight and it seems to have recharged.

Has anyone else bought one recently and noticed this?

Mine died the same. It's a few months old. Flashes a few times, then stops. It's acceptable.

However, I probably would not buy it again. It is definitely a disposable light, and expensive at that. The one bright spot is that I like to support US companies. Surefire has never let me down.

 

[Vox Clamatis in Deserto]

I ordered a couple on Black Friday. My card was charged but no shipping info yet. I am curious as to how long this will take...

I got mine today, they shipped from a Dallas warehouse.

As I commented earlier in this thread:

It's a nice light that looks like it should cost about $20.

 

[AVService]

Mine came in Today and I cut one open to start charging it and of course also destroyed the manual which I didn't know was in there.

It blinks 5 times and then stops.

They also do not really fit the USB plug or standard I guess as a USB Male connector goes in only about 1/3 of the way only reinforcing my feeling that something may be wrong with the light related to charging.

I waited on hold for too long for the SF tech guy to tell me that now they do this and never blink again,they are just done charging in 3 hours.

At first he was pretty non-responsive about my questioning him about this and of course the fact that they did not announce or update any instructions about this pretty silly yet not subtle change in charging but he finally agreed that it was stupid and rude on their part and that they are working to change the instructions for this?

Anyway I am pretty happy overall for the price these were a decent choice.

 

[ToddM]

I bought a few for stocking stuffers at $20 and couldn't resist playing with one. It was definitely easier checking out than in 2015 when they accidently put the entire site on at least 50% off! It's not a bad light, but I'd have never bought one for $60. I like the super wide beam and it seems built fairly well, but with few options, and certainly nothing cutting edge, basically what Surefire has been for 25+ years. Absolutely what you want in a weapon light, not so much for a keychain light.

Mine also just blinks when first plugged in a few times and then does nothing during recharging, though the manual says it should blink continuously while charging and stay on low when finished. It's annoying that you get no indication it's charging, charged, and have no way to check the battery level. I really like being able to check the battery level on something that sits on my keyring for weeks sometimes without being used. It's also huge compared to the TIP/TINI/LAD. So I doubt it will replace my TINI for long, it's just too huge, has to be almost 3x the volume, that alone is almost a deal killer.

It's hard to figure out what Surefire's actual warranty is on their products on their webpage. Their main warranty page (https://www.surefire.com/warranty) seems to suggest that aside batteries and chargers (2 years), and ear plugs (90 days) everything else has a lifetime warranty against defects. However, The Sidekick webpage and manual list only a 1 year warranty. I guess Surefire figures it's a keychain light with an internal battery and charger built in it's not going to last long.

So I'd agree with others, worth $20, but probably not much more.

 

[Vox Clamatis in Deserto]

I also pulled one of the Sidekicks out of my stocking stuffer order to see how it differed from the early model I bought three years ago.

The packaging is still rather robust and I spent several minutes trying to carefully get the light out with a knife and screwdriver while avoiding self-mutilation. I realize that the thick plastic blister pack is designed to mitigate inventory shrinkage in urban retail environments but it would be nice if there was a tab or something to make opening the product easier for the consumer. After reading a post above I was able to rescue the instruction sheet with minimal damage. The packaging does give me some pause when I contemplate giving this light to someone.

As reported, the light doesn't blink continuously when charging, a big improvement for me even if it doesn't show when it its charged like a $20 set of Bluetooth earphones. At least I can now charge the light on the nightstand or in the car at night.

The button seems to have more of a click than the original model and the reflector is a pristine silver color unlike the dark gold tint in the original. Probably because of the reflector tint, the early Sidekick has a much warmer beam to my eye.

The first Sidekick has a serial number in the familiar AXXXXX format, on the new light the serial is replaced by 1F-139252 on all units.

Not a bad light for $20, I doubt I would have bought another one at the normal $70 street price though.

 

[sgt253]

My order was received today. First impressions are very positive. I appreciate the form factor and the performance. I like the fact that the light does not flash for more than the five (5) initial flashes upon being placed on the charger. I will have to drain a battery to see how it fully recharges and if it gives a signal at the end of the charge cycle. Tint and levels are appealing to me. Time will tell on the battery's longevity. I should have bought more than two (2) for the Black Friday price. Could have stuffed a couple of stockings...lol.

 

[DustDynamics]

Has anyone else noticed that the reflector has turned golden. Assuming it is oxidized since these lights have zero sealing. The light has never been dropped in water or used in rain.

 

[Vox Clamatis in Deserto]

Has anyone else noticed that the reflector has turned golden. Assuming it is oxidized since these lights have zero sealing. The light has never been dropped in water or used in rain.

I sure have noticed after owning my original Sidekick for a while. The gold tint also seems to be getting darker with time. I have used the Sidekick only sporadically while carrying CR123A lights like the EDCL1-T and the 4Sevens Mini Turbo MkII.

I originally thought that the discoloration had come from the heat but since I haven't used my light on high very much, perhaps it is caused by something venting from the battery.

Some folks have reported the gold tint when they received the Sidekick:

I just received one today. Mine has a gold toned reflector, other images I've seen don't have this. They might have made a change, does anyone else have this?

Several new Sidekicks that I just received have no visible trace of a gold reflector tint in the packaging. Yet...
​

 

[mn700vforce]

The MSRP is now $29.99 on Surefires site

 

[scout24]

Thank you for that heads up. I missed Black Friday and Cyber Monday, let's see how quick they arrive for stocking stuffers... 👍

 

[gottawearshades]

Just field report on the two I bought on Cyber Monday: the firmware seems to have been updated again, and the documentation ic very wrong.

the UI is weirder. When you turn it on for two seconds you are expected to choose the level, so subsequent clicks give you low > medium > high > off. after about two seconds, click will turn it off, and it will come back on at low. Now that I know what to expect, this works for me.

Charging is less than ideal. When you plug it in, you get a couple flashes, which I think are a fuel gauge. Then it turns off, which is what others were reporting. The trouble, mine never come on to indicate charging is finished. After being plugged in for ~24 hours, nothing. That's annoying, but I guess I'll just have to leave it plugged in overnight.

Overall, a fine $20 light. The tint is fine, very nice flood.

 

[AVService]

When I called and asked them I was told it takes 3 hours for the complete charge cycle.

It is amazing to me though that there is no indicator at all other than timing it for ourselves?

This one went from just strange to even more strange and they were curious why I thought it might help to update the documentation too?

Just field report on the two I bought on Cyber Monday: the firmware seems to have been updated again, and the documentation ic very wrong.

the UI is weirder. When you turn it on for two seconds you are expected to choose the level, so subsequent clicks give you low > medium > high > off. after about two seconds, click will turn it off, and it will come back on at low. Now that I know what to expect, this works for me.

Charging is less than ideal. When you plug it in, you get a couple flashes, which I think are a fuel gauge. Then it turns off, which is what others were reporting. The trouble, mine never come on to indicate charging is finished. After being plugged in for ~24 hours, nothing. That's annoying, but I guess I'll just have to leave it plugged in overnight.

Overall, a fine $20 light. The tint is fine, very nice flood.

 

[Kestrel]

Remember those old Star Trek episodes where you knew they were in the alternate universe because Spock had the goatee ?

I think that's where SF got their design team for this light.

 

[Vox Clamatis in Deserto]

Overall, a fine $20 light. The tint is fine, very nice flood.

Yep, I'm a lot more impressed with this disposable light for $20 than I was for $70. :thumbsup:

Charging is less than ideal. When you plug it in, you get a couple flashes, which I think are a fuel gauge. Then it turns off, which is what others were reporting. The trouble, mine never come on to indicate charging is finished. After being plugged in for ~24 hours, nothing. That's annoying, but I guess I'll just have to leave it plugged in overnight.

When I called and asked them I was told it takes 3 hours for the complete charge cycle.

It is amazing to me though that there is no indicator at all other than timing it for ourselves?

Well, at least the light staying dark while charging is an improvement over the idiotic flashing that kept you from charging it on the nightstand or in a vehicle at night.

The MSRP is now $29.99 on Surefires site

​

Unfortunately, major retailers like B&H and Amazon still have the old price posted. I'd probably send out a couple more Sidekicks as gifts for the $29.99 price if I could get the free two-day shipping and a gift receipt.

 

[RobertM]

I ordered four during the Black Friday sale. I'm keeping one for myself and gifting the other three.
It's a little disappointing to see that SF still can center emitters. Not one out of four is centered. Three out of my four are definitely on the green side. I'm keeping the least green for myself despite it being one of the most off-center LEDs.

Overall, I do like these lights. Especially for ~$25 each with tax. $70-80 would be tough.

 

[Blackbeard]

Had gotten one for $30 from woot deal a couple of months ago. It's ok as others have stated for a $20-$30 light but original price was pretty outrageous. It's definantly too big and UI is annoying, no charge completion indicator can be solved by using a usb meter.

I think Nitecore tip is a better light in this class.

 

[kelmo]

My Sidekick flashes 5 times when you first plug it in for charging. When I unplug it and plug it back in it will come on low when fully charged. When not fully charged it will flash 5 times when unplugging and plugging back in. Just my observation.

kelmo

 

[RamTuff]

FWIW, seems I read someone in this thread mention they were awaiting B&H to offer them, I presume they were referring to B&H Photo? Anyway, that was an old post and B&H Photo indeed has them but unfortunately at the old price.

But on to the point of my post, for anyone looking for the obscure colors, they (B&H) show the pink and white ones in stock and available as of the date of this posting.

I like B&H but will have to differ to SF's website for the updated, closer to tolerable price for the standard black as I would have gotten anyway.

-Dave