*New* Surefire Sidekick 300 lumen Keychain Light

[Vox Clamatis in Deserto]

Got mine this Xmas (Sidekick-A) as well and noticed that the blinking-while-charging thing that people were annoyed with will go away by simple clicking it On then Off after being plugged in to the USB which puts an immediate stop to any blinking.

Doesn't seem to work with my early Sidekick, must be a firmware update. The micro USB port does not appear to be recognized as an interface on a PC but maybe custom device driver software will find it as with Bluetooth earpieces and the like.

On the other hand, since the flashing light charge indication was probably used to cut costs on an inexpensive product, the USB port may only have the power lines connected even though all five pins are present in the connector.

​I liked the Sidekick, but I mislaid it. No repeats.​

Not sure if I would replace mine either after over a year. It's a nice light that looks like it should cost about $20. I started to buy some more Sidekicks during the infamous 2017 SureFire Christmas Sale with a coupon and well, you know the rest. :thumbsdow I probably would have even bought them without the coupon at the sale price but was never offered the opportunity.

I've given classic E1B's to family and friends in years past at well over $100 apiece and learned the lesson of giving a CR123A light to a non-flashaholic. Even if you give it with several extra batteries, as others have observed, the next time you see it will be as a paperweight or drawer queen.

I'd hoped to give out some Sidekicks but maybe I'll wait for a cheaper version 2.0 without the annoying charging flash. Many Bluetooth headphones have a similar too bright flashing LED that will drive you and everybody else nuts in a dim setting like an aircraft cabin at night.

 

[Sean]

Mine doesn't blink while charging. It blinks a few times and then stops blinking, it then stays dark for the rest of the charge cycle. I don't even know when it's done. So there are versions of this light out there that don't blink while charging.

 

[Vox Clamatis in Deserto]

Mine doesn't blink while charging. It blinks a few times and then stops blinking, it then stays dark for the rest of the charge cycle. I don't even know when it's done. So there are versions of this light out there that don't blink while charging.

And my early Sidekick seems to blink out some coded message, at least initially. Wasn't there some error or maintenance mode on Henry's lights years ago that blinked a serial number?

Or, was it a firmware revision number? :thinking:

 

[Daniel_sk]

Mine does the same - blinks only initially. Anyway Sidekick is my most used EDC. Actually I like that it's made of plastic - I can throw it together with other items in my pocket and it won't scratch them (as regular anodized knurling would).

 

[DayofReckoning]

I just picked up one of these for my mother. Intially, I thought it may have been defective, as the manual says that the led should blink when charging. This one only blinks a few times when plugged in, then shuts off, like others have reported. Strange.

I'm wondering if the LED will light up when it's fully charged. I'll have to wait a few hours to find out I guess.

 

[ChattanoogaPhil]

I recently picked up a Sidekick. Seems to work fine. I don't know about blinking and all that... haven't paid it any attention. Beyond that is there something I'm suppose to know or be concerned about? My Titan+ EDC (watch pocket) has performed remarkably well over the past year. Titan+ appears slightly brighter on high but not enough that you'd ever notice unless the Sidekick and Titan+ are side by side.

I'm not sure what role the Sidekick will best fit for me. It's a bit big as a second key fob in the pocket but I like the interface better than the twisty Titan+. I frequently use the Titan+ but not for extended periods so the Sidekick extra runtimes isn't of significant value. I duknow... I bought the Sidekick because it was on sale for $40. Maybe I'll give it to the wife.

 

[ChattanoogaPhil]

I noticed some guys posting about a dust/moisture cover?

 

[DayofReckoning]

I guess you would need to salvage one from another device. Seems simple enough

 

[ChattanoogaPhil]

I guess you would need to salvage one from another device. Seems simple enough

Being the big spender that I am... I paid 40 pennies for mine. They fit tight and don't fall out like the Hongkong junk you can buy for 4 pennies. Like I said... I'm a big spender... haha

 

[Mark2]

Just received two more Sidekicks, they both do not blink while charging, manuals still say they do.

 

[sledhead]

Lost mine a month ago....hoping it turns up. I miss it!

 

[Blades]

Surefire is having a Black Friday sale and the Sidekick is $19.95. I ordered one for myself and one for a Christmas present. Too good of a deal to pass it up.

 

[tigman_tim]

Hi Blades,
THANK YOU for the tip!!!
Merry X-MAS

 

[Lucky Duck]

I have ordered one as well, Christmas comes early !

 

[Blades]

Hi Blades,
THANK YOU for the tip!!!
Merry X-MAS

You're welcome.

 

[Vox Clamatis in Deserto]

Surefire is having a Black Friday sale and the Sidekick is $19.95. I ordered one for myself and one for a Christmas present. Too good of a deal to pass it up.

It's now showing as a Cyber Monday Sale which may expire in a few minutes at midnight Pacific Standard Time on Monday, November 26.

I bought a few. Despite the flaws discussed in this thread by myself and others, the Sidekick a good $20 light in my opinion. :thumbsup:

Of course, in the past some of these SF deals that seemed to be too good to be true were rescinded before shipping. The Sidekicks I ordered last year for stocking stuffers seemed be a good deal at twice the price. Just when it was too late to buy something else, Surefire decided that it would not allow a coupon stacked on a discount and cancelled my order a couple of weeks after it went through. I'm told something similar happened a year earlier with another online sale.

I'm sure that won't happen again, right?

And, does this deep discount mean that the new 600 lumen Sidekick XS Max with Bluetooth and USB-C will debut at the SHOT Show in a few weeks?

 

[WarriorOfLight]

And, does this deep discount mean that the new 600 lumen Sidekick XS Max with Bluetooth and USB-C will debut at the SHOT Show in a few weeks?

Maybe. But I am sure you forgot the WiFi Hotspot functionality

For me the Sidekick is a nice little light, I also have one. The only thing I do not like is, the battery is in a more or less good sealed housing that makes it impossible to change the battery. That means the amount of electronic waste increases...

 

[sgt253]

It's now showing as a Cyber Monday Sale which may expire in a few minutes at midnight Pacific Standard Time on Monday, November 26.

I bought a few. Despite the flaws discussed in this thread by myself and others, the Sidekick a good $20 light in my opinion. :thumbsup:

Of course, in the past some of these SF deals that seemed to be too good to be true were rescinded before shipping. The Sidekicks I ordered last year for stocking stuffers seemed be a good deal at twice the price. Just when it was too late to buy something else, Surefire decided that it would not allow a coupon stacked on a discount and cancelled my order a couple of weeks after it went through. I'm told something similar happened a year earlier with another online sale.

I'm sure that won't happen again, right?

And, does this deep discount mean that the new 600 lumen Sidekick XS Max with Bluetooth and USB-C will debut at the SHOT Show in a few weeks?

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...

 

[J_C_S]

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 spoke with SF today about my order because it disappeared from my cc statement. They said it shipped on the 27th and that they received 6000 orders over the Black Friday weekend and that's why they haven't been sending updates.

 

[LightObsession]

Are these still available for $20? I can't find a price anywhere near that.