SureFire Sidekick 300-Lumen Keychain Light

Brand: SureFire
Model: SIDEKICK-A
EAN: 3700437208297
Category: Gadgets & Tools
Price: n/a  (127 customer reviews)
Dimension: 2.50 x 0.58 x 0.10 inches
Shipping Wt: 0.07 pounds. FREE Shipping (Details)
Availability: In Stock.
Average Rating: 4.2 out of 5 stars
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Product Description

This ultra-compact (length: 2.5 inches, weight with batteries: 2 0 ounces), powerful LED illuminator was created-and priced- so that it could be carried and used by everyone. The rechargeable Sidekick was designed to attach to keys so it's always available and, most importantly, ready for everyday-use and emergencies. This polymerbodied light features three levels of output that will provide security and peace of mind, no matter what. On high and operated just like a key fob, its wide, smooth 300-lumen maxvision beam uncovers all dark areas at night providing peace-of-mind navigation with a range out well past 50 meters. Its medium and low-output settings, 60 and 5 lumens respectively, offer much more runtime and more than enough light for reading, close-up work, or even navigating outdoors while preserving dark-adapted vision. Sidekick is ideal for everyone, even children, keeping in mind that the light output from a typical Smartphone doesn't offer one-percent of the light output and it drains all-important Smartphone battery power. This Tiny, lightweight light, which can also be carried in a pocket or purse, is easily rechargeable via its micro-usb Port using a vehicle or wall charger. Protect yourself and your family-own the one and only Sidekick- something everyone should have at their disposal.

Features

  • High-performance LED and special faceted reflector produce broad, smooth, 300-lumen MaxVision Beam optimized for the human eye
  • Easy click-type switch permits access to all 3 output levels with repeated presses
  • Micro-USB charging port permits simple recharging of integral li-ion battery
  • Compact, lightweight polymer body is weather resistant; features split ring for easy attachment to keys or carabiner clips
  • Always accessible light provides countless utility uses, including emergency preparedness

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Top Reviews

Great light - Surefire Customer Service no longer acceptable.
by Adam (1 out of 5 stars)
December 2, 2016

I am a longtime surefire fan, I probably own over 10 surefire lights in my household (I say this because I'm not your typical troll with a 1-star review ... I like their products, and am a repeat customer). Overall their products are of excellent quality, and for this reason I almost never have to make a warranty claim on my lights (only one prior to this was a broken pocket clip on an E2D - something you used to be able to order easily on their website, this is no longer the case).

First, the good. The sidekick is an excellent form factor. It's a great little light. It's about the size of a typical car key-fob, and puts out an impressive amount of light, rated at 300 lumens at max setting and extremely usable even at the low and mid settings. I would give this product 5 stars if not for their customer service.

After less than a year, the Sidekick will no longer charge. No problem, it has a 1-yr warranty. The problem is, they don't answer the phone. They don't return voicemails. They don't return emails. A warranty is useless if they won't pick up the phone to honor it.

At the price Surefire products sell for, an unresponsive customer service / warranty processing service is unacceptable at all levels. Again, this would be a 5-star review if they would simply honor their warranty - even with the reliability issue, I'd overlook that if they would simply provide some customer service and back up their products. Surefire charges a premium price that, in my opinion, has always seem warranted due to their product quality. Premium price generally comes with premium quality AND premium customer service - the latter is lacking here.
********************************* Update April 2017 *******************************************************************************

So surefire did replace this product under warranty. After failing to get in contact with them via their phone number, I posted on their Facebook page and got a swift response (their social media / public relations manager is actually pretty good) on December 7 I received an email from their service department and on Jan 7 I received a replacement sidekick (one month turnaround - not very impressive but at least they replaced it).

So get this, the replacement sidekick failed with the exact same problem. My 8 year old carries this clipped to his backpack, and when the battery died we plugged it in and the thing was dead. Light turns on when plugged in but will not hold a charge. Did a search on youtube and apparently I'm not the only one who's had this problem.

Emailed surefire but at this point don't think I can trust this product, and don't really want to wait another 30 days for a replacement that will very likely die after its first charge. I'll probably just replace with a cheaper alternative, since this is the same or lesser quality and customer service.

Reiterate my 1 star rating and would give 0 stars if I could. Surefire should discontinue or redesign this product as it does not live up to their brand. They also need to completely revamp their customer service - you shouldn't have to post publicly on social media to get a response.
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A lot of 'TORCH' in a very small package
by Big Dave (5 out of 5 stars)
January 25, 2016

Been trying to figure out how to include a decent LED torch in my everyday carry stuff. I am a fan of SureFire lights but their (small) tubular flashlights are still a little cumbersome to attach to your pocket or belt if you have other carry items already taking up space on your belt or in your pockets. The Sidekick is DEFINITELY a light you should consider if you have a crowded belt already....

The SideKick puts out a really decent light for such a small package, this thing will definitely blind you (temporarily) on the 'High' setting and I would suggest could be very useful in unpleasant circumstances at night when you need that ability.

I attached a photo of the SideKick compared to the size of a Toyota key FOB so you can see the relative dimensions. The SideKick is a bit thicker at 0.704" than the Toyota FOB at 0.618".

If you are carrying this light for personal protection reasons be SURE to read how to reset the software in the review here on Amazon by P.Lio. He discusses how to change the initial "On" setting to high beam. The light out-of-the-box illuminates on the low beam setting first which is not my preference - you can change that easily, just follow his instructions.

So far I like the light. Only time will tell the rest of the story of course but I have several other Surefire flashlights for a number of years and really like all of them.
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It was great while it lasted but for at $70 not worth ...
by R Forstot (1 out of 5 stars)
April 18, 2017

After 14 months it is dead. When plugged in by cord will turn on and cycle through all three levels, but will not hold a charge. Going through reviews this seems to be a common problem. It was great while it lasted but for at $70 not worth it.
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A fantastic, deceptively powerful little light!
by P. Lio (5 out of 5 stars)
December 9, 2015

I'm a flashlight fanatic (flashaholic) and this is a condensed version of my fuller review located here: http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?411370-*New*-Surefire-Sidekick-300-lumen-Keychain-Light&p=4793262&viewfull=1#post4793262

In the hand

The Sidekick feels great! It's almost exactly like a modern remote key fob for a car. This is actually bigger than I initially thought: I figured it was like a tiny keychain light size, but it is significantly larger.

User Interface

Dead simple: Click once and it immediately turns on low. Click again to go to medium, and again to go to the high. Click again for off. If you turn it on then wait a few seconds, the next click will turn it off.

Charging

I love the fact that it has a micro USB port and can recharge. This is such a nice feature and allows for tremendous power for it's size and the convenience of never needing a new battery. I like how the port is open without a cover (sort of--it has pluses and minuses I suppose).

The Beam

The beam is very nice! It's a relatively warm color, with a nice wide, bright spot and good spill. It really lights up a room nicely.

Summary

This is a fantastic light that--to me--breaks some new ground. It's basically a super-powered pocket light and is perfect in that role: ergonomic, super bright, rechargeable, and presumably durable. I have a large stable of keychain lights and this one has bumped them all to take the coveted place on the keychain.

Of note, you can make this light go from High>Medium>Low instead of the default Low>Medium>High as follows:

Here is the procedure to change the order of the modes:
1. Plug the light into a power source
2. The LED should come on briefly and then shuts off before it start blinking
3. Press the power button 3 times (on, then off, then on again) and leave it on for at least 5 seconds
4. Turn it off and then unplug it.

And Voila! The order is now reversed! If you had it H>M>L it will be L>M>H. I've tested it a few times and it works great! This is a cool feature!!!
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Prematurely fizzled out.
by Mr. Truthteller (1 out of 5 stars)
August 14, 2017

I like SureFire products in general and own several different ones. I bought into the advertising claims for this when it first came out and wanted one but waited a bit to do so, frightened by the price point because I did not know anyone else who had one. When I first got this it worked great but then one day, after only about six months of light use (i.e., at most once or twice a day for a few seconds at a time), it failed to hold a charge. Since you cannot replace the battery the product became useless. If this were a cheaper priced item I would not have cared that much, but at the price point for this item, the thing should not fail for at least a year, i.e., through the one-year warranty period, with only light use.
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It's worth it
by Derek (5 out of 5 stars)
February 15, 2016

Blindingly bright on max setting; as previously stated, I reversed mines order to start at High, then go to Medium, then Low. Easy to do. Plenty of light even on medium to light up a pitch black room . Low for up close work or reading. High for blinding and brilliant light. I have other 250 lumen flashlights that are too large and would be completely ridiculous and unheard of to carry around, and this little guys quality of throw and illumination actually beats theirs hands down. This allows me to have a high quality flashlight which is light (about half the weight of my Keyfob) and slightly smaller than my Keyfob on me at all times for whenever I need it. I also find myself using it around the house so as to not waste other flashlights' disposable batteries. Just plug it into my car or computers USB and I'm set. Expensive but seemingly worth it so far!
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Junk
by 🐺 (1 out of 5 stars)
August 21, 2017

I have had many Surefire products over the years and really liked the idea of such a powerful light in a small package. Unfortunately this is a piece of junk. It did not work right out of the package. I charged it all night and the next morning when I unplugged it. Nothing. I'm just glad Amazon has such an easy return policy. I saw some bad reviews but thought "this is a Surfire" this must have been anomolies. But nope it was junk. I'm really bummed. Don't waste your money.
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Must read: Pros and Cons from Experience + Reason why this unit costs less than before...
by NLVsd (3 out of 5 stars)
July 19, 2019

When it comes to tactical gears, Surefire is far above and beyond any of their competitors. I had a debate over 10 years ago over Streamlight vs Surefire. Both companies have government contracts and are used in military and law enforcement applications. I have used both over the years, and I can say with great confidence that Surefire is the far better product but it will always come at a premium cost.

I have mixed emotions over the Surefire Sidekick. The only pro I can give this product is the 300 lumen output. Other than that, the unit is rather large for a keychain flashlight and it feels like I have 2 key fobs in my pocket. The REAL KICKER is this: the Sidekick used to sell for $80 and is now $30. How is this possible? I fully charged the unit I received and the first thing I noticed is the light beam has a yellow center hue. My SureFire E2D LED Defender and X400GN Ultra has a very nice, crisp white light that is very focused and clear. When I contacted their technical support to ask if I have a defected unit, the associate said they changed out the reflector to reduce cost and that is why the unit I bought is $30 and not $80. I am very disappointed that SureFire did this. They should stick to quality and not worry about the cost. If they wanted to create a cheaper unit, they should have changed the model number and call it something else.
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I can't give it 5 stars.
by MusicFan137 (4 out of 5 stars)
April 2, 2019

I love that it's made in the USA. The 3 brightness levels are well spaced, the beam pattern is great (despite the LED being offset in the reflector), and tint is pretty warm/neutral which I prefer. It has very decent runtimes. Another big plus is that the switch is very unlikely to turn the light on in your pocket or purse accidentally, because it's flush with a slight raised rim around it.
On the negative side, I don't like that Surefire doesn't give any IP rating or battery capacity. I even checked their website. I think there should be a cover for the USB. I cover mine with a small piece of electric tape. It seems to be bulkier than it needs to be. It feels almost 3x bulkier than my Nitecore TIP, mostly because of the thickness, so the side by side pictures don't really convey that well, but it sure feels that way in my pocket. The TIP has a respectable 500 mAh battery, but I doubt the Sidekick's is much more than 500, given the output vs. runtimes. The biggest negative for me is that it can't easily be opened, unlike the TIP. I would like to replace the battery in a few years if all else is still working well.
It's still a great choice, and Made in the USA sealed the deal for me. I just got this light a week ago, so I'll update if needed.
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Outstanding Pocket Flashlight Despite One Issue
by R.L.B. (5 out of 5 stars)
February 27, 2017

The Surefire Sidekick is expensive for a flashlight equipped with recharging indicators that don't work. It does recharge however. I just plug it in for a few daylight hours when I'm least likely need it. The charge lasts a long time in normal use. Why Surefire continues to let these deficient lights out of their factory is beyond me.

Why five stars then? - Despite it's one flaw I love how small, lightweight, durable and versatile this little powerhouse is. I love the ergonomics and rounded profile. Once you get used to it, the switch is intuitively easy to use for all three light levels, 5, 60 & 300 lumens. But the switch is stiff enough that the light will never activate in your pocket. This is a wide-angle floodlight and the reflector casts a super smooth consistent beam with no abrupt dark/light patterns.

At the low setting, 5 lumens is perfect for reading, finding ones way around in a dark room, or hiking in the dark. At 5 lumens, the battery will last almost 2 days, continuous. The 60 lumen setting yields 4 hours battery life and is more useful for seeing detail. And, 300 lumens, which lasts over an hour, will temporarily blind an attacker and works well at further distances. The sequence can be user-reprogrammed to turn on at the highest setting first, if defense is of first importance.

The Surefire Sidekick is weather resistant.

To say I am very happy with this outstanding little light is an understatement. I would like to buy two more now but will wait and look for reports that Surefire has fixed the charging indicator function. Despite that flaw, I highly recommend this highly portable tool as a personal light.

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