ST14000 Streamlight Sidewinder Tactical Flashlight REVIEW

[Brian McIlmoyle]

ST14000 Streamlight Sidewinder Tactical Flashlight

I picked one of these up at BASS PRO in Nevada last month.

The version I got is not IR capable .. but I could not see much utility for IR

Anyway the unit is available at Seals Action Gear.

First Impressions:

its a streamlight.. made in USA .. and the quality is excellent.
It runs off of regular AA batteries .. this in my opinion is a huge plus
it has 4 different light options in a compact package
It is bright..
it is waterproof (of course)
it is low profile .. and does not require a pouch to store it in.

Specifics:

This is a utility light .. it is not weapon mountable . It is designed to clip to your vest or belt .. The spring metal clip is very tight.. you are not likely to loose it .. It fits through a Molle strap perfectly.
It has a lanyard point so you can tie it off.
I tie off all my loose gear to elastic lanyards..

The light is compact.. about 10 cm high 5 wide and 1.5 cm thick

The piviting head will go about 200 degrees pivot.. so you can set the direction of light to what you need the pivot is firm but easy to move.

The switch is a simple push button.. One push turns the light on in the current mode. Hold the switch to cyclle through the 3 brightness modes.. low medium and high. 2 quick pushes will set the light to strobe it is a slow strobe. Effective for signaling

There are 4 LED emitters .. the main white LED is furnished with a reflector to focus the light to a reasonably tight beam

There are in my version 3 additional coloured LED emitters . Red Blue and Green , in the IR version the Green is an IR diode

These also cycle through the 3 brightness settings and can be set to strobe.

Changing the light mode ( which colour diode ) is done with a turn ring surrounding the switch .. it is indexed so that you can select the mode before turning on the light.

Changing the Battery.. the battery compartment access is found in the base of the unit .. turning a knurled knob releases the waterproof access.. the cap has a lanyard so you can't loose the cap once it is released to change the battery , It takes 2 standard AA batteries.

OVERALL: A really well designed compact utility light.
The coloured diodes are useful for signaling .. and as I play a number of night games ( and prefer night ops to daylight ) I needed a good light .

This one has gearter functionality and versatility than a standard "stick light"

I recommend this product for players, Operators and outdoorsmen .. its a good investment.

Product comes with a 2 year warrantee.

[deltaop1]

I bought the same taclight except I got mine at the BassPro located here in Vaughan (outside of the Toronto area).

I have used it many times now and it is an excellent product as Brian indicated above. I clip it on a band on the left side of my molle vest which is perfectly positioned for me to access with my left hand.

I find I use the Red LED quite a bit ... mainly as lighting that won't spoil my night vision and as a substitute for a red glowstick when I am going to respawn.

The milspec version of this taclight would be a useful companion for the growing number of players that have acquired NVG's