Streamlight Sidewinder X
This is indeed one of the goofiest-looking flashlights currently in production — it goes without saying it was designed for the U.S military — but if versatility is one of your main criteria for choosing a light, you can stop looking once you lock onto the Streamlight Sidewinder X. Granted, it looks like the mutated offspring from the mating of a lonely cigarette lighter with an iPod but what it lacks in beauty it makes up many times over in practicality.
The Sidewinder X is a high-output, multi-fuel light with a 185º tilting head incorporating several LEDs including white, color and IR, plus four levels of brightness and strobe. The controls are designed to be used while wearing gloves and resist accidental activation, plus the hell-all-stout spring steel clip allows a variety of mounting points. It can use either AA or CR123A batteries and run time on High is rated at 4.75 hours. Yeah, it’s ugly, but in my book, that’s what makes it beautiful.
MSRP: From $132
Streamlight.com
