I've spent a long time and a bit of money looking for my "ideal" LED multipurpose light and it looks like Streamlight's new Sidewinder just might be exactly what I've been looking for:
Uses AA batteries (both std & lithium).
Multi-color LED's (white, blue, red and IR or green).
Variable brightness and strobe function.
Waterproof.
Head rotates through 185 degrees.
Detachable clip can be mounted on either side.
Battery life is 100hrs on the lowest setting and appx 7-12hrs at the highest setting (depending upon the LED in use).
The included pic shows the Sidewinder next to the Pentagon Lights MOLLE Light and a couple of AA batteries for size comparison.
The MOLLE Light is smaller & lighter, using a single AA battery (using lithiums, however, will void the warranty) and costs appx half as much as the Sidewinder (appx $30 vs appx $60). However, IMHO the Sidewinder's extra capabilities make it worth the price difference.
When set to high/white the 20 lumen output of the Sidewinder appears to be nearly as bright as the 40 lumens of the MOLLE Light w/more than 2x the battery life. When set to red/low it's much brighter than the MOLLE Light w/red filter w/more than 30x the battery life.
So far this looks to be a keeper!
Tomac