Small But Powerful: Armasight’s Sidekick 320 Thermal Handheld

Estimated reading time: 7 minutes

Our side-by-side bounced on a narrow, rutted dirt road. I scanned the cut-over fields with my Armasight Sidekick 320. Just after 1 a.m., it was 75 degrees and a full moon. We were hog hunting with thermals near Durant, Oklahoma, on private lands bordering the Red River.

I spotted a half dozen white blobs hundreds of yards distant and fronting trees.

“Stop,” I said to our driver, Jim. “Might have something.”

First Rule of Thermal Technology

Thermal technology is awesome, but users still need to know what they are seeing so far away. It was my third night of hog hunting at the invitation of Armasight, and all our hunting lands were also home to cattle and deer.

Once we were stopped, the Sidekick let me do a concentrated examination of the heat signatures. I saw squat animals with pointy heads held low. The smaller signatures circled the larger ones. Piglets and sows, I was sure, and none of the longer necks that would signal deer or cattle.

Time to put on a stalk.

Sidekick 320: Small and Powerful

Earlier this year, Armasight debuted the Sidekick in two models:

-The Sidekick 320 featuring the ArmaCORE™ 320 × 240 12um Thermal Core;   

-The Sidekick 640 built  with the ArmaCORE™ 640 × 480 12um Thermal Core.

Over two nights in late September 2023, I used the Sidekick 320 for six hours. I was impressed by its power and functionality. A great addition to the thermal hunter’s kit, the Sidekick 320 also has many law enforcement and other tactical applications.

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Features of the Sidekick 320

In addition to the ArmaCORE™ 320 × 240 12um Thermal Core, the Sidekick 320 features multiple color palettes, an Image Detail Enhancement function, and internal video and photo recording ability.

The high definition 1024×768 OLED display provided crisp images even with high humidity (80 percent one night). The Sidekick had a USB-C Interface for connecting to a computer for downloads or a battery pack for extended power.

Battery Life

The Sidekick 320 runs on a single CR 123 battery. It also includes a battery extender for the compartment. With an extender in place, the Sidekick operates on two (2) CR 123 batteries, in my case two lithium batteries. After six hours, about one-quarter of the battery remained, per the indicator.

Controls

The Sidekick also features a 3-button control on top of the unit. It only took me a few minutes of practice and I was able to use the controls without looking at them. This meant that, in the field and on the move, I could and did adjust image quality (brightness, contrast, etc.) and palette colors, and operated the digital 1 to 4x zoom.

Photos and video required a simple button press.

Helmet Mounted

Want to go full tactical? Add the Ravyn Group Modular Bridge Mount and Rail System, available from Armasight. Deck out a helmet with a pair of Sidekicks or a Sidekick and PVS-14 night vision combination.

I used a helmet for some of the night hunting. Mine was rigged with a Sidekick 320 positioned over my left eye, an Armasight PVS-14 over the right. Using both units at once was a problem for me. Viewing thermal with one eye and night vision on the other was too confusing. I got a headache after a minute or two of dual viewing.

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But the combo worked great in some ways. I used the PVS-14 while we were driving and when I hiked over the ground for a stalk. I switched to the Sidekick 320 when I spotted something of interest and needed a heat signature to ID it.

A Retailer’s POV of the Sidekick 320

Preston Walls runs Strictly Offensive Kit, a web supplier of thermal gear and accessories. He’s used the Sidekick 320 himself and already has many orders for the unit, including from law enforcement agencies and individual officers.

“The compelling stories here for the Sidekicks are the price point and being US manufactured, with US-based service centers for support, too,” Walls told me during my thermal hog hunt. “Competitors have more of a ‘replacement warranty’ than a ‘fix it warranty,’ which is a testament to their ability to make extremely cheaply made products.”

Armasight Is A Higher Quality Option

But with Armasight’s higher-quality units and service performed in-country, Walls added, any problems users experience with the Sidekick or other units will be fixed here and returned—fast.

There are many handheld units on the market. Walls felt the Sidekick’s high-definition 1024 × 768 OLED display was superior to nearly any other smaller handheld. He also found the images seen through the Sidekick 320 at least as good as more expensive options.

Costs and Options For the Sidekick 320

Armasight lists the Sidekick 320’s suggested retail $2,299.00 and the Sidekick 640 at $3,299.00. In speaking with Walls and other industry sources, I expect each unit to actually sell for approximately $300 less than suggested retail.

I have not used the Sidekick 640, yet, so I can only imagine how much sharper the images are with a 640 core. According to specs from Armasight, the 640 unit is only slightly heavier than the Sidekick 320, and its detection and recognition ranges are twice that of its little brother 320.

Sidekicks 320 or 640, it’s all pretty amazing for units that fit inside your hand.

Specs: Armasight Sidekick 320

Detector Type: ArmaCORE™ 320 × 240 12um Thermal Core
Detection Range: 362 yards, Human-Sized Target
Recognition Range: 93 yards, Human Sized Target
Eye Relief: .60 in.
Field of View: 24.18°(H) × 18.13°(V)
Memory: 4 Hours of Video
Dimensions: 5.7 × 1.9 × 2.6 in.
Weight: 0.46 lbs.
Optical Magnification: 1x
Lens System: F/1.00; 9.1mm fixed focus
Digital Zoom: 1x – 4x
Battery/Life: 1 or 2 CR123A/ 1.5hours or 5.5 hours at 68°F
Display: XGA (1024 × 768) OLED
Graphics: Active On-Screen Graphics and Iconology
Operating Temperature: -40°F to +122°F
Waterproof Rating: IP67 (Submersion 1 meter of water up to 30 minutes
Warranty: 3 years w/registration

MSRP:  $2,299.00

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