What Flashlight Does The FBI Use?

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If you want to carry an easily concealable high-powered flashlight like those used by agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), then you'll want to pick up a Streamlight ProTac HL-X. In February 2025, the FBI chose this particular tactical light from Streamlight, makers of other high-performance lighting and weapon light/laser sighting devices, and who have already supplied thousands of this very same model to the U.S. military police and security forces. The five-year agreement allows Streamlight not only to supply all new students entering the FBI Academy's Firearms Training Unit but also to make it available to all divisions within the FBI. 

With a length of 5.43 inches, a head diameter of 1.44 inches, and a body diameter of one inch, this tactical flashlight is designed for one-handed use. It can use two different battery types, but comes packaged with two CR123A lithium batteries, giving it an overall weight of 5.7 ounces. The high-powered LED (using CR123A batteries) delivers 1,000 lumens and 27,100 candela with a beam distance of 1,082 feet (360 yards). Using Streamlight's proprietary SL-B26 Li-Ion USB rechargeable battery, the weight only increases to 6.2 ounces. Still, it pushes the lumens to 1,300, the candela to 35,000, and the beam distance to 1,227 feet (409 yards), making it that much easier to locate a suspect at virtually any distance.

The SL-B26 Li-Ion USB battery, which can be fully charged in five hours, can be recharged up to 500 times. The unit is shockproof, and the LED will last for a good 50,000 hours. Its housing is made from 6000-series machined aircraft aluminum and finished with Type II MIL-SPEC anodizing, all of which makes it resistant to abrasions and able to withstand drops from heights of six feet. Additionally, all of its openings are sealed with O-rings, so it's both dust-tight and capable of operating in six feet of water for up to 30 minutes. All of which makes it ideal for agents in the field.

The HL-X comes with a TEN-TAP programmable tail switch that allows users to select one of three different programs: high/strobe/low (which is the factory default), high only, or low/medium/high. Each mode dramatically varies the beam's intensity, range, and distance. Also, the battery type being used will impact how long it will function. For instance, the "high" normal setting (using standard CR123 batteries) will last for one hour and 15 minutes, but the "low" setting will get you 20 hours of operation at a much reduced 65 lumens, 1,600 candela, and a throw of only 80 feet.

Another important feature for the FBI is that the HL-X comes with a serialized body, which lets it assign a specific light to a particular agent for positive identification. The suggested retail price sits at $178.39, but the Streamlight ProTac HL-X flashlight (with CR123A batteries) can be found for much less across a variety of online retailers.