PEU,
I'd imagine that you're asking this because you'll want to compare the performance of your lights to that of those that might be considered to be a standard.
The problem is that I really can't say that there is a standard. The only advise I can give you is to build what you envision. If you have a need to fulfill, then build a light to fulfill it. I think I can give you a few pointers to make sure that you can maximize performance.
With the current 3W luxeons on the market, performance of the luxeon has pretty much become a non issue. They are all bright. The most important factor in building a nice bright light, is the choice of reflector.
My favorite reflector is the Pelican Reflector. I've built small single cell lights using this reflector, running at 500mA and the output was surprising. Drive current up to 1A on a 2 cell body and watch out. You'll have a 100+ yard light.
The only drawback to the PR is the price. At $10 each plus shipping, they are relatively expensive.
I also like the 1.3 inch reflectors from Carley Lamps. These need a bit more machining, but the output from these reflectors actually exceeds that of the PR. They are, however, larger than the PR and will not fit into a pocket size light.
I also like the mini
m@g reflectors. These can be had for about $1.50 each and they are very small. I consider these to be the small light champs, due to the size performance ratio.
An even smaller reflector is one of those sold by elektrolumens. I just built a light using one of these and was pleasantly surprised by the output.
Just pick the size of the reflector that will fit into the light that you want to build and build the light around the reflector.
If you use any one of the reflectors mentioned about and run the luxeon at 500mA or more, you'll like what you get.
I personally like to run my lights at 700mA. I've found this to be the best compromise among runtime, heat, and brightness.
I hope I don't get flamed for this, but I've all but abandoned the use of optics in my custom lights.
