I use Eneloops in my single AAA edc, but when gifting a light I include an Alkaline battery. I have wondered if one would leak if left unused in the light for an extended period? Somehow I was thinking that multiple batteries would leak in time, but not sure about a single battery.
Thanks,
Jerry
Maybe
They get a worse rep than they deserve here, I’ve had very few alkalines leak on me in all the years I’ve been using them. I wouldn’t worry too much unless its a very long time. When gifting a light I’d suggest leaving the light empty and gifting it with the batteries in a case. That way you don’t have to worry about leaking and they have a case to carry spares.
They leak all the time, at any time.
I have had them leak when old, new, fully charged, partially charged, discharged, AAA, AA, C, and D.
I have had them leak in the unopened pack.
I don’t put them in anything I value.
Thanks for the information, Guys.
Jerry
I wouldn’t worry to much either. I can’t recall having seen a (severe) leaked alkaline AAA at all, I guess they have a better case thickness to battery size ratio than bigger cells. (The battery body dissolves a little while discharging.)
I have some corroded contacts from minimal leakage in my calculators every other year, but nothing one can’t fix with a glass fiber brush. 
I like CyrusAMs idea of leaving the light empty and adding a case. I’ll have to steal that gift idea! 
Edit:
I find it interesting that others have so bad experiences with alkaline cells.
I have trouble remembering any excessive leakage after the days of zink carbon cells.
Is it possible that climate is a factor here?
Surprisingly I have had quite a few alkaline AAAs and AAs leak on me over the years, mostly on devices that I had put away for storage that drained the cells while sitting for an extended period of time (more than a year). Never had one leak that wasn't drained all the way empty. In some devices that is under a year, in others it could be 5+ years. Now I take them out of anything that's going to be sitting unused for an extended period of time. I don't think a flashlight with a twisty/clicky would be much of a problem because there should be no parasitic drain on the cell.
Use them up and discard them and there fine. Let them set around awhile and there more prone to leaks. Especially seems like for when almost discharged or are completely discharged. Just remember that some devices have parasitic drain so they will go dead in time without you knowing it. That seems to be when they leak the most for me. But, they don’t always leak. Doesn’t seem to be any brand better than the other for me, that I can tell. I have switched most devices over to duraloop’s.
Most of my bad experiences have been with larger cells such as c’s and d’s but I did have a AAA duracell weld itself inside my Preon 2 almost ruining the light. This was in a daily carried, almost daily used light. One day it would not come on and I discovered one of the batteries welded in there. I had heck getting that little sucker out of there and to this day it really isn’t right. I now put Ultimate Lithiums in any light that I care about.
what's da reason for the leaking? the minimal drain in devices?
in my experience they leak anyway if stored long enough.
nuttin to do with the standby drain.
my cent.
You are right. The metal casing is not part of the poles (I mixed that up with zinc carbon cells above), so it should not matter if the cells are drained or not.
It’s not a question of WILL they leak, but WHEN ! And I guarantee they will. :cowboy_hat_face:
I
YES!
+1
Alcalines tend to leak in most cases where they are used in a series of three or more, ( when one cell goes bad/dead and gets pushed to the point of leaking by the other cells, (Though still not as bad as the old days of the Zinc/Carbon cells turning into corrosive liquids.) Alcalines don’t leak as much when in a single application if there is zero parasitic drain, but if left turned on or in a light that has a parasitic drain the cheaper brands of cells somtimes leak when they reach complete drained.
My clock cells (duracell procell) survive their 5…7 year shelf life and their ~1 year life in the clocks without trouble.
(Alarm clock eats one per year since ~1999, wall clock is even older)
I even keep them for years after they are dead until my collecting bin is full enough to bring them to the electronics shop.
Maybe I live in a magical alkaline protection field, who knows? 
Well, once cheap discounter AAAs corroded the contacts of my Ti voyage, just about the most expensive alkaline powered device I own. :_(
I’ve had em leak in the packet, but then I’ve also found stored items with batteries still ok after ten years, flat but haven’t leaked.
It’s mostly the swings in temperature that make them more prone to leaking in my experience, but I will never store anything I care about with an alkaline in it either way just as a matter of principle.
i believe thats what caused my last leak, but otherwise leaking is very very random, sometimes no leak a decade later, sometimes leak 6 months later, sometimes full sometimes empty or anywhere in between, there is just no way to tell if a battery will leak or not, some never do, some do very fast, sometimes cheap ones leak more frequently, sometimes the expensive ones leak more frequently, its truly and completely random.
I have had single AA and AAA alkaline cells leak. You can use a lithium primary if you intend to leave it in unused.
Yep. New, unused Alkaline AAA cells still in the package have leaked. And AAs. And D-cells.