diff --git a/jOOQ/src/main/java/org/jooq/impl/AbstractField.java b/jOOQ/src/main/java/org/jooq/impl/AbstractField.java
index 5faf08a4be..32aaa16709 100644
--- a/jOOQ/src/main/java/org/jooq/impl/AbstractField.java
+++ b/jOOQ/src/main/java/org/jooq/impl/AbstractField.java
@@ -75,6 +75,7 @@ import org.jooq.SortOrder;
 import org.jooq.WindowIgnoreNullsStep;
 import org.jooq.WindowPartitionByStep;
 import org.jooq.tools.Convert;
+import org.jooq.tools.StringUtils;
 
 /**
  * @author Lukas Eder
@@ -1610,7 +1611,7 @@ abstract class AbstractField<T> extends AbstractQueryPart implements Field<T> {
         // [#2144] Non-equality can be decided early, without executing the
         // rather expensive implementation of AbstractQueryPart.equals()
         if (that instanceof AbstractField) {
-            if (name.equals(((AbstractField<?>) that).name)) {
+            if (StringUtils.equals(name, (((AbstractField<?>) that).name))) {
                 return super.equals(that);
             }
 
diff --git a/jOOQ/src/main/java/org/jooq/impl/AbstractTable.java b/jOOQ/src/main/java/org/jooq/impl/AbstractTable.java
index 4916e4efcf..99ea0bbde8 100644
--- a/jOOQ/src/main/java/org/jooq/impl/AbstractTable.java
+++ b/jOOQ/src/main/java/org/jooq/impl/AbstractTable.java
@@ -59,6 +59,7 @@ import org.jooq.TableLike;
 import org.jooq.TableOnStep;
 import org.jooq.TableOptionalOnStep;
 import org.jooq.TablePartitionByStep;
+import org.jooq.tools.StringUtils;
 
 /**
  * @author Lukas Eder
@@ -421,7 +422,7 @@ abstract class AbstractTable<R extends Record> extends AbstractFieldProviderQuer
         // [#2144] Non-equality can be decided early, without executing the
         // rather expensive implementation of AbstractQueryPart.equals()
         if (that instanceof AbstractTable) {
-            if (name.equals(((AbstractTable<?>) that).name)) {
+            if (StringUtils.equals(name, (((AbstractTable<?>) that).name))) {
                 return super.equals(that);
             }
 
diff --git a/jOOQ/src/main/java/org/jooq/impl/SchemaImpl.java b/jOOQ/src/main/java/org/jooq/impl/SchemaImpl.java
index 8a02358624..02e1f53e00 100644
--- a/jOOQ/src/main/java/org/jooq/impl/SchemaImpl.java
+++ b/jOOQ/src/main/java/org/jooq/impl/SchemaImpl.java
@@ -45,6 +45,7 @@ import org.jooq.Schema;
 import org.jooq.Sequence;
 import org.jooq.Table;
 import org.jooq.UDT;
+import org.jooq.tools.StringUtils;
 
 /**
  * A common base class for database schemata
@@ -150,7 +151,7 @@ public class SchemaImpl extends AbstractQueryPart implements Schema {
         // [#2144] SchemaImpl equality can be decided without executing the
         // rather expensive implementation of AbstractQueryPart.equals()
         if (that instanceof SchemaImpl) {
-            return getName().equals(((SchemaImpl) that).getName());
+            return StringUtils.equals(getName(), (((SchemaImpl) that).getName()));
         }
 
         return super.equals(that);
diff --git a/jOOQ/src/main/java/org/jooq/impl/TableFieldImpl.java b/jOOQ/src/main/java/org/jooq/impl/TableFieldImpl.java
index e98630298f..2cd0d2d22e 100644
--- a/jOOQ/src/main/java/org/jooq/impl/TableFieldImpl.java
+++ b/jOOQ/src/main/java/org/jooq/impl/TableFieldImpl.java
@@ -42,6 +42,7 @@ import org.jooq.Record;
 import org.jooq.RenderContext;
 import org.jooq.Table;
 import org.jooq.TableField;
+import org.jooq.tools.StringUtils;
 
 /**
  * A common base type for table fields.
@@ -94,7 +95,9 @@ class TableFieldImpl<R extends Record, T> extends AbstractField<T> implements Ta
         // rather expensive implementation of AbstractQueryPart.equals()
         if (that instanceof TableField) {
             TableField<?, ?> other = (TableField<?, ?>) that;
-            return getTable().equals(other.getTable()) && getName().equals(other.getName());
+            return
+                StringUtils.equals(getTable(), other.getTable()) &&
+                StringUtils.equals(getName(), other.getName());
         }
 
         return super.equals(that);
diff --git a/jOOQ/src/main/java/org/jooq/impl/TableImpl.java b/jOOQ/src/main/java/org/jooq/impl/TableImpl.java
index e1865b2f03..85eeb19c86 100644
--- a/jOOQ/src/main/java/org/jooq/impl/TableImpl.java
+++ b/jOOQ/src/main/java/org/jooq/impl/TableImpl.java
@@ -185,7 +185,9 @@ public class TableImpl<R extends Record> extends AbstractTable<R> {
         // rather expensive implementation of AbstractQueryPart.equals()
         if (that instanceof TableImpl) {
             TableImpl<?> other = (TableImpl<?>) that;
-            return StringUtils.equals(getSchema(), other.getSchema()) && getName().equals(other.getName());
+            return
+                StringUtils.equals(getSchema(), other.getSchema()) &&
+                StringUtils.equals(getName(), other.getName());
         }
 
         return super.equals(that);