diff --git a/bigcache_bench_test.go b/bigcache_bench_test.go
index 907a42c5..ead28160 100644
--- a/bigcache_bench_test.go
+++ b/bigcache_bench_test.go
@@ -52,6 +52,13 @@ func BenchmarkWriteToCache(b *testing.B) {
 		})
 	}
 }
+func BenchmarkAppendToCache(b *testing.B) {
+	for _, shards := range []int{1, 512, 1024, 8192} {
+		b.Run(fmt.Sprintf("%d-shards", shards), func(b *testing.B) {
+			appendToCache(b, shards, 100*time.Second, b.N)
+		})
+	}
+}
 
 func BenchmarkReadFromCache(b *testing.B) {
 	for _, shards := range []int{1, 512, 1024, 8192} {
@@ -134,6 +141,30 @@ func writeToCache(b *testing.B, shards int, lifeWindow time.Duration, requestsIn
 	})
 }
 
+func appendToCache(b *testing.B, shards int, lifeWindow time.Duration, requestsInLifeWindow int) {
+	cache, _ := NewBigCache(Config{
+		Shards:             shards,
+		LifeWindow:         lifeWindow,
+		MaxEntriesInWindow: max(requestsInLifeWindow, 100),
+		MaxEntrySize:       2000,
+	})
+	rand.Seed(time.Now().Unix())
+
+	b.RunParallel(func(pb *testing.PB) {
+		id := rand.Int()
+		counter := 0
+
+		b.ReportAllocs()
+		for pb.Next() {
+			key := fmt.Sprintf("key-%d-%d", id, counter)
+			for j := 0; j < 7; j++ {
+				cache.Append(key, message)
+			}
+			counter = counter + 1
+		}
+	})
+}
+
 func readFromCache(b *testing.B, shards int, info bool) {
 	cache, _ := NewBigCache(Config{
 		Shards:             shards,
diff --git a/encoding.go b/encoding.go
index 4d434e5d..fc861251 100644
--- a/encoding.go
+++ b/encoding.go
@@ -29,6 +29,21 @@ func wrapEntry(timestamp uint64, hash uint64, key string, entry []byte, buffer *
 	return blob[:blobLength]
 }
 
+func appendToWrappedEntry(timestamp uint64, wrappedEntry []byte, entry []byte, buffer *[]byte) []byte {
+	blobLength := len(wrappedEntry) + len(entry)
+	if blobLength > len(*buffer) {
+		*buffer = make([]byte, blobLength)
+	}
+
+	blob := *buffer
+
+	binary.LittleEndian.PutUint64(blob, timestamp)
+	copy(blob[timestampSizeInBytes:], wrappedEntry[timestampSizeInBytes:])
+	copy(blob[len(wrappedEntry):], entry)
+
+	return blob[:blobLength]
+}
+
 func readEntry(data []byte) []byte {
 	length := binary.LittleEndian.Uint16(data[timestampSizeInBytes+hashSizeInBytes:])
 
@@ -53,6 +68,12 @@ func readKeyFromEntry(data []byte) string {
 	return bytesToString(dst)
 }
 
+func compareKeyFromEntry(data []byte, key string) bool {
+	length := binary.LittleEndian.Uint16(data[timestampSizeInBytes+hashSizeInBytes:])
+
+	return bytesToString(data[headersSizeInBytes:headersSizeInBytes+length]) == key
+}
+
 func readHashFromEntry(data []byte) uint64 {
 	return binary.LittleEndian.Uint64(data[timestampSizeInBytes:])
 }
diff --git a/shard.go b/shard.go
index 642a8047..e801953a 100644
--- a/shard.go
+++ b/shard.go
@@ -81,24 +81,6 @@ func (s *cacheShard) get(key string, hashedKey uint64) ([]byte, error) {
 	return entry, nil
 }
 
-func (s *cacheShard) getWithoutLock(key string, hashedKey uint64) ([]byte, error) {
-	wrappedEntry, err := s.getWrappedEntry(hashedKey)
-	if err != nil {
-		return nil, err
-	}
-	if entryKey := readKeyFromEntry(wrappedEntry); key != entryKey {
-		s.collision()
-		if s.isVerbose {
-			s.logger.Printf("Collision detected. Both %q and %q have the same hash %x", key, entryKey, hashedKey)
-		}
-		return nil, ErrEntryNotFound
-	}
-	entry := readEntry(wrappedEntry)
-	s.hitWithoutLock(hashedKey)
-
-	return entry, nil
-}
-
 func (s *cacheShard) getWrappedEntry(hashedKey uint64) ([]byte, error) {
 	itemIndex := s.hashmap[hashedKey]
 
@@ -116,6 +98,25 @@ func (s *cacheShard) getWrappedEntry(hashedKey uint64) ([]byte, error) {
 	return wrappedEntry, err
 }
 
+func (s *cacheShard) getValidWrapEntry(key string, hashedKey uint64) ([]byte, error) {
+	wrappedEntry, err := s.getWrappedEntry(hashedKey)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+
+	if !compareKeyFromEntry(wrappedEntry, key) {
+		s.collision()
+		if s.isVerbose {
+			s.logger.Printf("Collision detected. Both %q and %q have the same hash %x", key, readKeyFromEntry(wrappedEntry), hashedKey)
+		}
+
+		return nil, ErrEntryNotFound
+	}
+	s.hitWithoutLock(hashedKey)
+
+	return wrappedEntry, nil
+}
+
 func (s *cacheShard) set(key string, hashedKey uint64, entry []byte) error {
 	currentTimestamp := uint64(s.clock.Epoch())
 
@@ -146,9 +147,27 @@ func (s *cacheShard) set(key string, hashedKey uint64, entry []byte) error {
 	}
 }
 
-func (s *cacheShard) setWithoutLock(key string, hashedKey uint64, entry []byte) error {
+func (s *cacheShard) addNewWithoutLock(key string, hashedKey uint64, entry []byte) error {
 	currentTimestamp := uint64(s.clock.Epoch())
 
+	if oldestEntry, err := s.entries.Peek(); err == nil {
+		s.onEvict(oldestEntry, currentTimestamp, s.removeOldestEntry)
+	}
+
+	w := wrapEntry(currentTimestamp, hashedKey, key, entry, &s.entryBuffer)
+
+	for {
+		if index, err := s.entries.Push(w); err == nil {
+			s.hashmap[hashedKey] = uint32(index)
+			return nil
+		}
+		if s.removeOldestEntry(NoSpace) != nil {
+			return fmt.Errorf("entry is bigger than max shard size")
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+func (s *cacheShard) setWrappedEntryWithoutLock(currentTimestamp uint64, w []byte, hashedKey uint64) error {
 	if previousIndex := s.hashmap[hashedKey]; previousIndex != 0 {
 		if previousEntry, err := s.entries.Get(int(previousIndex)); err == nil {
 			resetKeyFromEntry(previousEntry)
@@ -159,8 +178,6 @@ func (s *cacheShard) setWithoutLock(key string, hashedKey uint64, entry []byte)
 		s.onEvict(oldestEntry, currentTimestamp, s.removeOldestEntry)
 	}
 
-	w := wrapEntry(currentTimestamp, hashedKey, key, entry, &s.entryBuffer)
-
 	for {
 		if index, err := s.entries.Push(w); err == nil {
 			s.hashmap[hashedKey] = uint64(index)
@@ -174,20 +191,25 @@ func (s *cacheShard) setWithoutLock(key string, hashedKey uint64, entry []byte)
 
 func (s *cacheShard) append(key string, hashedKey uint64, entry []byte) error {
 	s.lock.Lock()
-	var newEntry []byte
-	oldEntry, err := s.getWithoutLock(key, hashedKey)
+	wrappedEntry, err := s.getValidWrapEntry(key, hashedKey)
+
+	if err == ErrEntryNotFound {
+		err = s.addNewWithoutLock(key, hashedKey, entry)
+		s.lock.Unlock()
+		return err
+	}
 	if err != nil {
-		if err != ErrEntryNotFound {
-			s.lock.Unlock()
-			return err
-		}
-	} else {
-		newEntry = oldEntry
+		s.lock.Unlock()
+		return err
 	}
 
-	newEntry = append(newEntry, entry...)
-	err = s.setWithoutLock(key, hashedKey, newEntry)
+	currentTimestamp := uint64(s.clock.Epoch())
+
+	w := appendToWrappedEntry(currentTimestamp, wrappedEntry, entry, &s.entryBuffer)
+
+	err = s.setWrappedEntryWithoutLock(currentTimestamp, w, hashedKey)
 	s.lock.Unlock()
+
 	return err
 }