diff --git a/prometheus/benchmark_test.go b/prometheus/benchmark_test.go
index 6ae7333..a3d8669 100644
--- a/prometheus/benchmark_test.go
+++ b/prometheus/benchmark_test.go
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@
 package prometheus
 
 import (
+	"sync"
 	"testing"
 )
 
@@ -32,6 +33,29 @@ func BenchmarkCounterWithLabelValues(b *testing.B) {
 	}
 }
 
+func BenchmarkCounterWithLabelValuesConcurrent(b *testing.B) {
+	m := NewCounterVec(
+		CounterOpts{
+			Name: "benchmark_counter",
+			Help: "A counter to benchmark it.",
+		},
+		[]string{"one", "two", "three"},
+	)
+	b.ReportAllocs()
+	b.ResetTimer()
+	wg := sync.WaitGroup{}
+	for i := 0; i < 10; i++ {
+		wg.Add(1)
+		go func() {
+			for j := 0; j < b.N/10; j++ {
+				m.WithLabelValues("eins", "zwei", "drei").Inc()
+			}
+			wg.Done()
+		}()
+	}
+	wg.Wait()
+}
+
 func BenchmarkCounterWithMappedLabels(b *testing.B) {
 	m := NewCounterVec(
 		CounterOpts{
diff --git a/prometheus/counter.go b/prometheus/counter.go
index a2952d1..d2a564b 100644
--- a/prometheus/counter.go
+++ b/prometheus/counter.go
@@ -15,7 +15,6 @@ package prometheus
 
 import (
 	"errors"
-	"hash/fnv"
 )
 
 // Counter is a Metric that represents a single numerical value that only ever
@@ -97,7 +96,6 @@ func NewCounterVec(opts CounterOpts, labelNames []string) *CounterVec {
 		MetricVec: MetricVec{
 			children: map[uint64]Metric{},
 			desc:     desc,
-			hash:     fnv.New64a(),
 			newMetric: func(lvs ...string) Metric {
 				result := &counter{value: value{
 					desc:       desc,
diff --git a/prometheus/fnv.go b/prometheus/fnv.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..59ecedc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/prometheus/fnv.go
@@ -0,0 +1,22 @@
+package prometheus
+
+// Inline and byte-free variant of hash/fnv's fnv64a.
+
+const (
+	offset64 = 14695981039346656037
+	prime64  = 1099511628211
+)
+
+// hashNew initializies a new fnv64a hash value.
+func hashNew() uint64 {
+	return offset64
+}
+
+// hashAdd adds a string to a fnv64a hash value, returning the updated hash.
+func hashAdd(h uint64, s string) uint64 {
+	for i := 0; i < len(s); i++ {
+		h ^= uint64(s[i])
+		h *= prime64
+	}
+	return h
+}
diff --git a/prometheus/gauge.go b/prometheus/gauge.go
index ba8a402..390c074 100644
--- a/prometheus/gauge.go
+++ b/prometheus/gauge.go
@@ -13,8 +13,6 @@
 
 package prometheus
 
-import "hash/fnv"
-
 // Gauge is a Metric that represents a single numerical value that can
 // arbitrarily go up and down.
 //
@@ -77,7 +75,6 @@ func NewGaugeVec(opts GaugeOpts, labelNames []string) *GaugeVec {
 		MetricVec: MetricVec{
 			children: map[uint64]Metric{},
 			desc:     desc,
-			hash:     fnv.New64a(),
 			newMetric: func(lvs ...string) Metric {
 				return newValue(desc, GaugeValue, 0, lvs...)
 			},
diff --git a/prometheus/histogram.go b/prometheus/histogram.go
index f98a41b..7a68910 100644
--- a/prometheus/histogram.go
+++ b/prometheus/histogram.go
@@ -15,7 +15,6 @@ package prometheus
 
 import (
 	"fmt"
-	"hash/fnv"
 	"math"
 	"sort"
 	"sync/atomic"
@@ -305,7 +304,6 @@ func NewHistogramVec(opts HistogramOpts, labelNames []string) *HistogramVec {
 		MetricVec: MetricVec{
 			children: map[uint64]Metric{},
 			desc:     desc,
-			hash:     fnv.New64a(),
 			newMetric: func(lvs ...string) Metric {
 				return newHistogram(desc, opts, lvs...)
 			},
diff --git a/prometheus/histogram_test.go b/prometheus/histogram_test.go
index 11cf66b..d1242e0 100644
--- a/prometheus/histogram_test.go
+++ b/prometheus/histogram_test.go
@@ -127,7 +127,7 @@ func TestHistogramConcurrency(t *testing.T) {
 	if testing.Short() {
 		t.Skip("Skipping test in short mode.")
 	}
-	
+
 	rand.Seed(42)
 
 	it := func(n uint32) bool {
diff --git a/prometheus/summary.go b/prometheus/summary.go
index fe81e00..eb84961 100644
--- a/prometheus/summary.go
+++ b/prometheus/summary.go
@@ -15,7 +15,6 @@ package prometheus
 
 import (
 	"fmt"
-	"hash/fnv"
 	"math"
 	"sort"
 	"sync"
@@ -408,7 +407,6 @@ func NewSummaryVec(opts SummaryOpts, labelNames []string) *SummaryVec {
 		MetricVec: MetricVec{
 			children: map[uint64]Metric{},
 			desc:     desc,
-			hash:     fnv.New64a(),
 			newMetric: func(lvs ...string) Metric {
 				return newSummary(desc, opts, lvs...)
 			},
diff --git a/prometheus/untyped.go b/prometheus/untyped.go
index c65ab1c..89b86ea 100644
--- a/prometheus/untyped.go
+++ b/prometheus/untyped.go
@@ -13,8 +13,6 @@
 
 package prometheus
 
-import "hash/fnv"
-
 // Untyped is a Metric that represents a single numerical value that can
 // arbitrarily go up and down.
 //
@@ -75,7 +73,6 @@ func NewUntypedVec(opts UntypedOpts, labelNames []string) *UntypedVec {
 		MetricVec: MetricVec{
 			children: map[uint64]Metric{},
 			desc:     desc,
-			hash:     fnv.New64a(),
 			newMetric: func(lvs ...string) Metric {
 				return newValue(desc, UntypedValue, 0, lvs...)
 			},
diff --git a/prometheus/vec.go b/prometheus/vec.go
index a1f3bdf..68f9461 100644
--- a/prometheus/vec.go
+++ b/prometheus/vec.go
@@ -14,9 +14,7 @@
 package prometheus
 
 import (
-	"bytes"
 	"fmt"
-	"hash"
 	"sync"
 )
 
@@ -26,16 +24,10 @@ import (
 // type. GaugeVec, CounterVec, SummaryVec, and UntypedVec are examples already
 // provided in this package.
 type MetricVec struct {
-	mtx      sync.RWMutex // Protects not only children, but also hash and buf.
+	mtx      sync.RWMutex // Protects the children.
 	children map[uint64]Metric
 	desc     *Desc
 
-	// hash is our own hash instance to avoid repeated allocations.
-	hash hash.Hash64
-	// buf is used to copy string contents into it for hashing,
-	// again to avoid allocations.
-	buf bytes.Buffer
-
 	newMetric func(labelValues ...string) Metric
 }
 
@@ -80,13 +72,20 @@ func (m *MetricVec) Collect(ch chan<- Metric) {
 // with a performance overhead (for creating and processing the Labels map).
 // See also the GaugeVec example.
 func (m *MetricVec) GetMetricWithLabelValues(lvs ...string) (Metric, error) {
-	m.mtx.Lock()
-	defer m.mtx.Unlock()
-
 	h, err := m.hashLabelValues(lvs)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
+
+	m.mtx.RLock()
+	metric, ok := m.children[h]
+	m.mtx.RUnlock()
+	if ok {
+		return metric, nil
+	}
+
+	m.mtx.Lock()
+	defer m.mtx.Unlock()
 	return m.getOrCreateMetric(h, lvs...), nil
 }
 
@@ -103,17 +102,24 @@ func (m *MetricVec) GetMetricWithLabelValues(lvs ...string) (Metric, error) {
 // GetMetricWithLabelValues(...string). See there for pros and cons of the two
 // methods.
 func (m *MetricVec) GetMetricWith(labels Labels) (Metric, error) {
-	m.mtx.Lock()
-	defer m.mtx.Unlock()
-
 	h, err := m.hashLabels(labels)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
+
+	m.mtx.RLock()
+	metric, ok := m.children[h]
+	m.mtx.RUnlock()
+	if ok {
+		return metric, nil
+	}
+
 	lvs := make([]string, len(labels))
 	for i, label := range m.desc.variableLabels {
 		lvs[i] = labels[label]
 	}
+	m.mtx.Lock()
+	defer m.mtx.Unlock()
 	return m.getOrCreateMetric(h, lvs...), nil
 }
 
@@ -162,7 +168,7 @@ func (m *MetricVec) DeleteLabelValues(lvs ...string) bool {
 	if err != nil {
 		return false
 	}
-	if _, has := m.children[h]; !has {
+	if _, ok := m.children[h]; !ok {
 		return false
 	}
 	delete(m.children, h)
@@ -187,7 +193,7 @@ func (m *MetricVec) Delete(labels Labels) bool {
 	if err != nil {
 		return false
 	}
-	if _, has := m.children[h]; !has {
+	if _, ok := m.children[h]; !ok {
 		return false
 	}
 	delete(m.children, h)
@@ -208,30 +214,26 @@ func (m *MetricVec) hashLabelValues(vals []string) (uint64, error) {
 	if len(vals) != len(m.desc.variableLabels) {
 		return 0, errInconsistentCardinality
 	}
-	m.hash.Reset()
+	h := hashNew()
 	for _, val := range vals {
-		m.buf.Reset()
-		m.buf.WriteString(val)
-		m.hash.Write(m.buf.Bytes())
+		h = hashAdd(h, val)
 	}
-	return m.hash.Sum64(), nil
+	return h, nil
 }
 
 func (m *MetricVec) hashLabels(labels Labels) (uint64, error) {
 	if len(labels) != len(m.desc.variableLabels) {
 		return 0, errInconsistentCardinality
 	}
-	m.hash.Reset()
+	h := hashNew()
 	for _, label := range m.desc.variableLabels {
 		val, ok := labels[label]
 		if !ok {
 			return 0, fmt.Errorf("label name %q missing in label map", label)
 		}
-		m.buf.Reset()
-		m.buf.WriteString(val)
-		m.hash.Write(m.buf.Bytes())
+		h = hashAdd(h, val)
 	}
-	return m.hash.Sum64(), nil
+	return h, nil
 }
 
 func (m *MetricVec) getOrCreateMetric(hash uint64, labelValues ...string) Metric {
diff --git a/prometheus/vec_test.go b/prometheus/vec_test.go
index 0e9431e..6760ed8 100644
--- a/prometheus/vec_test.go
+++ b/prometheus/vec_test.go
@@ -14,7 +14,6 @@
 package prometheus
 
 import (
-	"hash/fnv"
 	"testing"
 )
 
@@ -23,7 +22,6 @@ func TestDelete(t *testing.T) {
 	vec := MetricVec{
 		children: map[uint64]Metric{},
 		desc:     desc,
-		hash:     fnv.New64a(),
 		newMetric: func(lvs ...string) Metric {
 			return newValue(desc, UntypedValue, 0, lvs...)
 		},
@@ -63,7 +61,6 @@ func TestDeleteLabelValues(t *testing.T) {
 	vec := MetricVec{
 		children: map[uint64]Metric{},
 		desc:     desc,
-		hash:     fnv.New64a(),
 		newMetric: func(lvs ...string) Metric {
 			return newValue(desc, UntypedValue, 0, lvs...)
 		},