diff --git a/array.go b/array.go
index 01b3eca..aa4f623 100644
--- a/array.go
+++ b/array.go
@@ -20,6 +20,20 @@ type Array struct {
 	buf []byte
 }
 
+func putArray(a *Array) {
+	// Proper usage of a sync.Pool requires each entry to have approximately
+	// the same memory cost. To obtain this property when the stored type
+	// contains a variably-sized buffer, we add a hard limit on the maximum buffer
+	// to place back in the pool.
+	//
+	// See https://golang.org/issue/23199
+	const maxSize = 1 << 16 // 64KiB
+	if cap(a.buf) > maxSize {
+		return
+	}
+	arrayPool.Put(a)
+}
+
 // Arr creates an array to be added to an Event or Context.
 func Arr() *Array {
 	a := arrayPool.Get().(*Array)
@@ -38,7 +52,7 @@ func (a *Array) write(dst []byte) []byte {
 		dst = append(append(dst, a.buf...))
 	}
 	dst = enc.AppendArrayEnd(dst)
-	arrayPool.Put(a)
+	putArray(a)
 	return dst
 }
 
@@ -49,7 +63,7 @@ func (a *Array) Object(obj LogObjectMarshaler) *Array {
 	obj.MarshalZerologObject(e)
 	e.buf = enc.AppendEndMarker(e.buf)
 	a.buf = append(enc.AppendArrayDelim(a.buf), e.buf...)
-	eventPool.Put(e)
+	putEvent(e)
 	return a
 }
 
@@ -80,7 +94,7 @@ func (a *Array) Err(err error) *Array {
 		e.buf = e.buf[:0]
 		e.appendObject(m)
 		a.buf = append(enc.AppendArrayDelim(a.buf), e.buf...)
-		eventPool.Put(e)
+		putEvent(e)
 	case error:
 		a.buf = enc.AppendString(enc.AppendArrayDelim(a.buf), m.Error())
 	case string:
diff --git a/context.go b/context.go
index c277fd2..b843179 100644
--- a/context.go
+++ b/context.go
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ func (c Context) Fields(fields map[string]interface{}) Context {
 func (c Context) Dict(key string, dict *Event) Context {
 	dict.buf = enc.AppendEndMarker(dict.buf)
 	c.l.context = append(enc.AppendKey(c.l.context, key), dict.buf...)
-	eventPool.Put(dict)
+	putEvent(dict)
 	return c
 }
 
@@ -55,7 +55,7 @@ func (c Context) Object(key string, obj LogObjectMarshaler) Context {
 	e := newEvent(levelWriterAdapter{ioutil.Discard}, 0)
 	e.Object(key, obj)
 	c.l.context = enc.AppendObjectData(c.l.context, e.buf)
-	eventPool.Put(e)
+	putEvent(e)
 	return c
 }
 
@@ -64,7 +64,7 @@ func (c Context) EmbedObject(obj LogObjectMarshaler) Context {
 	e := newEvent(levelWriterAdapter{ioutil.Discard}, 0)
 	e.EmbedObject(obj)
 	c.l.context = enc.AppendObjectData(c.l.context, e.buf)
-	eventPool.Put(e)
+	putEvent(e)
 	return c
 }
 
diff --git a/diode/diode.go b/diode/diode.go
index 8711ee5..751cafe 100644
--- a/diode/diode.go
+++ b/diode/diode.go
@@ -86,6 +86,16 @@ func (dw Writer) poll() {
 		}
 		p := *(*[]byte)(d)
 		dw.w.Write(p)
-		bufPool.Put(p[:0])
+
+		// Proper usage of a sync.Pool requires each entry to have approximately
+		// the same memory cost. To obtain this property when the stored type
+		// contains a variably-sized buffer, we add a hard limit on the maximum buffer
+		// to place back in the pool.
+		//
+		// See https://golang.org/issue/23199
+		const maxSize = 1 << 16 // 64KiB
+		if cap(p) <= maxSize {
+			bufPool.Put(p[:0])
+		}
 	}
 }
diff --git a/event.go b/event.go
index c623bdd..c67bf23 100644
--- a/event.go
+++ b/event.go
@@ -33,6 +33,20 @@ type Event struct {
 	ch    []Hook // hooks from context
 }
 
+func putEvent(e *Event) {
+	// Proper usage of a sync.Pool requires each entry to have approximately
+	// the same memory cost. To obtain this property when the stored type
+	// contains a variably-sized buffer, we add a hard limit on the maximum buffer
+	// to place back in the pool.
+	//
+	// See https://golang.org/issue/23199
+	const maxSize = 1 << 16 // 64KiB
+	if cap(e.buf) > maxSize {
+		return
+	}
+	eventPool.Put(e)
+}
+
 // LogObjectMarshaler provides a strongly-typed and encoding-agnostic interface
 // to be implemented by types used with Event/Context's Object methods.
 type LogObjectMarshaler interface {
@@ -66,7 +80,7 @@ func (e *Event) write() (err error) {
 			_, err = e.w.WriteLevel(e.level, e.buf)
 		}
 	}
-	eventPool.Put(e)
+	putEvent(e)
 	return
 }
 
@@ -141,7 +155,7 @@ func (e *Event) Dict(key string, dict *Event) *Event {
 	}
 	dict.buf = enc.AppendEndMarker(dict.buf)
 	e.buf = append(enc.AppendKey(e.buf, key), dict.buf...)
-	eventPool.Put(dict)
+	putEvent(e)
 	return e
 }
 
diff --git a/fields.go b/fields.go
index 336ecbf..b65885d 100644
--- a/fields.go
+++ b/fields.go
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ func appendFields(dst []byte, fields map[string]interface{}) []byte {
 			e.buf = e.buf[:0]
 			e.appendObject(val)
 			dst = append(dst, e.buf...)
-			eventPool.Put(e)
+			putEvent(e)
 			continue
 		}
 		switch val := val.(type) {
@@ -36,7 +36,7 @@ func appendFields(dst []byte, fields map[string]interface{}) []byte {
 				e.buf = e.buf[:0]
 				e.appendObject(m)
 				dst = append(dst, e.buf...)
-				eventPool.Put(e)
+				putEvent(e)
 			case error:
 				dst = enc.AppendString(dst, m.Error())
 			case string:
@@ -54,7 +54,7 @@ func appendFields(dst []byte, fields map[string]interface{}) []byte {
 					e.buf = e.buf[:0]
 					e.appendObject(m)
 					dst = append(dst, e.buf...)
-					eventPool.Put(e)
+					putEvent(e)
 				case error:
 					dst = enc.AppendString(dst, m.Error())
 				case string: