diff --git a/src/checkstyle/com/puppycrawl/tools/checkstyle/Checker.java b/src/checkstyle/com/puppycrawl/tools/checkstyle/Checker.java
index dc35843e1..fd523a833 100644
--- a/src/checkstyle/com/puppycrawl/tools/checkstyle/Checker.java
+++ b/src/checkstyle/com/puppycrawl/tools/checkstyle/Checker.java
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@ import com.puppycrawl.tools.checkstyle.api.AutomaticBean;
 import com.puppycrawl.tools.checkstyle.api.CheckstyleException;
 import com.puppycrawl.tools.checkstyle.api.Configuration;
 import com.puppycrawl.tools.checkstyle.api.Context;
+import com.puppycrawl.tools.checkstyle.api.FastStack;
 import com.puppycrawl.tools.checkstyle.api.FileSetCheck;
 import com.puppycrawl.tools.checkstyle.api.Filter;
 import com.puppycrawl.tools.checkstyle.api.FilterSet;
@@ -37,7 +38,6 @@ import java.io.File;
 import java.util.List;
 import java.util.Locale;
 import java.util.Set;
-import java.util.Stack;
 import java.util.StringTokenizer;
 
 /**
@@ -369,7 +369,7 @@ public class Checker extends AutomaticBean
             }
         }
 
-        final Stack<String> s = new Stack<String>();
+        final FastStack<String> s = FastStack.newInstance();
         s.push(root);
         final StringTokenizer tok = new StringTokenizer(aPath, File.separator);
         while (tok.hasMoreTokens()) {
@@ -396,7 +396,7 @@ public class Checker extends AutomaticBean
                 // already contains one
                 sb.append(File.separatorChar);
             }
-            sb.append(s.elementAt(i));
+            sb.append(s.get(i));
         }
 
 
diff --git a/src/checkstyle/com/puppycrawl/tools/checkstyle/ConfigurationLoader.java b/src/checkstyle/com/puppycrawl/tools/checkstyle/ConfigurationLoader.java
index bf0b25d24..532e80593 100644
--- a/src/checkstyle/com/puppycrawl/tools/checkstyle/ConfigurationLoader.java
+++ b/src/checkstyle/com/puppycrawl/tools/checkstyle/ConfigurationLoader.java
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@ import com.google.common.collect.Maps;
 import com.puppycrawl.tools.checkstyle.api.AbstractLoader;
 import com.puppycrawl.tools.checkstyle.api.CheckstyleException;
 import com.puppycrawl.tools.checkstyle.api.Configuration;
+import com.puppycrawl.tools.checkstyle.api.FastStack;
 import com.puppycrawl.tools.checkstyle.api.SeverityLevel;
 import java.io.BufferedInputStream;
 import java.io.FileInputStream;
@@ -34,7 +35,6 @@ import java.net.URL;
 import java.util.Iterator;
 import java.util.List;
 import java.util.Map;
-import java.util.Stack;
 import javax.xml.parsers.ParserConfigurationException;
 import org.xml.sax.Attributes;
 import org.xml.sax.InputSource;
@@ -198,8 +198,8 @@ public final class ConfigurationLoader
     /** property resolver **/
     private final PropertyResolver mOverridePropsResolver;
     /** the loaded configurations **/
-    private final Stack<DefaultConfiguration> mConfigStack =
-        new Stack<DefaultConfiguration>();
+    private final FastStack<DefaultConfiguration> mConfigStack =
+        FastStack.newInstance();
     /** the Configuration that is being built */
     private Configuration mConfiguration;
 
diff --git a/src/checkstyle/com/puppycrawl/tools/checkstyle/PackageNamesLoader.java b/src/checkstyle/com/puppycrawl/tools/checkstyle/PackageNamesLoader.java
index b57ecc28f..5a8392989 100644
--- a/src/checkstyle/com/puppycrawl/tools/checkstyle/PackageNamesLoader.java
+++ b/src/checkstyle/com/puppycrawl/tools/checkstyle/PackageNamesLoader.java
@@ -21,13 +21,13 @@ package com.puppycrawl.tools.checkstyle;
 import com.google.common.collect.Sets;
 import com.puppycrawl.tools.checkstyle.api.AbstractLoader;
 import com.puppycrawl.tools.checkstyle.api.CheckstyleException;
+import com.puppycrawl.tools.checkstyle.api.FastStack;
 import java.io.BufferedInputStream;
 import java.io.IOException;
 import java.io.InputStream;
 import java.net.URL;
 import java.util.Enumeration;
 import java.util.Set;
-import java.util.Stack;
 import javax.xml.parsers.ParserConfigurationException;
 import org.xml.sax.Attributes;
 import org.xml.sax.InputSource;
@@ -56,7 +56,7 @@ public final class PackageNamesLoader
         "checkstyle_packages.xml";
 
     /** The temporary stack of package name parts */
-    private final Stack<String> mPackageStack = new Stack<String>();
+    private final FastStack<String> mPackageStack = FastStack.newInstance();
 
     /** The fully qualified package names. */
     private final Set<String> mPackageNames = Sets.newLinkedHashSet();
diff --git a/src/checkstyle/com/puppycrawl/tools/checkstyle/api/FastStack.java b/src/checkstyle/com/puppycrawl/tools/checkstyle/api/FastStack.java
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..b7880f219
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/checkstyle/com/puppycrawl/tools/checkstyle/api/FastStack.java
@@ -0,0 +1,139 @@
+////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
+// checkstyle: Checks Java source code for adherence to a set of rules.
+// Copyright (C) 2001-2008  Oliver Burn
+//
+// This library is free software; you can redistribute it and/or
+// modify it under the terms of the GNU Lesser General Public
+// License as published by the Free Software Foundation; either
+// version 2.1 of the License, or (at your option) any later version.
+//
+// This library is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
+// but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
+// MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the GNU
+// Lesser General Public License for more details.
+//
+// You should have received a copy of the GNU Lesser General Public
+// License along with this library; if not, write to the Free Software
+// Foundation, Inc., 59 Temple Place, Suite 330, Boston, MA  02111-1307  USA
+////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
+package com.puppycrawl.tools.checkstyle.api;
+
+import com.google.common.collect.Lists;
+import java.util.Iterator;
+import java.util.List;
+
+/**
+ * Simple implementation of a LIFO Stack that can be used instead of
+ * {@link java.util.Vector} which is <tt>synchronized</tt>.
+ * @author oliverb
+ * @param <E> The type to hold.
+ */
+public class FastStack<E> implements Iterable<E>
+{
+    /** Hold the entries in the stack. */
+    private final List<E> mEntries = Lists.newArrayList();
+
+    /**
+     * Pushes the supplied element onto the stack.
+     * @param aElement the element to push onto the stack.
+     */
+    public void push(E aElement)
+    {
+        mEntries.add(aElement);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Returns whether the stack is empty.
+     * @return whether the stack is empty.
+     */
+    public boolean isEmpty()
+    {
+        return mEntries.size() == 0;
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Returns the number of entries in the stack.
+     * @return the number of entries in the stack.
+     */
+    public int size()
+    {
+        return mEntries.size();
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Returns the entry at the top of the stack without removing it.
+     * @return the top entry
+     * @throws IllegalStateException if the stack is empty.
+     */
+    public E peek()
+    {
+        if (mEntries.size() == 0) {
+            throw new IllegalStateException("FastStack is empty");
+        }
+        return mEntries.get(mEntries.size() - 1);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Returns the entry at the top of the stack by removing it.
+     * @return the top entry
+     * @throws IllegalStateException if the stack is empty.
+     */
+    public E pop()
+    {
+        if (mEntries.size() == 0) {
+            throw new IllegalStateException("FastStack is empty");
+        }
+        return mEntries.remove(mEntries.size() - 1);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Return the element at the specified index.
+     * @param aIndex the index to return
+     * @return the element at the index
+     * @throws IllegalArgumentException if index out of range
+     */
+    public E get(int aIndex)
+    {
+        if ((aIndex < 0) || (aIndex >= mEntries.size())) {
+            throw new IllegalArgumentException("index out of range.");
+        }
+        return mEntries.get(aIndex);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Returns if the stack contains the specified element.
+     * @param aElement the element to find
+     * @return whether the stack contains the entry
+     */
+    public boolean contains(E aElement)
+    {
+        return mEntries.contains(aElement);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Clears the stack.
+     */
+    public void clear()
+    {
+        mEntries.clear();
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Returns an interator that goes from the oldest element to the newest.
+     * @return an iterator
+     */
+    public Iterator<E> iterator()
+    {
+        return mEntries.iterator();
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Factory method to create a new instance.
+     * @param <T> the type of elements to hold in the stack.
+     * @return a new instance of {@link FastStack}
+     */
+    public static <T> FastStack<T> newInstance()
+    {
+        return new FastStack<T>();
+    }
+}
diff --git a/src/checkstyle/com/puppycrawl/tools/checkstyle/checks/coding/DeclarationOrderCheck.java b/src/checkstyle/com/puppycrawl/tools/checkstyle/checks/coding/DeclarationOrderCheck.java
index a3746aa08..4af5eb457 100644
--- a/src/checkstyle/com/puppycrawl/tools/checkstyle/checks/coding/DeclarationOrderCheck.java
+++ b/src/checkstyle/com/puppycrawl/tools/checkstyle/checks/coding/DeclarationOrderCheck.java
@@ -20,10 +20,10 @@ package com.puppycrawl.tools.checkstyle.checks.coding;
 
 import com.puppycrawl.tools.checkstyle.api.Check;
 import com.puppycrawl.tools.checkstyle.api.DetailAST;
+import com.puppycrawl.tools.checkstyle.api.FastStack;
 import com.puppycrawl.tools.checkstyle.api.Scope;
 import com.puppycrawl.tools.checkstyle.api.ScopeUtils;
 import com.puppycrawl.tools.checkstyle.api.TokenTypes;
-import java.util.Stack;
 
 /**
  * <p>
@@ -72,7 +72,7 @@ public class DeclarationOrderCheck extends Check
      * List of Declaration States. This is necessary due to
      * inner classes that have their own state
      */
-    private final Stack<ScopeState> mScopeStates = new Stack<ScopeState>();
+    private final FastStack<ScopeState> mScopeStates = FastStack.newInstance();
 
     /**
      * private class to encapsulate the state
diff --git a/src/checkstyle/com/puppycrawl/tools/checkstyle/checks/coding/FinalLocalVariableCheck.java b/src/checkstyle/com/puppycrawl/tools/checkstyle/checks/coding/FinalLocalVariableCheck.java
index f95631d84..caa46cc4a 100644
--- a/src/checkstyle/com/puppycrawl/tools/checkstyle/checks/coding/FinalLocalVariableCheck.java
+++ b/src/checkstyle/com/puppycrawl/tools/checkstyle/checks/coding/FinalLocalVariableCheck.java
@@ -20,11 +20,11 @@ package com.puppycrawl.tools.checkstyle.checks.coding;
 
 import com.puppycrawl.tools.checkstyle.api.Check;
 import com.puppycrawl.tools.checkstyle.api.DetailAST;
+import com.puppycrawl.tools.checkstyle.api.FastStack;
 import com.puppycrawl.tools.checkstyle.api.ScopeUtils;
 import com.puppycrawl.tools.checkstyle.api.TokenTypes;
 import java.util.HashMap;
 import java.util.Map;
-import java.util.Stack;
 
 /**
  * <p>
@@ -44,8 +44,8 @@ import java.util.Stack;
 public class FinalLocalVariableCheck extends Check
 {
     /** Scope Stack */
-    private final Stack<Map<String, DetailAST>> mScopeStack =
-        new Stack<Map<String, DetailAST>>();
+    private final FastStack<Map<String, DetailAST>> mScopeStack =
+        FastStack.newInstance();
 
     @Override
     public int[] getDefaultTokens()
diff --git a/src/checkstyle/com/puppycrawl/tools/checkstyle/checks/coding/ModifiedControlVariableCheck.java b/src/checkstyle/com/puppycrawl/tools/checkstyle/checks/coding/ModifiedControlVariableCheck.java
index 166cf3233..e351435b5 100644
--- a/src/checkstyle/com/puppycrawl/tools/checkstyle/checks/coding/ModifiedControlVariableCheck.java
+++ b/src/checkstyle/com/puppycrawl/tools/checkstyle/checks/coding/ModifiedControlVariableCheck.java
@@ -20,8 +20,8 @@ package com.puppycrawl.tools.checkstyle.checks.coding;
 
 import com.puppycrawl.tools.checkstyle.api.Check;
 import com.puppycrawl.tools.checkstyle.api.DetailAST;
+import com.puppycrawl.tools.checkstyle.api.FastStack;
 import com.puppycrawl.tools.checkstyle.api.TokenTypes;
-import java.util.Stack;
 /**
  * Check for ensuring that for loop control variables are not modified
  * inside the for block.
@@ -31,10 +31,10 @@ import java.util.Stack;
 public final class ModifiedControlVariableCheck extends Check
 {
     /** Current set of parameters. */
-    private Stack<String> mCurrentVariables = new Stack<String>();
+    private FastStack<String> mCurrentVariables = FastStack.newInstance();
     /** Stack of block parameters. */
-    private final Stack<Stack<String>> mVariableStack =
-        new Stack<Stack<String>>();
+    private final FastStack<FastStack<String>> mVariableStack =
+        FastStack.newInstance();
 
     @Override
     public int[] getDefaultTokens()
@@ -157,7 +157,7 @@ public final class ModifiedControlVariableCheck extends Check
     private void enterBlock()
     {
         mVariableStack.push(mCurrentVariables);
-        mCurrentVariables = new Stack<String>();
+        mCurrentVariables = FastStack.newInstance();
 
     }
     /**
diff --git a/src/checkstyle/com/puppycrawl/tools/checkstyle/checks/coding/ParameterAssignmentCheck.java b/src/checkstyle/com/puppycrawl/tools/checkstyle/checks/coding/ParameterAssignmentCheck.java
index 350482cb6..ca37d2552 100644
--- a/src/checkstyle/com/puppycrawl/tools/checkstyle/checks/coding/ParameterAssignmentCheck.java
+++ b/src/checkstyle/com/puppycrawl/tools/checkstyle/checks/coding/ParameterAssignmentCheck.java
@@ -21,9 +21,9 @@ package com.puppycrawl.tools.checkstyle.checks.coding;
 import com.google.common.collect.Sets;
 import com.puppycrawl.tools.checkstyle.api.Check;
 import com.puppycrawl.tools.checkstyle.api.DetailAST;
+import com.puppycrawl.tools.checkstyle.api.FastStack;
 import com.puppycrawl.tools.checkstyle.api.TokenTypes;
 import java.util.Set;
-import java.util.Stack;
 
 /**
  * <p>
@@ -42,8 +42,8 @@ import java.util.Stack;
 public final class ParameterAssignmentCheck extends Check
 {
     /** Stack of methods' parameters. */
-    private final Stack<Set<String>> mParameterNamesStack =
-        new Stack<Set<String>>();
+    private final FastStack<Set<String>> mParameterNamesStack =
+        FastStack.newInstance();
     /** Current set of perameters. */
     private Set<String> mParameterNames;
 
diff --git a/src/checkstyle/com/puppycrawl/tools/checkstyle/checks/coding/ReturnCountCheck.java b/src/checkstyle/com/puppycrawl/tools/checkstyle/checks/coding/ReturnCountCheck.java
index 6000dfb60..5a2ba5260 100644
--- a/src/checkstyle/com/puppycrawl/tools/checkstyle/checks/coding/ReturnCountCheck.java
+++ b/src/checkstyle/com/puppycrawl/tools/checkstyle/checks/coding/ReturnCountCheck.java
@@ -19,9 +19,9 @@
 package com.puppycrawl.tools.checkstyle.checks.coding;
 
 import com.puppycrawl.tools.checkstyle.api.DetailAST;
+import com.puppycrawl.tools.checkstyle.api.FastStack;
 import com.puppycrawl.tools.checkstyle.api.TokenTypes;
 import com.puppycrawl.tools.checkstyle.checks.AbstractFormatCheck;
-import java.util.Stack;
 
 /**
  * <p>
@@ -42,7 +42,7 @@ public final class ReturnCountCheck extends AbstractFormatCheck
     private static final int DEFAULT_MAX = 2;
 
     /** Stack of method contexts. */
-    private final Stack<Context> mContextStack = new Stack<Context>();
+    private final FastStack<Context> mContextStack = FastStack.newInstance();
     /** Maximum allowed number of return stmts. */
     private int mMax;
     /** Current method context. */
diff --git a/src/checkstyle/com/puppycrawl/tools/checkstyle/checks/design/FinalClassCheck.java b/src/checkstyle/com/puppycrawl/tools/checkstyle/checks/design/FinalClassCheck.java
index bd4c6e557..ae3725122 100644
--- a/src/checkstyle/com/puppycrawl/tools/checkstyle/checks/design/FinalClassCheck.java
+++ b/src/checkstyle/com/puppycrawl/tools/checkstyle/checks/design/FinalClassCheck.java
@@ -20,9 +20,9 @@ package com.puppycrawl.tools.checkstyle.checks.design;
 
 import com.puppycrawl.tools.checkstyle.api.Check;
 import com.puppycrawl.tools.checkstyle.api.DetailAST;
+import com.puppycrawl.tools.checkstyle.api.FastStack;
 import com.puppycrawl.tools.checkstyle.api.ScopeUtils;
 import com.puppycrawl.tools.checkstyle.api.TokenTypes;
-import java.util.Stack;
 
 /**
  * <p>
@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@ public class FinalClassCheck
     extends Check
 {
     /** Keeps ClassDesc objects for stack of declared classes. */
-    private final Stack<ClassDesc> mClasses = new Stack<ClassDesc>();
+    private final FastStack<ClassDesc> mClasses = FastStack.newInstance();
 
     @Override
     public int[] getDefaultTokens()
diff --git a/src/checkstyle/com/puppycrawl/tools/checkstyle/checks/design/MutableExceptionCheck.java b/src/checkstyle/com/puppycrawl/tools/checkstyle/checks/design/MutableExceptionCheck.java
index 3bbdc88fe..5c51a9fb2 100644
--- a/src/checkstyle/com/puppycrawl/tools/checkstyle/checks/design/MutableExceptionCheck.java
+++ b/src/checkstyle/com/puppycrawl/tools/checkstyle/checks/design/MutableExceptionCheck.java
@@ -19,9 +19,9 @@
 package com.puppycrawl.tools.checkstyle.checks.design;
 
 import com.puppycrawl.tools.checkstyle.api.DetailAST;
+import com.puppycrawl.tools.checkstyle.api.FastStack;
 import com.puppycrawl.tools.checkstyle.api.TokenTypes;
 import com.puppycrawl.tools.checkstyle.checks.AbstractFormatCheck;
-import java.util.Stack;
 
 /**
  * <p> Ensures that exceptions (defined as any class name conforming
@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@ public final class MutableExceptionCheck extends AbstractFormatCheck
     /** Default value for format property. */
     private static final String DEFAULT_FORMAT = "^.*Exception$|^.*Error$";
     /** Stack of checking information for classes. */
-    private final Stack<Boolean> mCheckingStack = new Stack<Boolean>();
+    private final FastStack<Boolean> mCheckingStack = FastStack.newInstance();
     /** Should we check current class or not. */
     private boolean mChecking;
 
diff --git a/src/checkstyle/com/puppycrawl/tools/checkstyle/checks/imports/ImportControlLoader.java b/src/checkstyle/com/puppycrawl/tools/checkstyle/checks/imports/ImportControlLoader.java
index 7c0097a83..de9d4a558 100755
--- a/src/checkstyle/com/puppycrawl/tools/checkstyle/checks/imports/ImportControlLoader.java
+++ b/src/checkstyle/com/puppycrawl/tools/checkstyle/checks/imports/ImportControlLoader.java
@@ -20,11 +20,11 @@ package com.puppycrawl.tools.checkstyle.checks.imports;
 
 import com.puppycrawl.tools.checkstyle.api.AbstractLoader;
 import com.puppycrawl.tools.checkstyle.api.CheckstyleException;
+import com.puppycrawl.tools.checkstyle.api.FastStack;
 import java.io.IOException;
 import java.io.InputStream;
 import java.net.MalformedURLException;
 import java.net.URI;
-import java.util.Stack;
 import javax.xml.parsers.ParserConfigurationException;
 import org.xml.sax.Attributes;
 import org.xml.sax.InputSource;
@@ -45,7 +45,7 @@ final class ImportControlLoader extends AbstractLoader
         "com/puppycrawl/tools/checkstyle/checks/imports/import_control_1_0.dtd";
 
     /** Used to hold the {@link PkgControl} objects. */
-    private final Stack<PkgControl> mStack = new Stack<PkgControl>();
+    private final FastStack<PkgControl> mStack = FastStack.newInstance();
 
     /**
      * Constructs an instance.
diff --git a/src/checkstyle/com/puppycrawl/tools/checkstyle/checks/javadoc/JavadocStyleCheck.java b/src/checkstyle/com/puppycrawl/tools/checkstyle/checks/javadoc/JavadocStyleCheck.java
index efb95e33e..2b0f87328 100755
--- a/src/checkstyle/com/puppycrawl/tools/checkstyle/checks/javadoc/JavadocStyleCheck.java
+++ b/src/checkstyle/com/puppycrawl/tools/checkstyle/checks/javadoc/JavadocStyleCheck.java
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@ package com.puppycrawl.tools.checkstyle.checks.javadoc;
 
 import com.puppycrawl.tools.checkstyle.api.Check;
 import com.puppycrawl.tools.checkstyle.api.DetailAST;
+import com.puppycrawl.tools.checkstyle.api.FastStack;
 import com.puppycrawl.tools.checkstyle.api.FileContents;
 import com.puppycrawl.tools.checkstyle.api.Scope;
 import com.puppycrawl.tools.checkstyle.api.ScopeUtils;
@@ -27,7 +28,6 @@ import com.puppycrawl.tools.checkstyle.api.TextBlock;
 import com.puppycrawl.tools.checkstyle.api.TokenTypes;
 import com.puppycrawl.tools.checkstyle.checks.CheckUtils;
 import java.util.List;
-import java.util.Stack;
 import java.util.regex.Pattern;
 import java.util.regex.PatternSyntaxException;
 
@@ -293,7 +293,7 @@ public class JavadocStyleCheck
     private void checkHtml(final DetailAST aAST, final TextBlock aComment)
     {
         final int lineno = aComment.getStartLineNo();
-        final Stack<HtmlTag> htmlStack = new Stack<HtmlTag>();
+        final FastStack<HtmlTag> htmlStack = FastStack.newInstance();
         final String[] text = aComment.getText();
         final List<String> typeParameters =
             CheckUtils.getTypeParameterNames(aAST);
@@ -335,8 +335,7 @@ public class JavadocStyleCheck
 
         // Identify any tags left on the stack.
         String lastFound = ""; // Skip multiples, like <b>...<b>
-        for (int i = 0; i < htmlStack.size(); i++) {
-            final HtmlTag htag = htmlStack.elementAt(i);
+        for (final HtmlTag htag : htmlStack) {
             if (!isSingleTag(htag)
                 && !htag.getId().equals(lastFound)
                 && !typeParameters.contains(htag.getId()))
@@ -356,9 +355,9 @@ public class JavadocStyleCheck
      * @param aHtmlStack the stack of opened HTML tags.
      * @param aToken the current HTML tag name that has been closed.
      */
-    private void checkUnclosedTags(Stack<HtmlTag> aHtmlStack, String aToken)
+    private void checkUnclosedTags(FastStack<HtmlTag> aHtmlStack, String aToken)
     {
-        final Stack<HtmlTag> unclosedTags = new Stack<HtmlTag>();
+        final FastStack<HtmlTag> unclosedTags = FastStack.newInstance();
         HtmlTag lastOpenTag = aHtmlStack.pop();
         while (!aToken.equalsIgnoreCase(lastOpenTag.getId())) {
             // Find unclosed elements. Put them on a stack so the
@@ -374,8 +373,8 @@ public class JavadocStyleCheck
 
         // Output the unterminated tags, if any
         String lastFound = ""; // Skip multiples, like <b>..<b>
-        for (int i = 0; i < unclosedTags.size(); i++) {
-            lastOpenTag = unclosedTags.get(i);
+        for (final HtmlTag htag : unclosedTags) {
+            lastOpenTag = htag;
             if (lastOpenTag.getId().equals(lastFound)) {
                 continue;
             }
@@ -417,15 +416,14 @@ public class JavadocStyleCheck
      * @return <code>false</code> if a previous open tag was found
      *         for the token.
      */
-    private boolean isExtraHtml(String aToken, Stack<HtmlTag> aHtmlStack)
+    private boolean isExtraHtml(String aToken, FastStack<HtmlTag> aHtmlStack)
     {
         boolean isExtra = true;
-        for (int i = 0; i < aHtmlStack.size(); i++) {
+        for (final HtmlTag td : aHtmlStack) {
             // Loop, looking for tags that are closed.
             // The loop is needed in case there are unclosed
             // tags on the stack. In that case, the stack would
             // not be empty, but this tag would still be extra.
-            final HtmlTag td = aHtmlStack.elementAt(i);
             if (aToken.equalsIgnoreCase(td.getId())) {
                 isExtra = false;
                 break;
diff --git a/src/checkstyle/com/puppycrawl/tools/checkstyle/checks/metrics/AbstractClassCouplingCheck.java b/src/checkstyle/com/puppycrawl/tools/checkstyle/checks/metrics/AbstractClassCouplingCheck.java
index 378652878..1515fcfc0 100644
--- a/src/checkstyle/com/puppycrawl/tools/checkstyle/checks/metrics/AbstractClassCouplingCheck.java
+++ b/src/checkstyle/com/puppycrawl/tools/checkstyle/checks/metrics/AbstractClassCouplingCheck.java
@@ -21,11 +21,11 @@ package com.puppycrawl.tools.checkstyle.checks.metrics;
 import com.google.common.collect.Sets;
 import com.puppycrawl.tools.checkstyle.api.Check;
 import com.puppycrawl.tools.checkstyle.api.DetailAST;
+import com.puppycrawl.tools.checkstyle.api.FastStack;
 import com.puppycrawl.tools.checkstyle.api.FullIdent;
 import com.puppycrawl.tools.checkstyle.api.TokenTypes;
 import com.puppycrawl.tools.checkstyle.checks.CheckUtils;
 import java.util.Set;
-import java.util.Stack;
 
 /**
  * Base class for coupling calculation.
@@ -43,7 +43,7 @@ public abstract class AbstractClassCouplingCheck extends Check
     private String mPackageName;
 
     /** Stack of contexts. */
-    private final Stack<Context> mContextStack = new Stack<Context>();
+    private final FastStack<Context> mContextStack = FastStack.newInstance();
     /** Current context. */
     private Context mContext;
 
diff --git a/src/checkstyle/com/puppycrawl/tools/checkstyle/checks/metrics/AbstractComplexityCheck.java b/src/checkstyle/com/puppycrawl/tools/checkstyle/checks/metrics/AbstractComplexityCheck.java
index 0ef20c280..dedf3fab6 100644
--- a/src/checkstyle/com/puppycrawl/tools/checkstyle/checks/metrics/AbstractComplexityCheck.java
+++ b/src/checkstyle/com/puppycrawl/tools/checkstyle/checks/metrics/AbstractComplexityCheck.java
@@ -20,9 +20,9 @@ package com.puppycrawl.tools.checkstyle.checks.metrics;
 
 import com.puppycrawl.tools.checkstyle.api.Check;
 import com.puppycrawl.tools.checkstyle.api.DetailAST;
+import com.puppycrawl.tools.checkstyle.api.FastStack;
 import com.puppycrawl.tools.checkstyle.api.TokenTypes;
 import java.math.BigInteger;
-import java.util.Stack;
 
 /**
  * Base class for checks the calculate complexity based around methods.
@@ -37,7 +37,7 @@ public abstract class AbstractComplexityCheck
     private static final BigInteger INITIAL_VALUE = BigInteger.ONE;
 
     /** stack of values - all but the current value */
-    private final Stack<BigInteger> mValueStack = new Stack<BigInteger>();
+    private final FastStack<BigInteger> mValueStack = FastStack.newInstance();
 
     /** the current value */
     private BigInteger mCurrentValue = BigInteger.ZERO;
diff --git a/src/checkstyle/com/puppycrawl/tools/checkstyle/checks/metrics/BooleanExpressionComplexityCheck.java b/src/checkstyle/com/puppycrawl/tools/checkstyle/checks/metrics/BooleanExpressionComplexityCheck.java
index 6362059fa..b36814f02 100644
--- a/src/checkstyle/com/puppycrawl/tools/checkstyle/checks/metrics/BooleanExpressionComplexityCheck.java
+++ b/src/checkstyle/com/puppycrawl/tools/checkstyle/checks/metrics/BooleanExpressionComplexityCheck.java
@@ -20,9 +20,9 @@ package com.puppycrawl.tools.checkstyle.checks.metrics;
 
 import com.puppycrawl.tools.checkstyle.api.Check;
 import com.puppycrawl.tools.checkstyle.api.DetailAST;
+import com.puppycrawl.tools.checkstyle.api.FastStack;
 import com.puppycrawl.tools.checkstyle.api.TokenTypes;
 import com.puppycrawl.tools.checkstyle.checks.CheckUtils;
-import java.util.Stack;
 
 /**
  * Restricts nested boolean operators (&amp;&amp;, ||, &amp;, | and ^) to
@@ -37,7 +37,7 @@ public final class BooleanExpressionComplexityCheck extends Check
     private static final int DEFAULT_MAX = 3;
 
     /** Stack of contexts. */
-    private final Stack<Context> mContextStack = new Stack<Context>();
+    private final FastStack<Context> mContextStack = FastStack.newInstance();
     /** Maximum allowed complexity. */
     private int mMax;
     /** Current context. */
diff --git a/src/checkstyle/com/puppycrawl/tools/checkstyle/checks/metrics/JavaNCSSCheck.java b/src/checkstyle/com/puppycrawl/tools/checkstyle/checks/metrics/JavaNCSSCheck.java
index 074b94c8f..aa1be3093 100755
--- a/src/checkstyle/com/puppycrawl/tools/checkstyle/checks/metrics/JavaNCSSCheck.java
+++ b/src/checkstyle/com/puppycrawl/tools/checkstyle/checks/metrics/JavaNCSSCheck.java
@@ -20,8 +20,8 @@ package com.puppycrawl.tools.checkstyle.checks.metrics;
 
 import com.puppycrawl.tools.checkstyle.api.Check;
 import com.puppycrawl.tools.checkstyle.api.DetailAST;
+import com.puppycrawl.tools.checkstyle.api.FastStack;
 import com.puppycrawl.tools.checkstyle.api.TokenTypes;
-import java.util.Stack;
 
 /**
  * This check calculates the Non Commenting Source Statements (NCSS) metric for
@@ -56,7 +56,7 @@ public class JavaNCSSCheck extends Check
     private int mMethodMax = METHOD_MAX_NCSS;
 
     /** list containing the stacked counters */
-    private Stack<Counter> mCounters;
+    private FastStack<Counter> mCounters;
 
     @Override
     public int[] getDefaultTokens()
@@ -131,7 +131,7 @@ public class JavaNCSSCheck extends Check
     @Override
     public void beginTree(DetailAST aRootAST)
     {
-        mCounters = new Stack<Counter>();
+        mCounters = new FastStack<Counter>();
 
         //add a counter for the file
         mCounters.push(new Counter());
@@ -155,9 +155,8 @@ public class JavaNCSSCheck extends Check
         //check if token is countable
         if (isCountable(aAST)) {
             //increment the stacked counters
-            final int size = mCounters.size();
-            for (int i = 0; i < size; i++) {
-                (mCounters.get(i)).increment();
+            for (final Counter c : mCounters) {
+                c.increment();
             }
         }
     }
diff --git a/src/checkstyle/com/puppycrawl/tools/checkstyle/checks/sizes/ExecutableStatementCountCheck.java b/src/checkstyle/com/puppycrawl/tools/checkstyle/checks/sizes/ExecutableStatementCountCheck.java
index 18f11ac02..5020b9231 100644
--- a/src/checkstyle/com/puppycrawl/tools/checkstyle/checks/sizes/ExecutableStatementCountCheck.java
+++ b/src/checkstyle/com/puppycrawl/tools/checkstyle/checks/sizes/ExecutableStatementCountCheck.java
@@ -20,8 +20,8 @@ package com.puppycrawl.tools.checkstyle.checks.sizes;
 
 import com.puppycrawl.tools.checkstyle.api.Check;
 import com.puppycrawl.tools.checkstyle.api.DetailAST;
+import com.puppycrawl.tools.checkstyle.api.FastStack;
 import com.puppycrawl.tools.checkstyle.api.TokenTypes;
-import java.util.Stack;
 
 /**
  * Restricts the number of executable statements to a specified limit
@@ -38,7 +38,7 @@ public final class ExecutableStatementCountCheck
     private int mMax;
 
     /** Stack of method contexts. */
-    private final Stack<Context> mContextStack = new Stack<Context>();
+    private final FastStack<Context> mContextStack = FastStack.newInstance();
 
     /** Current method context. */
     private Context mContext;
diff --git a/src/tests/com/puppycrawl/tools/checkstyle/api/AllApiTests.java b/src/tests/com/puppycrawl/tools/checkstyle/api/AllApiTests.java
index b79302bce..90b1d5f72 100644
--- a/src/tests/com/puppycrawl/tools/checkstyle/api/AllApiTests.java
+++ b/src/tests/com/puppycrawl/tools/checkstyle/api/AllApiTests.java
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ import org.junit.runners.Suite;
 @RunWith(Suite.class)
 @Suite.SuiteClasses( {AbstractViolationReporterTest.class,
     AutomaticBeanTest.class, DetailASTTest.class, ScopeTest.class,
-    TokenTypesTest.class})
+    TokenTypesTest.class, FastStackTest.class})
 public class AllApiTests
 {
 }
diff --git a/src/tests/com/puppycrawl/tools/checkstyle/api/FastStackTest.java b/src/tests/com/puppycrawl/tools/checkstyle/api/FastStackTest.java
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..bd791790c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/tests/com/puppycrawl/tools/checkstyle/api/FastStackTest.java
@@ -0,0 +1,59 @@
+package com.puppycrawl.tools.checkstyle.api;
+
+import static org.junit.Assert.assertEquals;
+import static org.junit.Assert.assertFalse;
+import static org.junit.Assert.assertNotNull;
+import static org.junit.Assert.assertTrue;
+
+import org.junit.Test;
+
+public class FastStackTest
+{
+    @Test(expected = IllegalStateException.class)
+    public void testPeek()
+    {
+        new FastStack<String>().peek();
+    }
+
+    @Test(expected = IllegalStateException.class)
+    public void testPop()
+    {
+        new FastStack<String>().pop();
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    public void testNormal()
+    {
+        final FastStack<Integer> fs = FastStack.newInstance();
+        assertNotNull(fs);
+        assertTrue(fs.isEmpty());
+        assertEquals(0, fs.size());
+        final int num = 100;
+        for (int i = 0; i < num; i++)
+        {
+            fs.push(i);
+        }
+        assertEquals(num, fs.size());
+        assertFalse(fs.isEmpty());
+        assertEquals(1, fs.get(1).intValue());
+        assertEquals(num - 1, fs.peek().intValue());
+        assertEquals(num, fs.size());
+        for (int i = 0; i < num; i++)
+        {
+            fs.pop();
+        }
+        assertTrue(fs.isEmpty());
+        assertEquals(0, fs.size());
+
+        fs.push(666);
+        assertEquals(1, fs.size());
+        assertFalse(fs.isEmpty());
+        assertTrue(fs.contains(666));
+        assertFalse(fs.contains(667));
+        fs.clear();
+        assertFalse(fs.contains(666));
+        assertTrue(fs.isEmpty());
+        assertEquals(0, fs.size());
+        assertFalse(fs.iterator().hasNext());
+    }
+}