diff --git a/src/helma/objectmodel/Key.java b/src/helma/objectmodel/Key.java
index 5ea5f9e3..73853b49 100644
--- a/src/helma/objectmodel/Key.java
+++ b/src/helma/objectmodel/Key.java
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@ public final class Key implements Serializable {
     public Key (DbMapping dbmap, String id) {
 	this.type = dbmap == null ? "" : dbmap.typename;
 	this.id = id;
-	hash = this.id.hashCode ();
+	hash = id.hashCode ();
     }
 
     public Key (String type, String id) {
@@ -33,36 +33,46 @@ public final class Key implements Serializable {
     }
 
     public boolean equals (Object what) {
-	if (what == this)
-	    return true;
-	if (what == null || !(what instanceof Key))
+	try {
+	    Key k = (Key) what;
+	    return (id == k.id || id.equals (k.id)) && (type == k.type || type.equals (k.type));
+	} catch (Exception x) {
 	    return false;
-	Key other = (Key) what;
-             if (type == null)
-	    return (id.equals (other.id) && other.type == null);
-             else
-                 return (id.equals (other.id) && type.equals (other.type));
+	}
     }
 
     public int hashCode () {
 	return hash;
     }
 
+    public void recycle (DbMapping dbmap, String id) {
+	this.type = dbmap == null ? "" : dbmap.typename;
+	this.id = id;
+	hash = id.hashCode ();
+    }
+
+    public Key duplicate () {
+	return new Key (type, id);
+    }
+
     /**
      *  Get the Key for a virtual node contained by this node, that is, a node that does
      *   not represent a record in the database. The main objective here is to generate
      *   a key that can't be mistaken for a relational db key.
      */
     public Key getVirtualKey (String sid) {
-	return new Key ("", getVirtualID (type, id, sid));
+	return new Key ("", makeVirtualID (type, id, sid));
     }
 
-    public static String getVirtualID (DbMapping pmap, String pid, String sid) {
-	String ptype = pmap == null ? "" : pmap.typename;
-	return ptype+"/"+pid + "*h~v*" + sid;
+    public String getVirtualID (String sid) {
+	return makeVirtualID (type, id, sid);
     }
 
-    public static String getVirtualID (String ptype, String pid, String sid) {
+    public static String makeVirtualID (DbMapping pmap, String pid, String sid) {
+	return makeVirtualID (pmap == null ? "" : pmap.typename, pid, sid);
+    }
+
+    public static String makeVirtualID (String ptype, String pid, String sid) {
 	return ptype+"/"+pid + "*h~v*" + sid;
     }
 
diff --git a/src/helma/objectmodel/db/Node.java b/src/helma/objectmodel/db/Node.java
index c0ed8a6b..9571560a 100644
--- a/src/helma/objectmodel/db/Node.java
+++ b/src/helma/objectmodel/db/Node.java
@@ -123,7 +123,7 @@ public class Node implements INode, Serializable {
 	setParent (home);
 	// this.dbmap = null;
 	// generate a key for the virtual node that can't be mistaken for a JDBC-URL
-	this.id = Key.getVirtualID (parentmap, parentID, propname);
+	this.id = Key.makeVirtualID (parentmap, parentID, propname);
 	this.name = propname;
 	this.anonymous = false;
 	if (prototype == null)
diff --git a/src/helma/objectmodel/db/NodeManager.java b/src/helma/objectmodel/db/NodeManager.java
index 0ebad4ea..5ee26179 100644
--- a/src/helma/objectmodel/db/NodeManager.java
+++ b/src/helma/objectmodel/db/NodeManager.java
@@ -42,7 +42,8 @@ public final class NodeManager {
     public NodeManager (Application app, String dbHome, Properties props) throws DbException {
 	this.app = app;
 	int cacheSize = Integer.parseInt (props.getProperty ("cachesize", "1000"));
-	cache = new CacheMap (cacheSize, 0.8f);
+	// Make actual cache size bigger, since we use it only up to the threshold
+	cache = new CacheMap ((int) Math.ceil (cacheSize/0.75f), 0.75f);
 	IServer.getLogger().log ("set up node cache ("+cacheSize+")");
 
 	safe = new WrappedNodeManager (this);
@@ -139,11 +140,11 @@ public final class NodeManager {
 	if (kstr == null)
 	    return null;
 
-	Key key = new Key (dbmap, kstr);
 
 	Transactor tx = (Transactor) Thread.currentThread ();
 	// tx.timer.beginEvent ("getNode "+kstr);
-
+	Key key = tx.key;
+	key.recycle (dbmap, kstr);
 	// See if Transactor has already come across this node
 	Node node = tx.getVisitedNode (key);
 
@@ -169,10 +170,12 @@ public final class NodeManager {
 	            }
 	        }  // synchronized
 	    }
+	} else {
+	    // cache hit
 	}
 
 	if (node != null)
-	    tx.visitCleanNode (node.getKey (), node);
+	    tx.visitCleanNode (key.duplicate(), node);
 
 	// tx.timer.endEvent ("getNode "+kstr);
 	return node;
@@ -183,21 +186,23 @@ public final class NodeManager {
 	if (kstr == null)
 	    return null;
 
-	Key key;
-	// If what we want is a virtual node create a "synthetic" key
-	if (rel.virtual /*&& home.getState() != INode.VIRTUAL */  || rel.groupby != null)
-	    key = home.getKey ().getVirtualKey (kstr);
-	// if a key for a node from within the DB
-	else
-	    key = new Key (rel.other, rel.getKeyID (home, kstr));
-
 	Transactor tx = (Transactor) Thread.currentThread ();
 	// tx.timer.beginEvent ("getNode "+kstr);
 
+	Key key = tx.key;
+	// If what we want is a virtual node create a "synthetic" key
+	if (rel.virtual /*&& home.getState() != INode.VIRTUAL */  || rel.groupby != null)
+	    key.recycle (null,  home.getKey ().getVirtualID (kstr));
+	// if a key for a node from within the DB
+	else
+	    key.recycle (rel.other, rel.getKeyID (home, kstr));
+
+
 	// See if Transactor has already come across this node
 	Node node = tx.getVisitedNode (key);
 
 	if (node != null && node.getState() != Node.INVALID) {
+// System.err.println ("CACHE HIT THREAD 2");
 	    // tx.timer.endEvent ("getNode "+kstr);
 	    // if we didn't fetch the node via its primary key, refresh the primary key in the cache.
 	    // otherwise we risk cache corroption (duplicate node creation) if the node is fetched by its primary key
@@ -206,7 +211,7 @@ public final class NodeManager {
 	            Node oldnode = (Node) cache.put (node.getKey (), node);
 	            if (oldnode != null && oldnode.getState () != Node.INVALID) {
 	                cache.put (node.getKey (), oldnode);
-	                cache.put (key, oldnode);
+	                cache.put (key.duplicate(), oldnode);
 	                node = oldnode;
 	            }
 	        }
@@ -218,38 +223,44 @@ public final class NodeManager {
 	node = (Node) cache.get (key);
 
 	if (node == null || node.getState() == Node.INVALID) {
+// System.err.println ("CACHE MISS 2");
 	    // The requested node isn't in the shared cache. Synchronize with key to make sure only one
 	    // version is fetched from the database.
 
 	    node = getNodeByRelation (db, tx.txn, home, kstr, rel);
 	    if (node != null) {
 	        Key primKey = node.getKey ();
+	        boolean keyIsPrimary = primKey.equals (key);
 	        synchronized (cache) {
+	            // check if node is already in cache with primary key
 	            Node oldnode = (Node) cache.put (primKey, node);
 	            if (oldnode != null && oldnode.getState () != Node.INVALID) {
 	                cache.put (primKey, oldnode);
-	                cache.put (key, oldnode);
+	                if (!keyIsPrimary)
+	                    cache.put (key.duplicate(), oldnode);
 	                node = oldnode;
-	            }
+	            } else if (!keyIsPrimary) // cache node with secondary key
+	                cache.put (key.duplicate(), node);
 	        } // synchronized
 	    }
-	}
-
-	if (node != null) {
+	} else {
+// System.err.println ("CACHE HIT 2");
 	    // update primary key in cache, see above
 	    if (!rel.usesPrimaryKey ()) {
 	        synchronized (cache) {
 	            Node oldnode = (Node) cache.put (node.getKey (), node);
 	            if (oldnode != null && oldnode.getState () != Node.INVALID) {
 	                cache.put (node.getKey (), oldnode);
-	                cache.put (key, oldnode);
+	                cache.put (key.duplicate(), oldnode);
 	                node = oldnode;
 	            }
 	        }
 	    }
-	    tx.visitCleanNode (node.getKey (), node);
 	}
 
+	if (node != null)
+	    tx.visitCleanNode (key.duplicate(), node);
+
 	// tx.timer.endEvent ("getNode "+kstr);
 	return node;
     }
diff --git a/src/helma/objectmodel/db/Transactor.java b/src/helma/objectmodel/db/Transactor.java
index 56d4e806..8398ae87 100644
--- a/src/helma/objectmodel/db/Transactor.java
+++ b/src/helma/objectmodel/db/Transactor.java
@@ -28,6 +28,9 @@ public class Transactor extends Thread {
     private volatile boolean active;
     private volatile boolean killed;
 
+    // the transactor reuses a key object to avoid unnecessary object creation
+    protected Key key;
+
     // Transaction for the embedded database
     protected DbTxn txn;
     // Transactions for SQL data sources
@@ -49,6 +52,7 @@ public class Transactor extends Thread {
 	active = false;
 	killed = false;
 	timer = new Timer();
+	key = new Key ("", "");
     }
 
     public void visitNode (Node node) {