diff --git a/src/java/ognl/OgnlOps.java b/src/java/ognl/OgnlOps.java
index 0f4144fc..de6255e6 100644
--- a/src/java/ognl/OgnlOps.java
+++ b/src/java/ognl/OgnlOps.java
@@ -128,9 +128,9 @@ public static boolean isEqual(Object object1, Object object2)
 
         if (object1 == object2) {
             result = true;
-        } else {
-            if ((object1 != null) && object1.getClass().isArray()) {
-                if ((object2 != null) && object2.getClass().isArray() && (object2.getClass() == object1.getClass())) {
+        } else if (object1 != null && object2 != null) {
+            if (object1.getClass().isArray()) {
+                if (object2.getClass().isArray() && (object2.getClass() == object1.getClass())) {
                     result = (Array.getLength(object1) == Array.getLength(object2));
                     if (result) {
                         for(int i = 0, icount = Array.getLength(object1); result && (i < icount); i++) {
@@ -139,9 +139,15 @@ public static boolean isEqual(Object object1, Object object2)
                     }
                 }
             } else {
-                // Check for converted equivalence first, then equals() equivalence
-                result = (object1 != null) && (object2 != null)
-                        && (object1.equals(object2) || (compareWithConversion(object1, object2) == 0));
+                int t1 = getNumericType(object1);
+                int t2 = getNumericType(object2);
+
+                // compare non-comparable non-numeric types by equals only
+                if (t1 == NONNUMERIC && t2 == NONNUMERIC && (!(object1 instanceof Comparable) || !(object2 instanceof Comparable))) {
+                    result = object1.equals(object2);
+                } else {
+                    result = compareWithConversion(object1, object2) == 0;
+                }
             }
         }
         return result;
diff --git a/src/test/java/org/ognl/test/ArithmeticAndLogicalOperatorsTest.java b/src/test/java/org/ognl/test/ArithmeticAndLogicalOperatorsTest.java
index fd37210f..359be78c 100644
--- a/src/test/java/org/ognl/test/ArithmeticAndLogicalOperatorsTest.java
+++ b/src/test/java/org/ognl/test/ArithmeticAndLogicalOperatorsTest.java
@@ -137,6 +137,14 @@ public class ArithmeticAndLogicalOperatorsTest extends OgnlTestCase
             { "1 shl 2", new Integer(4) }, { "4 shr 2", new Integer(1) }, { "4 ushr 2", new Integer(1) },
             { "not null", Boolean.TRUE }, { "not 1", Boolean.FALSE },
 
+            // Equality on identity; Object does not implement Comparable
+            { "#a = new java.lang.Object(), #a == #a", Boolean.TRUE},
+            { "#a = new java.lang.Object(), #b = new java.lang.Object(), #a == #b", Boolean.FALSE},
+
+            // Comparable and non-Comparable
+            { "#a = new java.lang.Object(), #a == ''", Boolean.FALSE},
+            { "#a = new java.lang.Object(), '' == #a", Boolean.FALSE},
+
             { "#x > 0", Boolean.TRUE },
             { "#x < 0", Boolean.FALSE },
             { "#x == 0", Boolean.FALSE },