diff --git a/CHANGES.txt b/CHANGES.txt
index 80f4c8fc8e..a2bd3aa1a6 100644
--- a/CHANGES.txt
+++ b/CHANGES.txt
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 2.1.2
+ * Optimize partitioner tokens (CASSANDRA-8230)
  * Improve compaction of repaired/unrepaired sstables (CASSANDRA-8004)
  * Make cache serializers pluggable (CASSANDRA-8096)
  * Fix issues with CONTAINS (KEY) queries on secondary indexes
diff --git a/src/java/org/apache/cassandra/dht/AbstractByteOrderedPartitioner.java b/src/java/org/apache/cassandra/dht/AbstractByteOrderedPartitioner.java
index 88326a82d8..d3124efe58 100644
--- a/src/java/org/apache/cassandra/dht/AbstractByteOrderedPartitioner.java
+++ b/src/java/org/apache/cassandra/dht/AbstractByteOrderedPartitioner.java
@@ -23,7 +23,6 @@ import java.util.*;
 
 import org.apache.cassandra.config.*;
 import org.apache.cassandra.db.BufferDecoratedKey;
-import org.apache.cassandra.utils.ByteBufferUtil;
 import org.apache.commons.lang3.ArrayUtils;
 
 import org.apache.cassandra.db.DecoratedKey;
@@ -48,35 +47,12 @@ public abstract class AbstractByteOrderedPartitioner extends AbstractPartitioner
 
     public BytesToken midpoint(Token lt, Token rt)
     {
-        AbstractToken<?> ltoken = (AbstractToken<?>) lt;
-        AbstractToken<?> rtoken = (AbstractToken<?>) rt;
-        int ll,rl;
-        ByteBuffer lb,rb;
+        BytesToken ltoken = (BytesToken) lt;
+        BytesToken rtoken = (BytesToken) rt;
 
-        if(ltoken.token instanceof byte[])
-        {
-            ll = ((byte[])ltoken.token).length;
-            lb = ByteBuffer.wrap(((byte[])ltoken.token));
-        }
-        else
-        {
-            ll = ((ByteBuffer)ltoken.token).remaining();
-            lb = (ByteBuffer)ltoken.token;
-        }
-
-        if(rtoken.token instanceof byte[])
-        {
-            rl = ((byte[])rtoken.token).length;
-            rb = ByteBuffer.wrap(((byte[])rtoken.token));
-        }
-        else
-        {
-            rl = ((ByteBuffer)rtoken.token).remaining();
-            rb = (ByteBuffer)rtoken.token;
-        }
-        int sigbytes = Math.max(ll, rl);
-        BigInteger left = bigForBytes(lb, sigbytes);
-        BigInteger right = bigForBytes(rb, sigbytes);
+        int sigbytes = Math.max(ltoken.token.length, rtoken.token.length);
+        BigInteger left = bigForBytes(ltoken.token, sigbytes);
+        BigInteger right = bigForBytes(rtoken.token, sigbytes);
 
         Pair<BigInteger,Boolean> midpair = FBUtilities.midpoint(left, right, 8*sigbytes);
         return new BytesToken(bytesForBig(midpair.left, sigbytes, midpair.right));
@@ -86,10 +62,15 @@ public abstract class AbstractByteOrderedPartitioner extends AbstractPartitioner
      * Convert a byte array containing the most significant of 'sigbytes' bytes
      * representing a big-endian magnitude into a BigInteger.
      */
-    private BigInteger bigForBytes(ByteBuffer bytes, int sigbytes)
+    private BigInteger bigForBytes(byte[] bytes, int sigbytes)
     {
-        byte[] b = new byte[sigbytes];
-        ByteBufferUtil.arrayCopy(bytes, bytes.position(), b, 0, bytes.remaining());
+        byte[] b;
+        if (sigbytes != bytes.length)
+        {
+            b = new byte[sigbytes];
+            System.arraycopy(bytes, 0, b, 0, bytes.length);
+        } else
+            b = bytes;
         return new BigInteger(1, b);
     }
 
diff --git a/src/java/org/apache/cassandra/dht/BigIntegerToken.java b/src/java/org/apache/cassandra/dht/BigIntegerToken.java
index 0c685db178..f05051934c 100644
--- a/src/java/org/apache/cassandra/dht/BigIntegerToken.java
+++ b/src/java/org/apache/cassandra/dht/BigIntegerToken.java
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@ package org.apache.cassandra.dht;
 
 import java.math.BigInteger;
 
-public class BigIntegerToken extends AbstractToken<BigInteger>
+public class BigIntegerToken extends ComparableObjectToken<BigInteger>
 {
     static final long serialVersionUID = -5833589141319293006L;
 
@@ -32,9 +32,4 @@ public class BigIntegerToken extends AbstractToken<BigInteger>
     public BigIntegerToken(String token) {
         this(new BigInteger(token));
     }
-
-    public int compareTo(Token o)
-    {
-        return token.compareTo(((BigIntegerToken) o).token);
-    }
 }
diff --git a/src/java/org/apache/cassandra/dht/BytesToken.java b/src/java/org/apache/cassandra/dht/BytesToken.java
index f29af39d9f..ad1fd106d2 100644
--- a/src/java/org/apache/cassandra/dht/BytesToken.java
+++ b/src/java/org/apache/cassandra/dht/BytesToken.java
@@ -24,10 +24,12 @@ import org.apache.cassandra.utils.ByteBufferUtil;
 import org.apache.cassandra.utils.FBUtilities;
 import org.apache.cassandra.utils.Hex;
 
-public class BytesToken extends AbstractToken<byte[]>
+public class BytesToken extends Token
 {
     static final long serialVersionUID = -2630749093733680626L;
 
+    final byte[] token;
+
     public BytesToken(ByteBuffer token)
     {
         this(ByteBufferUtil.getArray(token));
@@ -35,7 +37,7 @@ public class BytesToken extends AbstractToken<byte[]>
 
     public BytesToken(byte[] token)
     {
-        super(token);
+        this.token = token;
     }
 
     @Override
@@ -69,4 +71,10 @@ public class BytesToken extends AbstractToken<byte[]>
 
         return Arrays.equals(token, other.token);
     }
+
+    @Override
+    public byte[] getTokenValue()
+    {
+        return token;
+    }
 }
diff --git a/src/java/org/apache/cassandra/dht/AbstractToken.java b/src/java/org/apache/cassandra/dht/ComparableObjectToken.java
similarity index 71%
rename from src/java/org/apache/cassandra/dht/AbstractToken.java
rename to src/java/org/apache/cassandra/dht/ComparableObjectToken.java
index 9622d38706..137f27c957 100644
--- a/src/java/org/apache/cassandra/dht/AbstractToken.java
+++ b/src/java/org/apache/cassandra/dht/ComparableObjectToken.java
@@ -17,17 +17,23 @@
  */
 package org.apache.cassandra.dht;
 
-abstract class AbstractToken<C> extends Token
+abstract class ComparableObjectToken<C extends Comparable<C>> extends Token
 {
     private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L;
 
     final C token;   // Package-private to allow access from subtypes, which should all reside in the dht package.
 
-    protected AbstractToken(C token)
+    protected ComparableObjectToken(C token)
     {
         this.token = token;
     }
 
+    @Override
+    public C getTokenValue()
+    {
+        return token;
+    }
+
     @Override
     public String toString()
     {
@@ -42,7 +48,7 @@ abstract class AbstractToken<C> extends Token
         if (obj == null || this.getClass() != obj.getClass())
             return false;
 
-        return token.equals(((AbstractToken<?>)obj).token);
+        return token.equals(((ComparableObjectToken<?>)obj).token);
     }
 
     @Override
@@ -50,4 +56,14 @@ abstract class AbstractToken<C> extends Token
     {
         return token.hashCode();
     }
+
+    @Override
+    @SuppressWarnings("unchecked")
+    public int compareTo(Token o)
+    {
+        if (o.getClass() != getClass())
+            throw new IllegalArgumentException("Invalid type of Token.compareTo() argument.");
+
+        return token.compareTo(((ComparableObjectToken<C>) o).token);
+    }
 }
diff --git a/src/java/org/apache/cassandra/dht/LocalToken.java b/src/java/org/apache/cassandra/dht/LocalToken.java
index 6a0db2ed40..29e98eb5f6 100644
--- a/src/java/org/apache/cassandra/dht/LocalToken.java
+++ b/src/java/org/apache/cassandra/dht/LocalToken.java
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ import java.nio.ByteBuffer;
 
 import org.apache.cassandra.db.marshal.AbstractType;
 
-public class LocalToken extends AbstractToken<ByteBuffer>
+public class LocalToken extends ComparableObjectToken<ByteBuffer>
 {
     static final long serialVersionUID = 8437543776403014875L;
 
@@ -43,23 +43,4 @@ public class LocalToken extends AbstractToken<ByteBuffer>
     {
         return comparator.compare(token, ((LocalToken) o).token);
     }
-
-    @Override
-    public int hashCode()
-    {
-        final int prime = 31;
-        return prime + token.hashCode();
-    }
-
-    @Override
-    public boolean equals(Object obj)
-    {
-        if (this == obj)
-            return true;
-        if (!(obj instanceof LocalToken))
-            return false;
-        LocalToken other = (LocalToken) obj;
-        return token.equals(other.token);
-    }
-
 }
diff --git a/src/java/org/apache/cassandra/dht/LongToken.java b/src/java/org/apache/cassandra/dht/LongToken.java
index 8d4f721b05..8d60653085 100644
--- a/src/java/org/apache/cassandra/dht/LongToken.java
+++ b/src/java/org/apache/cassandra/dht/LongToken.java
@@ -17,17 +17,46 @@
  */
 package org.apache.cassandra.dht;
 
-public class LongToken extends AbstractToken<Long>
+import com.google.common.primitives.Longs;
+
+public class LongToken extends Token
 {
     static final long serialVersionUID = -5833580143318243006L;
 
-    public LongToken(Long token)
+    final long token;
+
+    public LongToken(long token)
     {
-        super(token);
+        this.token = token;
+    }
+
+    public String toString()
+    {
+        return Long.toString(token);
+    }
+
+    public boolean equals(Object obj)
+    {
+        if (this == obj)
+            return true;
+        if (obj == null || this.getClass() != obj.getClass())
+            return false;
+
+        return token == (((LongToken)obj).token);
+    }
+
+    public int hashCode()
+    {
+        return Longs.hashCode(token);
     }
 
     public int compareTo(Token o)
     {
-        return token.compareTo(((LongToken) o).token);
+        return Long.compare(token, ((LongToken) o).token);
+    }
+
+    public Long getTokenValue()
+    {
+        return token;
     }
 }
diff --git a/src/java/org/apache/cassandra/dht/Murmur3Partitioner.java b/src/java/org/apache/cassandra/dht/Murmur3Partitioner.java
index 995a4347f8..cf91c86511 100644
--- a/src/java/org/apache/cassandra/dht/Murmur3Partitioner.java
+++ b/src/java/org/apache/cassandra/dht/Murmur3Partitioner.java
@@ -174,8 +174,7 @@ public class Murmur3Partitioner extends AbstractPartitioner
 
         public String toString(Token token)
         {
-            LongToken longToken = (LongToken) token;
-            return longToken.token.toString();
+            return token.toString();
         }
 
         public void validate(String token) throws ConfigurationException
diff --git a/src/java/org/apache/cassandra/dht/StringToken.java b/src/java/org/apache/cassandra/dht/StringToken.java
index 461518193d..f54131341e 100644
--- a/src/java/org/apache/cassandra/dht/StringToken.java
+++ b/src/java/org/apache/cassandra/dht/StringToken.java
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@
 package org.apache.cassandra.dht;
 
 
-public class StringToken extends AbstractToken<String>
+public class StringToken extends ComparableObjectToken<String>
 {
     static final long serialVersionUID = 5464084395277974963L;
 
@@ -26,9 +26,4 @@ public class StringToken extends AbstractToken<String>
     {
         super(token);
     }
-
-    public int compareTo(Token o)
-    {
-        return token.compareTo(((StringToken) o).token);
-    }
 }
diff --git a/src/java/org/apache/cassandra/dht/Token.java b/src/java/org/apache/cassandra/dht/Token.java
index dbeee96fed..98babf567c 100644
--- a/src/java/org/apache/cassandra/dht/Token.java
+++ b/src/java/org/apache/cassandra/dht/Token.java
@@ -72,6 +72,8 @@ public abstract class Token implements RingPosition<Token>, Serializable
         }
     }
 
+    abstract public Object getTokenValue();
+
     public Token getToken()
     {
         return this;