But the problem with your use of StringUtils, IMHO, is that it hides intent. If bar is expected to potentially be null, test for null. If bar should not be nu

But the problem with your use of StringUtils, IMHO, is that it hides intent. If bar is expected to potentially be null, test for null. If bar should not be null, throw an NPE, and the fix the calling code. Making code that shouldn't need to be "null safe" masks errors, and ultimately makes them harder to track down.