diff --git a/setter/setter.go b/setter/setter.go
index b643ad0..30e062a 100644
--- a/setter/setter.go
+++ b/setter/setter.go
@@ -53,6 +53,54 @@ func SetDefault(dest interface{}, defaultValue ...interface{}) {
 	}
 }
 
+// Default assigns the first non-zero default value to `dest`
+// if `dest`, itself, is the zero value of type T.
+// To work with slices: use DefaultSlice
+//
+//	 var config struct {
+//			Verbose *bool
+//			Foo string
+//			Bar int
+//		}
+//		holster.Default(&config.Foo, "default")
+//		holster.Default(&config.Bar, 200)
+//
+// Supply additional default values and SetDefault will
+// choose the first default that is not of zero value
+//
+//	holster.SetDefault(&config.Foo, os.Getenv("FOO"), "default")
+func Default[T comparable](dest *T, defaultValues ...T) {
+	if IsZeroNew(*dest) {
+		for _, value := range defaultValues {
+			if !IsZeroNew(value) {
+				*dest = value
+				return
+			}
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+// DefaultSlice assigns the first non-empty default value to `dest` if
+// `dest`, itself, is an empty slice.
+func DefaultSlice[T comparable](dest *[]T, defaultValues ...[]T) {
+	if len(*dest) == 0 {
+		for _, value := range defaultValues {
+			if len(value) != 0 {
+				*dest = make([]T, len(value))
+				copy(*dest, value)
+				return
+			}
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+// IsZeroNew compares the given value to its Golang-specified zero value.
+// It works for any type T that satisfies comparable.
+func IsZeroNew[T comparable](value T) bool {
+	var zero T
+	return value == zero
+}
+
 // Assign the first value that is not empty or of zero value.
 // This panics if the value is not a pointer or if value and
 // default value are not of the same type.
diff --git a/setter/setter_test.go b/setter/setter_test.go
index c01aac8..85fe416 100644
--- a/setter/setter_test.go
+++ b/setter/setter_test.go
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@ import (
 
 	"github.com/mailgun/holster/v4/setter"
 	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
 )
 
 func TestIfEmpty(t *testing.T) {
@@ -145,3 +146,151 @@ func TestIsNil(t *testing.T) {
 	assert.True(t, setter.IsNil(thing))
 	assert.False(t, setter.IsNil(&MyImplementation{}))
 }
+
+// ---------------------------------------------------------
+
+var newStrRes string
+
+func BenchmarkSetterNew(b *testing.B) {
+	var r string
+	for i := 0; i < b.N; i++ {
+		setter.Default(&r, "", "", "42")
+	}
+	newStrRes = r
+}
+
+var oldStrRes string
+
+func BenchmarkSetter(b *testing.B) {
+	var r string
+	for i := 0; i < b.N; i++ {
+		setter.SetDefault(&r, "", "", "42")
+	}
+	oldStrRes = r
+}
+
+var newSliceRs []string
+
+func BenchmarkSetterNew_Slice(b *testing.B) {
+	r := make([]string, 0, 3)
+	b.ResetTimer()
+	for i := 0; i < b.N; i++ {
+		setter.DefaultSlice(&r, []string{}, []string{"welcome all", "to a benchmark", "of SILLY proportions"})
+	}
+	newSliceRs = r
+}
+
+var oldSliceRs []string
+
+func BenchmarkSetter_Slice(b *testing.B) {
+	r := make([]string, 0, 3)
+	b.ResetTimer()
+	for i := 0; i < b.N; i++ {
+		setter.SetDefault(&r, []string{""}, []string{"welcome all", "to a benchmark", "of SILLY proportions"})
+	}
+	oldSliceRs = r
+}
+
+func TestSetterNew_IfEmpty(t *testing.T) {
+	var conf struct {
+		Foo string
+		Bar int
+	}
+	assert.Equal(t, "", conf.Foo)
+	assert.Equal(t, 0, conf.Bar)
+
+	// Should apply the default values
+	setter.Default(&conf.Foo, "default")
+	setter.Default(&conf.Bar, 200)
+
+	assert.Equal(t, "default", conf.Foo)
+	assert.Equal(t, 200, conf.Bar)
+
+	conf.Foo = "thrawn"
+	conf.Bar = 500
+
+	// Should NOT apply the default values
+	setter.Default(&conf.Foo, "default")
+	setter.Default(&conf.Bar, 200)
+
+	assert.Equal(t, "thrawn", conf.Foo)
+	assert.Equal(t, 500, conf.Bar)
+}
+
+func TestSetterNew_Slices(t *testing.T) {
+	var foo []string
+	require.Len(t, foo, 0)
+
+	// Should apply the default values
+	setter.DefaultSlice(&foo, []string{"default"})
+	require.Len(t, foo, 1)
+	assert.Equal(t, "default", foo[0])
+
+	foo = []string{"thrawn"}
+
+	// Should NOT apply the default values
+	setter.DefaultSlice(&foo, []string{"default"})
+	require.Len(t, foo, 1)
+	assert.Equal(t, "thrawn", foo[0])
+}
+
+func TestSetterNew_IfDefaultPrecedence(t *testing.T) {
+	var conf struct {
+		Foo string
+		Bar string
+	}
+	assert.Equal(t, "", conf.Foo)
+	assert.Equal(t, "", conf.Bar)
+
+	// Should use the final default value
+	envValue := ""
+	setter.Default(&conf.Foo, envValue, "default")
+	assert.Equal(t, "default", conf.Foo)
+
+	// Should use envValue
+	envValue = "bar"
+	setter.Default(&conf.Bar, envValue, "default")
+	assert.Equal(t, "bar", conf.Bar)
+}
+
+func TestSetterNew_IsEmpty(t *testing.T) {
+	var count64 int64
+	var thing string
+
+	// Should return true
+	assert.Equal(t, true, setter.IsZeroNew(count64))
+	assert.Equal(t, true, setter.IsZeroNew(thing))
+
+	thing = "thrawn"
+	count64 = int64(1)
+	assert.Equal(t, false, setter.IsZeroNew(count64))
+	assert.Equal(t, false, setter.IsZeroNew(thing))
+}
+
+// Not possible now given compiler warnings
+// func TestSetterNew_IfEmptyTypePanic(t *testing.T) {
+// defer func() {
+// if r := recover(); r != nil {
+// assert.Equal(t, "reflect.Set: value of type int is not assignable to type string", r)
+// }
+// }()
+
+// var thing string
+// // Should panic
+// setter.Default(&thing, 1)
+// assert.Fail(t, "Should have caught panic")
+// }
+
+// Not possible now given argument is now a pointer to T
+// func TestSetterNew_IfEmptyNonPtrPanic(t *testing.T) {
+// defer func() {
+// if r := recover(); r != nil {
+// assert.Equal(t, "setter.SetDefault: Expected first argument to be of type reflect.Ptr", r)
+// }
+// }()
+
+// var thing string
+// // Should panic
+// setter.Default(thing, "thrawn")
+// assert.Fail(t, "Should have caught panic")
+// }