diff --git a/writer.go b/writer.go
index 67b478c50..121db9826 100644
--- a/writer.go
+++ b/writer.go
@@ -36,15 +36,13 @@ import (
 // Passing no paths returns a no-op WriteSyncer. The special paths "stdout" and
 // "stderr" are interpreted as os.Stdout and os.Stderr, respectively.
 func Open(paths ...string) (zapcore.WriteSyncer, func(), error) {
-	if len(paths) == 0 {
-		return zapcore.AddSync(ioutil.Discard), func() {}, nil
-	}
-
 	writers, close, err := open(paths)
-	if len(writers) == 1 {
-		return zapcore.Lock(writers[0]), close, err
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, nil, err
 	}
-	return zapcore.Lock(zapcore.NewMultiWriteSyncer(writers...)), close, err
+
+	writer := CombineWriteSyncers(writers...)
+	return writer, close, nil
 }
 
 func open(paths []string) ([]zapcore.WriteSyncer, func(), error) {
@@ -76,3 +74,12 @@ func open(paths []string) ([]zapcore.WriteSyncer, func(), error) {
 	}
 	return writers, close, errs.AsError()
 }
+
+// CombineWriteSyncers combines the passed set of WriteSyncer objects into a
+// locked WriteSyncer.
+func CombineWriteSyncers(writers ...zapcore.WriteSyncer) zapcore.WriteSyncer {
+	if len(writers) == 0 {
+		return zapcore.AddSync(ioutil.Discard)
+	}
+	return zapcore.Lock(zapcore.NewMultiWriteSyncer(writers...))
+}
diff --git a/writer_test.go b/writer_test.go
index 0890f8eb5..9cc3e775d 100644
--- a/writer_test.go
+++ b/writer_test.go
@@ -81,3 +81,23 @@ func TestOpen(t *testing.T) {
 		assert.Equal(t, tt.filenames, names, "Opened unexpected files given paths %v.", tt.paths)
 	}
 }
+
+type testWriter struct {
+	expected string
+	t        testing.TB
+}
+
+func (w *testWriter) Write(actual []byte) (int, error) {
+	assert.Equal(w.t, []byte(w.expected), actual, "Unexpected write error.")
+	return len(actual), nil
+}
+
+func (w *testWriter) Sync() error {
+	return nil
+}
+
+func TestCombineWriteSyncers(t *testing.T) {
+	tw := &testWriter{"test", t}
+	w := CombineWriteSyncers(tw)
+	w.Write([]byte("test"))
+}
diff --git a/zapcore/write_syncer.go b/zapcore/write_syncer.go
index d2292cb02..2a9237640 100644
--- a/zapcore/write_syncer.go
+++ b/zapcore/write_syncer.go
@@ -88,6 +88,9 @@ type multiWriteSyncer []WriteSyncer
 // NewMultiWriteSyncer creates a WriteSyncer that duplicates its writes
 // and sync calls, much like io.MultiWriter.
 func NewMultiWriteSyncer(ws ...WriteSyncer) WriteSyncer {
+	if len(ws) == 1 {
+		return ws[0]
+	}
 	// Copy to protect against https://github.com/golang/go/issues/7809
 	return multiWriteSyncer(append([]WriteSyncer(nil), ws...))
 }
diff --git a/zapcore/write_syncer_test.go b/zapcore/write_syncer_test.go
index 386f13013..43c28cef1 100644
--- a/zapcore/write_syncer_test.go
+++ b/zapcore/write_syncer_test.go
@@ -65,6 +65,16 @@ func TestAddSyncWriter(t *testing.T) {
 	assert.NoError(t, ws.Sync(), "Unexpected error calling a no-op Sync method.")
 }
 
+func TestNewMultiWriteSyncerWorksForSingleWriter(t *testing.T) {
+	w := &testutils.Buffer{}
+
+	ws := NewMultiWriteSyncer(w)
+	assert.Equal(t, w, ws, "Expected NewMultiWriteSyncer to return the same WriteSyncer object for a single argument.")
+
+	ws.Sync()
+	assert.True(t, w.Called(), "Expected Sync to be called on the created WriteSyncer")
+}
+
 func TestMultiWriteSyncerWritesBoth(t *testing.T) {
 	first := &bytes.Buffer{}
 	second := &bytes.Buffer{}