diff --git a/lib/util/__tests__/stat.test.js b/lib/util/__tests__/stat.test.js
index 2b7de648d..58b3bd7f1 100644
--- a/lib/util/__tests__/stat.test.js
+++ b/lib/util/__tests__/stat.test.js
@@ -4,11 +4,8 @@ const fs = require(process.cwd())
 const os = require('os')
 const path = require('path')
 const assert = require('assert')
-const atLeastNode = require('at-least-node')
 const stat = require('../stat.js')
 
-const NODE_VERSION_WITH_BIGINT = '10.5.0'
-
 /* global beforeEach, afterEach, describe, it */
 
 describe('util/stat', () => {
@@ -21,7 +18,7 @@ describe('util/stat', () => {
 
   afterEach(done => fs.remove(TEST_DIR, done))
 
-  describe('should use stats with bigint type for node versions >= 10.5.0 and number type for older versions', () => {
+  describe('should use stats with bigint type', () => {
     it('stat.checkPaths()', () => {
       const src = path.join(TEST_DIR, 'src')
       const dest = path.join(TEST_DIR, 'dest')
@@ -29,12 +26,7 @@ describe('util/stat', () => {
       fs.ensureFileSync(dest)
       stat.checkPaths(src, dest, 'copy', {}, (err, stats) => {
         assert.ifError(err)
-        const { srcStat } = stats
-        if (atLeastNode(NODE_VERSION_WITH_BIGINT)) {
-          assert.strictEqual(typeof srcStat.ino, 'bigint')
-        } else {
-          assert.strictEqual(typeof srcStat.ino, 'number')
-        }
+        assert.strictEqual(typeof stats.srcStat.ino, 'bigint')
       })
     })
 
@@ -44,11 +36,7 @@ describe('util/stat', () => {
       fs.ensureFileSync(src)
       fs.ensureFileSync(dest)
       const { srcStat } = stat.checkPathsSync(src, dest, 'copy', {})
-      if (atLeastNode(NODE_VERSION_WITH_BIGINT)) {
-        assert.strictEqual(typeof srcStat.ino, 'bigint')
-      } else {
-        assert.strictEqual(typeof srcStat.ino, 'number')
-      }
+      assert.strictEqual(typeof srcStat.ino, 'bigint')
     })
   })
 
diff --git a/lib/util/stat.js b/lib/util/stat.js
index 4f4ce98e5..0ed5aecf7 100644
--- a/lib/util/stat.js
+++ b/lib/util/stat.js
@@ -3,16 +3,11 @@
 const fs = require('../fs')
 const path = require('path')
 const util = require('util')
-const atLeastNode = require('at-least-node')
-
-const nodeSupportsBigInt = atLeastNode('10.5.0')
-const stat = (file) => nodeSupportsBigInt ? fs.stat(file, { bigint: true }) : fs.stat(file)
-const lstat = (file) => nodeSupportsBigInt ? fs.lstat(file, { bigint: true }) : fs.lstat(file)
-const statSync = (file) => nodeSupportsBigInt ? fs.statSync(file, { bigint: true }) : fs.statSync(file)
-const lstatSync = (file) => nodeSupportsBigInt ? fs.lstatSync(file, { bigint: true }) : fs.lstatSync(file)
 
 function getStats (src, dest, opts) {
-  const statFunc = opts.dereference ? stat : lstat
+  const statFunc = opts.dereference
+    ? (file) => fs.stat(file, { bigint: true })
+    : (file) => fs.lstat(file, { bigint: true })
   return Promise.all([
     statFunc(src),
     statFunc(dest).catch(err => {
@@ -24,7 +19,9 @@ function getStats (src, dest, opts) {
 
 function getStatsSync (src, dest, opts) {
   let destStat
-  const statFunc = opts.dereference ? statSync : lstatSync
+  const statFunc = opts.dereference
+    ? (file) => fs.statSync(file, { bigint: true })
+    : (file) => fs.lstatSync(file, { bigint: true })
   const srcStat = statFunc(src)
   try {
     destStat = statFunc(dest)
@@ -102,7 +99,7 @@ function checkParentPaths (src, srcStat, dest, funcName, cb) {
   const srcParent = path.resolve(path.dirname(src))
   const destParent = path.resolve(path.dirname(dest))
   if (destParent === srcParent || destParent === path.parse(destParent).root) return cb()
-  const callback = (err, destStat) => {
+  fs.stat(destParent, { bigint: true }, (err, destStat) => {
     if (err) {
       if (err.code === 'ENOENT') return cb()
       return cb(err)
@@ -111,9 +108,7 @@ function checkParentPaths (src, srcStat, dest, funcName, cb) {
       return cb(new Error(errMsg(src, dest, funcName)))
     }
     return checkParentPaths(src, srcStat, destParent, funcName, cb)
-  }
-  if (nodeSupportsBigInt) fs.stat(destParent, { bigint: true }, callback)
-  else fs.stat(destParent, callback)
+  })
 }
 
 function checkParentPathsSync (src, srcStat, dest, funcName) {
@@ -122,7 +117,7 @@ function checkParentPathsSync (src, srcStat, dest, funcName) {
   if (destParent === srcParent || destParent === path.parse(destParent).root) return
   let destStat
   try {
-    destStat = statSync(destParent)
+    destStat = fs.statSync(destParent, { bigint: true })
   } catch (err) {
     if (err.code === 'ENOENT') return
     throw err
@@ -134,26 +129,7 @@ function checkParentPathsSync (src, srcStat, dest, funcName) {
 }
 
 function areIdentical (srcStat, destStat) {
-  if (destStat.ino && destStat.dev && destStat.ino === srcStat.ino && destStat.dev === srcStat.dev) {
-    if (nodeSupportsBigInt || destStat.ino < Number.MAX_SAFE_INTEGER) {
-      // definitive answer
-      return true
-    }
-    // Use additional heuristics if we can't use 'bigint'.
-    // Different 'ino' could be represented the same if they are >= Number.MAX_SAFE_INTEGER
-    // See issue 657
-    if (destStat.size === srcStat.size &&
-        destStat.mode === srcStat.mode &&
-        destStat.nlink === srcStat.nlink &&
-        destStat.atimeMs === srcStat.atimeMs &&
-        destStat.mtimeMs === srcStat.mtimeMs &&
-        destStat.ctimeMs === srcStat.ctimeMs &&
-        destStat.birthtimeMs === srcStat.birthtimeMs) {
-      // heuristic answer
-      return true
-    }
-  }
-  return false
+  return destStat.ino && destStat.dev && destStat.ino === srcStat.ino && destStat.dev === srcStat.dev
 }
 
 // return true if dest is a subdir of src, otherwise false.