diff --git a/bench/bench_test.go b/bench/bench_test.go
index 4ff2879..9b60d68 100644
--- a/bench/bench_test.go
+++ b/bench/bench_test.go
@@ -12,16 +12,16 @@ func BenchmarkCacheSetWithoutTTL(b *testing.B) {
 	cache := ttlcache.New[string, string]()
 
 	for n := 0; n < b.N; n++ {
-		cache.Set(fmt.Sprint(n%1000000), "value", ttlcache.NoTTL)
+		cache.SetWithTTL(fmt.Sprint(n%1000000), "value", ttlcache.NoTTL)
 	}
 }
 
 func BenchmarkCacheSetWithGlobalTTL(b *testing.B) {
-	cache := ttlcache.New[string, string](
+	cache := ttlcache.New(
 		ttlcache.WithTTL[string, string](50 * time.Millisecond),
 	)
 
 	for n := 0; n < b.N; n++ {
-		cache.Set(fmt.Sprint(n%1000000), "value", ttlcache.DefaultTTL)
+		cache.Set(fmt.Sprint(n%1000000), "value")
 	}
 }
diff --git a/cache-private.go b/cache-private.go
index 1bed79e..098ec3d 100644
--- a/cache-private.go
+++ b/cache-private.go
@@ -58,10 +58,6 @@ func (c *Cache[K, V]) updateExpirations(fresh bool, elem *list.Element) {
 // set creates a new item, adds it to the cache and then returns it.
 // Not concurrently safe.
 func (c *Cache[K, V]) set(key K, value V, ttl time.Duration, touch bool) *Item[K, V] {
-	if ttl == DefaultTTL {
-		ttl = c.options.ttl
-	}
-
 	elem := c.get(key, false)
 	if elem != nil {
 		// update/overwrite an existing item
diff --git a/cache.go b/cache.go
index bb5c132..6a3a028 100644
--- a/cache.go
+++ b/cache.go
@@ -77,7 +77,19 @@ func New[K comparable, V any](opts ...Option[K, V]) *Cache[K, V] {
 // Set creates a new item from the provided key and value, adds
 // it to the cache and then returns it. If an item associated with the
 // provided key already exists, the new item overwrites the existing one.
-func (c *Cache[K, V]) Set(key K, value V, ttl time.Duration) *Item[K, V] {
+func (c *Cache[K, V]) Set(key K, value V) *Item[K, V] {
+	if !c.options.lockingFromOutside {
+		c.CacheItems.Mu.Lock()
+		defer c.CacheItems.Mu.Unlock()
+	}
+
+	return c.set(key, value, c.options.ttl, true)
+}
+
+// Set creates a new item from the provided key and value, adds
+// it to the cache and then returns it. If an item associated with the
+// provided key already exists, the new item overwrites the existing one.
+func (c *Cache[K, V]) SetWithTTL(key K, value V, ttl time.Duration) *Item[K, V] {
 	if !c.options.lockingFromOutside {
 		c.CacheItems.Mu.Lock()
 		defer c.CacheItems.Mu.Unlock()
diff --git a/cache_test.go b/cache_test.go
index c627114..366fb9f 100644
--- a/cache_test.go
+++ b/cache_test.go
@@ -185,14 +185,10 @@ func Test_Cache_set(t *testing.T) {
 			Key: existingKey,
 			TTL: NoTTL,
 		},
-		"Set with existing key and DefaultTTL": {
-			Key: existingKey,
-			TTL: DefaultTTL,
-		},
 		"Set with new key and eviction caused by small capacity": {
 			Capacity: 3,
 			Key:      newKey,
-			TTL:      DefaultTTL,
+			TTL:      0,
 			Metrics: Metrics{
 				Insertions: 1,
 				Evictions:  1,
@@ -202,7 +198,7 @@ func Test_Cache_set(t *testing.T) {
 		"Set with new key and no eviction caused by large capacity": {
 			Capacity: 10,
 			Key:      newKey,
-			TTL:      DefaultTTL,
+			TTL:      0,
 			Metrics: Metrics{
 				Insertions: 1,
 			},
@@ -226,7 +222,7 @@ func Test_Cache_set(t *testing.T) {
 		},
 		"Set with new key and DefaultTTL": {
 			Key: newKey,
-			TTL: DefaultTTL,
+			TTL: 0,
 			Metrics: Metrics{
 				Insertions: 1,
 			},
@@ -287,11 +283,11 @@ func Test_Cache_set(t *testing.T) {
 			}
 
 			switch {
-			case c.TTL == DefaultTTL:
+			case c.TTL == 0:
 				assert.Equal(t, cache.options.ttl, item.ttl)
 				assert.WithinDuration(t, time.Now(), item.expiresAt, cache.options.ttl)
 				assert.Equal(t, c.Key, cache.CacheItems.expQueue[0].Value.(*Item[string, string]).key)
-			case c.TTL > DefaultTTL:
+			case c.TTL > 0:
 				assert.Equal(t, c.TTL, item.ttl)
 				assert.WithinDuration(t, time.Now(), item.expiresAt, c.TTL)
 				assert.Equal(t, c.Key, cache.CacheItems.expQueue[0].Value.(*Item[string, string]).key)
@@ -435,11 +431,11 @@ func Test_Cache_evict(t *testing.T) {
 
 func Test_Cache_Set(t *testing.T) {
 	cache := prepCache(time.Hour, "test1", "test2", "test3")
-	item := cache.Set("hello", "value123", time.Minute)
+	item := cache.SetWithTTL("hello", "value123", time.Minute)
 	require.NotNil(t, item)
 	assert.Same(t, item, cache.CacheItems.values["hello"].Value)
 
-	item = cache.Set("test1", "value123", time.Minute)
+	item = cache.SetWithTTL("test1", "value123", time.Minute)
 	require.NotNil(t, item)
 	assert.Same(t, item, cache.CacheItems.values["test1"].Value)
 }
diff --git a/item.go b/item.go
index 58c9c5c..5f4d2e8 100644
--- a/item.go
+++ b/item.go
@@ -8,10 +8,6 @@ import (
 const (
 	// NoTTL indicates that an item should never expire.
 	NoTTL time.Duration = -1
-
-	// DefaultTTL indicates that the default TTL
-	// value should be used.
-	DefaultTTL time.Duration = 0
 )
 
 // Item holds all the information that is associated with a single