diff --git a/src/ndsparsearray.jl b/src/ndsparsearray.jl
index 30b74a6..74cef4d 100644
--- a/src/ndsparsearray.jl
+++ b/src/ndsparsearray.jl
@@ -492,14 +492,8 @@ More efficient than `A = A + scalar`.
 Works with any type that supports addition with the array's element type.
 """
 function add!(A::NDSparseArray{T}, scalar) where {T}
-    # For generic types, we can't assume zero() exists, so we try to check if it's zero
-    # For most numeric types this will work, for others we'll skip the check
-    try
-        if scalar == zero(typeof(scalar))
-            return A
-        end
-    catch MethodError
-        # zero() not defined for this type, continue with the operation
+    if iszero(scalar)
+        return A
     end
 
     # Add scalar to all stored values, converting to A's type
@@ -552,14 +546,8 @@ More efficient than `A = A - scalar`.
 Works with any type that supports subtraction with the array's element type.
 """
 function sub!(A::NDSparseArray{T}, scalar) where {T}
-    # For generic types, we can't assume zero() exists, so we try to check if it's zero
-    # For most numeric types this will work, for others we'll skip the check
-    try
-        if scalar == zero(typeof(scalar))
-            return A
-        end
-    catch MethodError
-        # zero() not defined for this type, continue with the operation
+    if iszero(scalar)
+        return A
     end
 
     # Subtract scalar from all stored values, converting to A's type
@@ -579,23 +567,13 @@ More efficient than `A = A * scalar`.
 Works with any type that supports multiplication with the array's element type.
 """
 function mul!(A::NDSparseArray{T}, scalar) where {T}
-    # For generic types, we can't assume zero() or one() exist, so we try to check
-    # For most numeric types this will work, for others we'll skip the check
-    try
-        if scalar == zero(typeof(scalar))
-            empty!(A.data)
-            return A
-        end
-    catch MethodError
-        # zero() not defined for this type, continue
+    if iszero(scalar)
+        empty!(A.data)
+        return A
     end
 
-    try
-        if scalar == one(typeof(scalar))
-            return A
-        end
-    catch MethodError
-        # one() not defined for this type, continue
+    if isone(scalar)
+        return A
     end
 
     # Multiply all stored values, converting scalar to A's type
diff --git a/test/test_inplace_operations.jl b/test/test_inplace_operations.jl
index a5a52c9..68af8da 100644
--- a/test/test_inplace_operations.jl
+++ b/test/test_inplace_operations.jl
@@ -352,6 +352,7 @@ using Test
         Base.:-(a::CustomNumber, b::CustomNumber) = CustomNumber(a.value - b.value)
         Base.:*(a::CustomNumber, b::CustomNumber) = CustomNumber(a.value * b.value)
         Base.convert(::Type{CustomNumber}, x::CustomNumber) = x
+        Base.iszero(x::CustomNumber) = iszero(x.value)
 
         A = NDSparseArray{CustomNumber, 2}((2, 2))
         A[1, 1] = CustomNumber(5.0)