diff --git a/src/DataCollector/EventCollector.php b/src/DataCollector/EventCollector.php
index f3cfdde9..572cab53 100644
--- a/src/DataCollector/EventCollector.php
+++ b/src/DataCollector/EventCollector.php
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 <?php
 namespace Barryvdh\Debugbar\DataCollector;
 
+use Barryvdh\Debugbar\DataFormatter\SimpleFormatter;
 use DebugBar\DataCollector\TimeDataCollector;
 use Illuminate\Events\Dispatcher;
 use Illuminate\Support\Str;
@@ -11,14 +12,10 @@ class EventCollector extends TimeDataCollector
     /** @var Dispatcher */
     protected $events;
 
-    /** @var VarCloner */
-    protected $exporter;
-
     public function __construct($requestStartTime = null)
     {
         parent::__construct($requestStartTime);
-
-        $this->exporter = new VarCloner();
+        $this->setDataFormatter(new SimpleFormatter());
     }
 
     public function onWildcardEvent($name = null, $data = [])
@@ -55,7 +52,7 @@ public function onWildcardEvent($name = null, $data = [])
                 $listener = $reflector->getName() . ' (' . $filename . ':' . $reflector->getStartLine() . '-' . $reflector->getEndLine() . ')';
             } else {
                 // Not sure if this is possible, but to prevent edge cases
-                $listener = $this->formatVar($listener);
+                $listener = $this->getDataFormatter()->formatVar($listener);
             }
 
             $params['listeners.' . $i] = $listener;
@@ -76,7 +73,7 @@ protected function prepareParams($params)
             if (is_object($value) && Str::is('Illuminate\*\Events\*', get_class($value))) {
                 $value =  $this->prepareParams(get_object_vars($value));
             }
-            $data[$key] = htmlentities($this->exporter->cloneVar($value), ENT_QUOTES, 'UTF-8', false);
+            $data[$key] = htmlentities($this->getDataFormatter()->formatVar($value), ENT_QUOTES, 'UTF-8', false);
         }
 
         return $data;
diff --git a/src/DataCollector/GateCollector.php b/src/DataCollector/GateCollector.php
index 93dcf1de..a9a3e39e 100644
--- a/src/DataCollector/GateCollector.php
+++ b/src/DataCollector/GateCollector.php
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@
 
 namespace Barryvdh\Debugbar\DataCollector;
 
+use Barryvdh\Debugbar\DataFormatter\SimpleFormatter;
 use DebugBar\DataCollector\MessagesCollector;
 use Illuminate\Contracts\Auth\Access\Gate;
 use Illuminate\Contracts\Auth\Access\Authorizable;
@@ -12,16 +13,13 @@
  */
 class GateCollector extends MessagesCollector
 {
-    /** @var ValueExporter */
-    protected $exporter;
     /**
      * @param Gate $gate
      */
     public function __construct(Gate $gate)
     {
         parent::__construct('gate');
-        $this->exporter = new VarCloner();
-
+        $this->setDataFormatter(new SimpleFormatter());
         $gate->after([$this, 'addCheck']);
     }
 
@@ -33,7 +31,7 @@ public function addCheck(Authorizable $user = null, $ability, $result, $argument
             'ability' => $ability,
             'result' => $result,
             ($user ? snake_case(class_basename($user)) : 'user') => ($user ? $user->id : null),
-            'arguments' => $this->exporter->cloneVar($arguments),
+            'arguments' => $this->getDataFormatter()->formatVar($arguments),
         ], $label, false);
     }
 }
diff --git a/src/DataCollector/ViewCollector.php b/src/DataCollector/ViewCollector.php
index 4805aa90..b7c657e1 100644
--- a/src/DataCollector/ViewCollector.php
+++ b/src/DataCollector/ViewCollector.php
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@
 
 namespace Barryvdh\Debugbar\DataCollector;
 
+use Barryvdh\Debugbar\DataFormatter\SimpleFormatter;
 use DebugBar\Bridge\Twig\TwigCollector;
 use Illuminate\View\View;
 use Symfony\Component\VarDumper\Cloner\VarCloner;
@@ -18,10 +19,10 @@ class ViewCollector extends TwigCollector
      */
     public function __construct($collectData = true)
     {
+        $this->setDataFormatter(new SimpleFormatter());
         $this->collect_data = $collectData;
         $this->name = 'views';
         $this->templates = [];
-        $this->exporter = new VarCloner();
     }
 
     public function getName()
@@ -75,7 +76,7 @@ public function addView(View $view)
         } else {
             $data = [];
             foreach ($view->getData() as $key => $value) {
-                $data[$key] = $this->exporter->cloneVar($value);
+                $data[$key] = $this->getDataFormatter()->formatVar($value);
             }
             $params = $data;
         }
diff --git a/src/DataFormatter/SimpleFormatter.php b/src/DataFormatter/SimpleFormatter.php
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..0a1fc938
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/DataFormatter/SimpleFormatter.php
@@ -0,0 +1,105 @@
+<?php
+
+namespace Barryvdh\Debugbar\DataFormatter;
+
+use DebugBar\DataFormatter\DataFormatter;
+
+/**
+ * Simple DataFormatter based on the deprecated Symfony ValueExporter
+ *
+ * @see https://github.com/symfony/symfony/blob/v3.4.4/src/Symfony/Component/HttpKernel/DataCollector/Util/ValueExporter.php
+ */
+class SimpleFormatter extends DataFormatter
+{
+    /**
+     * @param $data
+     * @return string
+     */
+    public function formatVar($data)
+    {
+        return $this->exportValue($data);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Converts a PHP value to a string.
+     *
+     * @param mixed $value The PHP value
+     * @param int   $depth Only for internal usage
+     * @param bool  $deep  Only for internal usage
+     *
+     * @return string The string representation of the given value
+     *  @author Bernhard Schussek <bschussek@gmail.com>
+     */
+    private function exportValue($value, $depth = 1, $deep = false)
+    {
+        if ($value instanceof \__PHP_Incomplete_Class) {
+            return sprintf('__PHP_Incomplete_Class(%s)', $this->getClassNameFromIncomplete($value));
+        }
+
+        if (is_object($value)) {
+            if ($value instanceof \DateTimeInterface) {
+                return sprintf('Object(%s) - %s', get_class($value), $value->format(\DateTime::ATOM));
+            }
+
+            return sprintf('Object(%s)', get_class($value));
+        }
+
+        if (is_array($value)) {
+            if (empty($value)) {
+                return '[]';
+            }
+
+            $indent = str_repeat('  ', $depth);
+
+            $a = array();
+            foreach ($value as $k => $v) {
+                if (is_array($v)) {
+                    $deep = true;
+                }
+                $a[] = sprintf('%s => %s', $k, $this->exportValue($v, $depth + 1, $deep));
+            }
+
+            if ($deep) {
+                return sprintf("[\n%s%s\n%s]", $indent, implode(sprintf(", \n%s", $indent), $a), str_repeat('  ', $depth - 1));
+            }
+
+            $s = sprintf('[%s]', implode(', ', $a));
+
+            if (80 > strlen($s)) {
+                return $s;
+            }
+
+            return sprintf("[\n%s%s\n]", $indent, implode(sprintf(",\n%s", $indent), $a));
+        }
+
+        if (is_resource($value)) {
+            return sprintf('Resource(%s#%d)', get_resource_type($value), $value);
+        }
+
+        if (null === $value) {
+            return 'null';
+        }
+
+        if (false === $value) {
+            return 'false';
+        }
+
+        if (true === $value) {
+            return 'true';
+        }
+
+        return (string) $value;
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @param \__PHP_Incomplete_Class $value
+     * @return mixed
+     * @author Bernhard Schussek <bschussek@gmail.com>
+     */
+    private function getClassNameFromIncomplete(\__PHP_Incomplete_Class $value)
+    {
+        $array = new \ArrayObject($value);
+
+        return $array['__PHP_Incomplete_Class_Name'];
+    }
+}