diff --git a/src/vs/workbench/services/search/node/rawSearchService.ts b/src/vs/workbench/services/search/node/rawSearchService.ts
index 9a0f4d24a8b..4410f3891a3 100644
--- a/src/vs/workbench/services/search/node/rawSearchService.ts
+++ b/src/vs/workbench/services/search/node/rawSearchService.ts
@@ -55,7 +55,7 @@ export class SearchService implements IRawSearchService {
 			}),
 			this.textSearchWorkerProvider);
 
-		return this.doSearchWithBatchTimeout(engine, SearchService.BATCH_SIZE);
+		return this.doTextSearch(engine, SearchService.BATCH_SIZE);
 	}
 
 	public doFileSearch(EngineClass: { new (config: IRawSearch): ISearchEngine<IRawFileMatch>; }, config: IRawSearch, batchSize?: number): PPromise<ISerializedSearchComplete, ISerializedSearchProgressItem> {
@@ -278,12 +278,13 @@ export class SearchService implements IRawSearchService {
 		});
 	}
 
-	private doSearchWithBatchTimeout(engine: ISearchEngine<ISerializedFileMatch>, batchSize: number): PPromise<ISerializedSearchComplete, IRawProgressItem<ISerializedFileMatch>> {
+	private doTextSearch(engine: TextSearchEngine, batchSize: number): PPromise<ISerializedSearchComplete, IRawProgressItem<ISerializedFileMatch>> {
 		return new PPromise<ISerializedSearchComplete, IRawProgressItem<ISerializedFileMatch>>((c, e, p) => {
 			// Use BatchedCollector to get new results to the frontend every 2s at least, until 50 results have been returned
-			const collector = new BatchedCollector(batchSize, p);
-			engine.search((match) => {
-				collector.addItem(match, match.numMatches);
+			const collector = new BatchedCollector<ISerializedFileMatch>(batchSize, p);
+			engine.search((matches) => {
+				const totalMatches = matches.reduce((acc, m) => acc + m.numMatches, 0);
+				collector.addItems(matches, totalMatches);
 			}, (progress) => {
 				p(progress);
 			}, (error, stats) => {
@@ -378,57 +379,51 @@ interface CacheStats {
 }
 
 /**
- * Collects a batch of items that each have a size. When the cumulative size of the batch reaches 'maxBatchSize', it calls the callback.
+ * Collects items that have a size - before the cumulative size of collected items reaches START_BATCH_AFTER_COUNT, the callback is called for every
+ * set of items collected.
+ * But after that point, the callback is called with batches of maxBatchSize.
  * If the batch isn't filled within some time, the callback is also called.
- * And after 'runTimeoutUntilCount' items, the timeout is ignored, and the callback is called only when the batch is full.
  */
 class BatchedCollector<T> {
-	// Use INIT_TIMEOUT for INIT_TIMEOUT_DURATION ms, then switch to LONGER_TIMEOUT
-	private static INIT_TIMEOUT = 500;
-	private static INIT_TIMEOUT_DURATION = 5000;
-	private static LONGER_TIMEOUT = 2000;
+	private static TIMEOUT = 4000;
 
 	// After RUN_TIMEOUT_UNTIL_COUNT items have been collected, stop flushing on timeout
-	private static RUN_TIMEOUT_UNTIL_COUNT = 50;
+	private static START_BATCH_AFTER_COUNT = 50;
 
 	private totalNumberCompleted = 0;
 	private batch: T[] = [];
 	private batchSize = 0;
 	private timeoutHandle: number;
 
-	private startTime: number;
-
 	constructor(private maxBatchSize: number, private cb: (items: T | T[]) => void) {
 	}
 
-	addItem(item: T, size: number): void {
-		if (!item) {
+	addItems(items: T[], size: number): void {
+		if (!items) {
 			return;
 		}
 
 		if (this.maxBatchSize > 0) {
-			this.addItemToBatch(item, size);
+			this.addItemsToBatch(items, size);
 		} else {
-			this.cb(item);
+			this.cb(items);
 		}
 	}
 
-	private addItemToBatch(item: T, size: number): void {
-		if (!this.startTime) {
-			this.startTime = Date.now();
-		}
-
-		this.batch.push(item);
+	private addItemsToBatch(items: T[], size: number): void {
+		this.batch = this.batch.concat(items);
 		this.batchSize += size;
-		if (this.batchSize >= this.maxBatchSize) {
+		if (this.totalNumberCompleted < BatchedCollector.START_BATCH_AFTER_COUNT) {
+			// Flush because we aren't batching yet
+			this.flush();
+		} else if (this.batchSize >= this.maxBatchSize) {
 			// Flush because the batch is full
 			this.flush();
-		} else if (!this.timeoutHandle && this.totalNumberCompleted < BatchedCollector.RUN_TIMEOUT_UNTIL_COUNT) {
+		} else if (!this.timeoutHandle) {
 			// No timeout running, start a timeout to flush
-			const t = this.getTimeout();
 			this.timeoutHandle = setTimeout(() => {
 				this.flush();
-			}, t);
+			}, BatchedCollector.TIMEOUT);
 		}
 	}
 
@@ -445,10 +440,4 @@ class BatchedCollector<T> {
 			}
 		}
 	}
-
-	private getTimeout(): number {
-		return Date.now() - this.startTime < BatchedCollector.INIT_TIMEOUT_DURATION ?
-			BatchedCollector.INIT_TIMEOUT :
-			BatchedCollector.LONGER_TIMEOUT;
-	}
 }
diff --git a/src/vs/workbench/services/search/node/search.ts b/src/vs/workbench/services/search/node/search.ts
index 0bfd0556b4c..1ea0d55aa0b 100644
--- a/src/vs/workbench/services/search/node/search.ts
+++ b/src/vs/workbench/services/search/node/search.ts
@@ -37,7 +37,7 @@ export interface IRawFileMatch {
 }
 
 export interface ISearchEngine<T> {
-	search: (onResult: (match: T) => void, onProgress: (progress: IProgress) => void, done: (error: Error, complete: ISerializedSearchComplete) => void) => void;
+	search: (onResult: (matches: T) => void, onProgress: (progress: IProgress) => void, done: (error: Error, complete: ISerializedSearchComplete) => void) => void;
 	cancel: () => void;
 }
 
diff --git a/src/vs/workbench/services/search/node/textSearch.ts b/src/vs/workbench/services/search/node/textSearch.ts
index eb82da7bf10..cb30c222466 100644
--- a/src/vs/workbench/services/search/node/textSearch.ts
+++ b/src/vs/workbench/services/search/node/textSearch.ts
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@ import { ISerializedFileMatch, ISerializedSearchComplete, IRawSearch, ISearchEng
 import { ISearchWorker } from './worker/searchWorkerIpc';
 import { ITextSearchWorkerProvider } from './textSearchWorkerProvider';
 
-export class Engine implements ISearchEngine<ISerializedFileMatch> {
+export class Engine implements ISearchEngine<ISerializedFileMatch[]> {
 
 	private static PROGRESS_FLUSH_CHUNK_SIZE = 50; // optimization: number of files to process before emitting progress event
 
@@ -60,7 +60,7 @@ export class Engine implements ISearchEngine<ISerializedFileMatch> {
 		});
 	}
 
-	search(onResult: (match: ISerializedFileMatch) => void, onProgress: (progress: IProgress) => void, done: (error: Error, complete: ISerializedSearchComplete) => void): void {
+	search(onResult: (match: ISerializedFileMatch[]) => void, onProgress: (progress: IProgress) => void, done: (error: Error, complete: ISerializedSearchComplete) => void): void {
 		this.workers = this.workerProvider.getWorkers();
 		this.initializeWorkers();
 
@@ -100,10 +100,8 @@ export class Engine implements ISearchEngine<ISerializedFileMatch> {
 				}
 
 				const matches = result.matches;
+				onResult(matches);
 				this.numResults += result.numMatches;
-				matches.forEach(m => {
-					onResult(m);
-				});
 
 				if (this.config.maxResults && this.numResults >= this.config.maxResults) {
 					// It's possible to go over maxResults like this, but it's much simpler than trying to extract the exact number