diff --git a/package/MDAnalysis/lib/distances.py b/package/MDAnalysis/lib/distances.py
index f38c672a421..911a4e8b956 100644
--- a/package/MDAnalysis/lib/distances.py
+++ b/package/MDAnalysis/lib/distances.py
@@ -541,7 +541,7 @@ def _determine_method(reference, configuration, max_cutoff, min_cutoff=None,
 
     if len(reference) < 10 or len(configuration) < 10:
         return methods['bruteforce']
-    elif len(reference)*len(configuration) > 1e8:
+    elif len(reference)*len(configuration) >= 1e8:
         # CAUTION : for large datasets, shouldnt go into 'bruteforce'
         # in any case. Arbitrary number, but can be characterized
         return methods['nsgrid']