Finder replacement - details in post.

Same here, and I've found Folder's App the better choice: https://foldersapp.dev/

Folders’ dev here. Please feel free to message me anytime.

You could try ForkLift 4. I think that's what you're trying to get at https://binarynights.com/

Bloom?

Downside of Bloom is that it cannot access folders that needs higher privileges. When that happens it tells you to open Finder to perform the operation. 🙃

Marta Nimble commander Forklift Path finder I suggest you try some then decide

There are quite a few to consider, and it's been quite a journey for me. My own journey has been sort of interesting. I have paid for and used many of them, and of all of them, qspace pro has been the one that had the best functionality for my use case. However, for two reasons, I no longer use it. For one thing, it insists upon connecting to servers in China that it uses for user authentication and for updates. I don't like that, and I am not willing to work that way. They do offer an odd sort of fixed license which locks the app to one and only one Mac forever. I don't like that either. The other thing is that I have found that, in general, I've learned to use Finder and I've adapted pretty well to it. For me, I use Finder most of the time now.

OE Doncha mean "OF," as in "Original Findah"?

Path Finder or ForkLift are the two worth trying. Path Finder has a folder tree panel that works basically like Windows Explorer, collapsible folders and all. It is a bit heavy and takes some setup but once you configure it the way you want it mostly stays out of the way. ForkLift is cleaner and faster. Dual pane by default which sounds like overkill but actually makes the 9 folders deep problem way better. You can browse to the destination on one side and drag from the other. Both have free trials so worth just installing them and seeing which one clicks. Most people who come from Windows end up preferring ForkLift but Path Finder has more power user stuff if you need it later.

Hey OP, dev behind Rascal here! Trying to build the best finder replacement for free, and would love to build this feature out for you! Just because I haven't used windows for a while, could you let me know what windows-like finder operations would look like? Happy to package this for you in my next release (expect in 1-2 days!) check it out https://tryrascal.org/

Nice!

You could have a look at FileNav. Btw, I don't use FileNav but QSpace Pro.

Maybe you find my Finder alternative Trove File Explorer helpful - it is specifically designed to bring that Windows Explorer look & feel to MacOS. Link: https://trove-explorer.app

Just curious what kind of workflow requires you to be a heavy Finder user. Besides a handy Finder replacement, I think there might be another way to the problem.

Recently came across rascal its not half bad I am still getting used to the ui, seems bit old, but themeing customisation is there try once

QSpace Looks great! Having GCS connection support would be a great add-on to have.

https://qspace.awehunt.com/en-us/guide/extension-server-connections.html

I discovered a lot of nice apps in this thread, thanks to everyone! I just want to add a tip for heavy Finder users. I’m not sure it applies to OP’s workflow, but I think it’s worth mentioning, as I recently noticed many people I work with who have used Mac for years don’t know this yet: when you’re in a folder nested deep in other folders, you can always right-click the folder’s name in the Finder's top bar to see the full path, then Cmd+click on a folder above will open a new Finder tab at that position. Same for most of the files: right click on the file name (works in most native apps) and it will show the folders it’s nested in. Most of the time I don’t need a robust workflow as OP described: I just work with a Finder window as a reference list, with its tree of folders always at hand, and open the folders in a new window (right click + option to modify the “open in new tab” to “open in new window”) when I need them. Most of you probably already know those behaviors very well, I just wanted to let new users know what the Finder is already capable of, for their own needs.