The OS X Finder is a work of art, balancing power with ease of use. But if you're an advanced user, you may be willing to sacrifice some of the Finder's elegance for more power.

Dan Hendricks, my buddy and chat-room moderator, has saved the day once again. He turned me on to Cocoatech's Path Finder, a Finder replacement that practically gives your fingertips superpowers.

A versatile alternative

Path Finder upgrades several Finder features. Here's a list of my favorite improvements, but this doesn't even cover everything Path Finder has to offer.

• Faster results for file searches
• A built-in FTP client (This feature alone justifies the price for me.)
• The ability to burn discs and create disc images
• Screen-capture capabilities
• Integrated command-line terminal
• Advanced file info and previews
• An innovative Drop Stack feature that simplifies drag-and-drop operations
• A utility that lists all running processes and applications

Path Finder is not free. You get a free 21-day trial period, but if you want to keep it you'll need to pay $34. I did.