Is there any alternative? Also open to a command line file navigator.
Instead we use tools that keep our hands on the keyboard and automate workflows. I have been a user of LaunchBar for over 15 years since OS X Beta. Other people use Alfred or Quicksilver for the same reasons. Any of these apps will address most of the issues people have mentioned in these comments. Each of these apps has a slightly different focus and style so it is worth testing each to see which fits you the best.
For the few things that LaunchBar can't do, or for much more complicated workflow automation, I use Keyboard Maestro.
* http://www.obdev.at/products/launchbar/index.html
* http://www.keyboardmaestro.com/
Fun Note: you can still download versions of LaunchBar back to pre-OS X NEXTSTEP.
EDIT: immediately after posting, I saw this review in my RSS stream. They pick Alfred, but discuss the rest. http://thesweetsetup.com/apps/our-favorite-os-x-launcher/
For me, it is everything Finder should have been
There's also a free alternative called xtrafinder (https://www.trankynam.com/xtrafinder/)