Review: Forklift 2.0

Product: Forklift 2.0.8
Manufacturer: Binary Nights
Date Reviewed:6-29-11
Retail Price: $29.99 via Mac App Store

I’ll preface this report by saying this review has been a long time in coming.

As a veteran Mac user, I’ve grown to deal with certain shortcomings with the Mac OS. (Yes, Virginia, there are a few.) Chief among my frustrations is file management.

Take a classic scenario that involves copying one file from within one folder to a separate folder location on your drive. To do this in Mac OS X, you would have to have two Finder windows open. As a Mac user for almost 20 years, I know that I am not alone when I say that copying and moving files on the Mac, as its currently implemented, totally blows.

I keep waiting for the day that Mac OS X will support a split-pane Finder view. Until that happens (and I’m not holding my breath), we have Forklift 2.0, from BinaryNights.

Forklift 2.0 has been dubbed “the second coming of file management”. Normally I’d dismiss that as hyperbole, but I think, in this case, the billing is right on the mark. This program offers split-paned windows, but it really does so much more. Don McAllister did a great ScreenCastsOnline video that covers the program really well. (You can watch it on the Forklift 2.0 website.)

Instead of retreading what Don’s superb 36 minute video has already covered, I’d like to share how I use Forklift 2.0 and how it’s made me more productive.

Right off the bat, Forklift makes it super easy to copy and move files using its split-pane interface. You can choose up to 4 methods when viewing the contents within each window: Icon, List, Columns, or CoverFlow.

Here’s Icon view:

Here’s the CoverFlow view:

I’m already sold on the program because of its split-pane view, but you can also have tabs within each split-pane. So instead of opening up 4 separate Finder windows, you can keep everything contained within one Forklift window. Forklift supports FTP, SFTP, WebDAV, Amazon S3, and a bunch of other protocols I don’t really use. In my tests, I was able to easily configure, save, and connect to my servers without any issues.

Forklift is also smart enough to remember all your open window tabs.

You can swap the panes via a keyboard shortcut (Option-Shift-Command-P) or select a specific window pane (Left is Command-Left Arrow, and Right is Command-Right Arrow). And if you want to customize your keyboard shortcuts, Forklift lets you do that, too. Want multiple Forklift windows? No problem. Hit Command-N and a separate Forklift window (with its own split pane) appears.

Also in the Forklift Preferences, you can set a default text editor to use for specific file extensions. So if you want to use TextWrangler for .MEL files and Smultron for .HTML files, you can configure that easily within the program.

There is so much to discover within Forklift. I use it each and every day. And I haven’t even talked about Stacks, Disklets (which lets your apps reach remotely stored files), Droplets, its built-in batch renaming capabilities or its folder synchronization prowess. Did I mention that Forklift 2.0 comes with a full-featured application uninstaller?

(NOTE: the Mac App Store version does NOT support Disklets, but the version you can purchase from the Binary Nights website DOES.)

You can even browse local and remote archives (zip, rar, etc.) as if they were ordinary folders. This feature is a huge convenience for me, as I happen to work with compressed files on an almost daily basis.

You can customize Forklift’s toolbar with features you use on a regular basis.

On mine, I have added buttons to facilitate Move To, Copy To, Rename, and Compress.

In short, Forklift 2.0.8 packs plenty of punch for $30. I know that this article isn’t so much of a review as it is an endorsement, but that’s the way I feel. The program has the spit-and-polish of a true Mac application. In my testing, I found Forklift to be a stable release. The attention to detail is everywhere: from the application’s icon to the layout, Forklift looks just as good as it works – and it works great!

So… are there any downsides?

Nothing really major, but I really want Forklift to save my FTP password info for the servers I connect to on a regular basis. (Update:There is an option to save FTP passwords within the Favorites > Show Favorites area. Hat tip to BinaryNights for letting me know!) Not really a down side, but it’s worth noting that Forklift 2 requires Mac OS X 10.6, which means you’ll have to have an Intel Mac to work it.

Pricing-wise, if you buy directly from Binary Nights, a single license will set you back $29.95. Family pack licenses are $49.95. Or you could buy it off the Mac App Store (MAS) and pay $29.95 and install it on all your Macs. Beware that the MAS version does not include the Disklets feature, so if that’s important to you, buy your copy from the developer’s site.

Bottom line: If you are frustrated by the inefficiencies of moving and copying files within the Finder, you owe it to yourself to try Forklift 2.0 out. And if that’s not enough to sell you, the built-in FTP / SFTP tools and file / folder synchronization features should.

Power users: After using Forklift for a week, you’ll wind up buying a copy. (Hey, it happened to me.)

Forklift 2.0 earns 4.5 out of 5 Bob Weiners.

Update:Thanks to the generosity of BinaryNights, I’m giving away 1 copy of ForkLift 2.0. To enter, simply post a comment below and state which two features of ForkLift you feel would be the most useful to you in your workflow. The winner will be randomly selected and notified by tomorrow at 10AM EST.

Good luck!

Update: We have a winner – reader Jamie Gambell’s number was randomly selected via Random Number. Congrats to Jamie, and thanks to everyone who shared and ReTweeted the contest!

Krishna June 29, 2011 Mac file management software, Mac OS X, productivity, split screen windows