PIDLs are generally faster than string paths, and they also provide capabilities that paths simply don’t. In particular, PIDLs allow navigation within the Windows Shell namespace (e.g., Desktop, This PC, Libraries), which aren’t always backed by real filesystem paths. String paths, by contrast, are limited to actual files and folders.
Regarding the slowdown when browsing network locations, this appears to be related to how Windows handles network discovery rather than anything specific to FileVoyager.
For example, navigating directly to a UNC path (like \\server\share) without opening the tree view is typically very fast. However, when the tree view is opened for the first time, FileVoyager asks the system to enumerate all network locations. At that point, Windows may trigger network discovery and attempt to enumerate available resources, which can take noticeable time (around 10-15 seconds in my tests).
This delay seems to come from the operating system’s network enumeration process, not from FileVoyager itself. In more controlled environments, such as professional networks with properly configured discovery or mapped resources, this slowdown is usually not observed.