Some people prefer Notepad++, but personally, I love TextPad. My only complaint off the top of my head is that Find is F5 instead of CONTROL+F? Not sure what the thought process was there, but whatever. The software is so damn good that I can overlook that minor annoyance.
It loads files instantly, even insanely large ones. I regularly work with stupidly large data dumps, and this thing still opens them within seconds.
It’s free and fully functional, though you’re encouraged to register it. I honestly may do that this year. I’ve been using and enjoying this software for ages now… I’d say the dude who develops this has probably earned my $20 at this point.