Wings has a Tweak feature  (it's literally called that). Last I checked, it's a direct manipulation of the vertices without constraint to an axis. I think it supports soft selection but I forget. 

Blender is a good tool but not for everyone. If you have tried it in the past and found the interface less than friendly, you probably still will, as it hasn't really changed enough in my opinion to make itself more accessible.  That said, it has many powerful modeling features and should be considered just like any other modeling app.

Edit:

One of the saddest things ever is the decision by Nevercenter to call Silo "finished". It has/had an excellent modeling feature set and still manages to get things done in fewer clicks than bigger apps like Modo. However, unlike Modo, it has not advanced its modeling feature set and has already begun to fade in terms of relevance. That said, it's interface is very uncluttered - almost the exact opposite of Blender, which can result in a similar feeling of being "lost". So if you're considering Silo at all, take those things into account. I wouldn't be the modeler I am today without it but I'm fast becoming hard pressed to feel good recommending it due to the unlikely possibility of it being updated.

Now if you have a bit more cash, Modo really is an excellent modeler - takes a few more clicks to get things done and some functions have Hexagon's annoying need to be terminated even after you've released the mouse but it's becoming used more widely - especially now with it having some integration with Mari (I think even some of the paint tools are borrowed from Mari now). The Mesh Fusion feature is quite possibly one of the coolest things ever and the community is very giving, very friendly, and very knowledgable. If you can't afford Max or Maya or Houdini, I'd suggest Modo on the strength of it's wide range of modeling tools alone but the interface is also has a little bit of a learning curve if you're coming from another app after years of using it.  I wish I could say anything about Lightwave - I only used it very briefly back in version 5.0 but that's another mid-priced modeler that still has use out in the world.