OP wrote (about his configuration):
"HDD, mid 2010 MacBook Pro, 4 GB RAM"
That isn't "enough".
You need 8gb of RAM -and- an SSD.
Otherwise, you're not going to get performance out of it that is "satisfyingly enough".
Since the advent of Mavericks, Apple's engineers apparently have designed the Mac OS to "run its best" on hardware platforms that have both an SSD and a larger compliment of RAM.
This isn't to say that the OS will run on an older Mac -- it will. But the user experience will feel less like "running", and more like "walking".
I realize that the "perception of speed" from the user's viewpoint is a highly personal matter, and what "feels slow" to me may not for you.
My opinion only.
Others will disagree.
Some will disagree vehemently.