Google search seems to be deteorating but it is still the best one out there. I tried to switch to DDG and found myself using the !g trick to get google result way too often.
I started using it a few months ago and I find it's good enough probably 90% of the time. It's often enough that it's not really a pain.
In my experience, for anything technical (code problems, datasheets, component info or news) Google gets me the info I want much faster than DDG. I still have DDG as my default, but very often search again by Google.
For me it's perfect: you get a three-character penalty to remind you that you're sacrificing your privacy for convenience. Up-front cost. I do the same with social apps on my phone, I put them far off right on the dashboard, in a folder. That way, it's a little bit annoying. Just a little.