Windows 7 and 10 were decent enough after a clean install. Windows 11 doesn't necessarily feel sluggish but with all the stuff Microsoft blasts at you it doesn't feel like you're getting anything done.
It's like the operative system is constantly fighting you and doesn't want to get out of the way.
I've found DDG to be adequate for the majority of things I search, but when I need something specific or with some nuance, it fails miserably. For that reason I still use Google when I do stuff for work, or when I do troubleshooting. For my daily usage DDG is just fine, though.