I'm still experimenting with the various materials; have not tried ceramic yet. So far, in rainy, hilly Seattle, on a 5-days-a-week, year-round commute, squealing and lack of bite have not been a problem for me. Maybe I'm changing them before the problems manifest.
Since this is an easy-to-replace consumable, I tend to buy cheap on Amazon. The downside is that you are not sure what you are getting (the last set said "copper" - I am not sure what that means). I seem to get about 1,000-1,500 miles per set.
I find that if I am doing that much work, bleeding the brakes (not a full mineral oil replacement) is worth the little bit of extra effort. Have to get extra o-rings though.