Are these as good as advertised? Do they last longer? Was supposed to have brisket today but the igniter system went bad’ so no brisket today!

You should be able to light it manually.  Check your owners manual.

Yeah, throw a handful of pellets in the burn pot and light them with a fireplace lighter or put a rubbing alcohol soaked cotton ball under them and light it off.

Be careful, tho', alcohol flame isn't visible.  It may be burning but not appear to be.

I replaced mine with the ceramic about a year ago.  So far no issues.  I also got tired of replacing the standard ignitor. 

No issues to date on my RT-700.  Use ~2-3 times a week.

Are these as good as advertised? Do they last longer? Was supposed to have brisket today but the igniter system went bad’ so no brisket today!

Going on two years with my 680 ceramic starter and no issues yet.