OP, we are all different as to likes and ho hums and dislikes. If we weren't, everyone would want my wife.
I can fully understand trying to get the lowdown from the experience of others. The thing is, you're the one that needs to be pleased with your choice and I suspect you already know what it is you like.
There are a lot of options out there for semis and relatively few options for lever actions.
My advice to you is to go to your LGS and ask to handle both types and choose from there.
I would also suggest that one thing to take into consideration is the quality of the firearm you choose. Some of the cheaper Norinco knock off types actually function quite reliably but don't expect the accuracy out of them that you get from your CZ. Then again, there is a relative unknown in Canada which is made in Mexico, the Mendoza Puma, which is IMHO one of the best bangs for your buck out there.
I like semi auto 22 rifles and have a couple to prove it. Both are relatively expensive in comparison to the Norincos and some of the others out there. One which I purchased from the EE on this site is a milsurp lookalike MP44, which is a dream to shoot as it's so heavy it doesn't even raise the muzzle when fired. It feeds flawlessly and shoots better than my aging eyes let it. The other is a Browning BAR, tube fed. It's now close to 30 years old and it doesn't care which ammo you fill the tube with it's always reliable and consistently accurate. Of course, both of these rifles shoot the different brands of ammo to slightly different points of impact.
Lever actions are another "you get what you pay for" item. I recently tried a Henry and IMHO it wasn't worth what I paid for it. Beautiful wood and finish, functioned very well with different makes of ammo but accuracy was mediocre at best. Still it was a good plinker out in the field. I had a Winchester 94/22 as well and liked it but the son of a very good friend liked it a lot more than I did and seeing as he tries to help out the old man down the block regularly I felt it should go under last year's Christmas tree for him. That leaves me with a BLR22. It's a great little rifle. Feeds flawlessly, accurate with any brand of ammo butttt not cheap.
The next and likely most pertinent consideration for your personal decision is "what are you going to use the rifle for?" If you're looking for something to make cans bounce, shoot at chunks of wood in a creek to practice on moving targets, shoot gophers in the spring or shoot the heads off grouse, you're likely best option is to stick with your bolt actions. Mind you both of my Brownings are easily accurate enough for all around shooting.
If the cost of ammo is a factor, then go for the lever action. I find with the semis in the field I can go through a brick of ammo in a few hours easily, especially with the MP44-22. The Pietta 50 I sold to my Stepson with the 50 round drum was quite accurate and well made but had a horrendous appetite for ammo. I had to be really careful to clean it after a couple of drums of quick shooting or it would start to get lead fouling.
In the end, just get the rifle you think you will have the most fun with. It's all a learning curve, which is a major part of the fun.
