I don't think all online vacuum reviews are poor (but some are). If you are in the market for an upright you may wish to consider the
Hoover UH30010COM. It is considered a best buy at several of the sites I have looked at and always gets really good ratings. You can check it out on Amazon - it presently is rated 4.5 out of 5 by 141 consumers. Amazon is always a good source of consumer ratings and reviews.
The other upright you may wish to consider is the Dyson DC25. It is a little pricier than the Hoover. The DC25 all-floors goes for about 400USD while the Hoover is about 250USD. The Dyson also gets excellent ratings and it has hundreds upon hundreds or consumer ratings - from many different sources, not just Amazon (a very popular upright).