I used to depend a lot more on online reviews when trying to decide what to buy. I still will often read a few of the reviews but I mostly look at the distribution or rankings which are typically offered in terms of the number of stars. If there are a bunch of 1 star reviews, I will not purchase the product and I will look for a different product.
The reason I don’t put as much faith in online reviews anymore is because I learned there are some companies that will pay freelance writers to craft reviews. I would like to think these writers are providing honest reviews, but I’m not sure.