IMO you need to go big from the start.
Your report is not favorable. This is my report, and it's favorable:
http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wr...d243d9bf698595 - I could get a lot of stations with a HBU22.
JMO the reviews for antennas on Amazon are nearly useless. DTV is not like the old analog TV... in most cases, you get a great picture or you get nothing. So glowing reviews are meaningless typically - either it works or it doesn't. And many of the posters have very little understanding of TV reception issues, so a negative review does not tell you much. You are better off asking here, or on the AV forums.
Are you comparing the HBU22 to the HBU55? Go to the Antennacraft site and compare the specs.
http://www.antennacraft.net/Antennas/AntennasHBU.html The 22 is a somewhat less directional, but it also has 3 dB less gain than the 55. That's significant, and corresponds to a doubling of signal power. You need a big antenna for VHF ... the wavelengths are long, and for maximum sensitivity, the antenna elements need to be sized on the order of the received wavelengths.
Check the price from Radio Shack - click the button on the above link.
The DB8 is the predecessor to the Antennas Direct DB8e. It is cheaper because it is an obsolete design. The DB8e is more sensitive than the DB8, and you can aim the panels separately.