Obsession HB33 Huntress Review

Editors' review

Obsession has a bow for just about every shooter in their 2019 lineup, and the HB33 Huntress is another example of Obsession including a bow in their lineup for all shooters. The Huntress is extremely similar to the original HB33, which has a little larger grip, different cams, and more finish options. Because of the similarities, the HB33 Huntress may not be as popular as it may have been if it was the only model able to effectively grow with shooters for such a budget friendly price. The Obsession Huntress has the ability to be the only bow a female archer ever owns, and at an extremely reasonable price tag of only $599. Aside from the entry level price point, and the ability to easily grow with shooters, the Huntress is an absolute rockstar of a bow. It shoots well, holds on target effortlessly, and has some little touches to market the bow to female archers, which are often left to make a bow work for them; instead of choosing a bow specifically designed for female archers. For any ladies looking for the best of the best in terms of compound bows for females, Obsession has hit a homerun with the HB33 Huntress.

Finish

Obsession as an archery company may offer the best deal in the business for finishes. The allow a massive amount of personalization offering shooters the ability to choose from a large number of factory finishes and patterns, along with choosing custom factory string from America's Best Bowstrings. Unfortunately, the Obsession HB33 Huntress is somewhat limited when compared to the high Obsession standards in regards to the number of options offered on the Huntress model. However, there are still six riser finishes and four limb options to match up with the nine different string options. For riser options, shooters can choose from black, blue wing teal, champagne, veil cumbre, moonshine muddy girl, and realtree timber. For limb finishes, Obsessions offers the same riser patterns and colors minus champagne and blue wing teal. For strings, camo, flo yellow, flo green, flo orange, flo red, flo purple, black, royal blue, and red, white and blue are options. If shooters wanted a Huntress with more finish options, they could possibly look into the HB33, which is extremely similar.

Riser

The aluminum FX riser design gives shooters the best possible platform with durability and minimal torque being the two most important design characteristics. The riser style is somewhat comparable to the rest of the Obsession designs, but it is clearly different at the same time. The riser cutouts do a great job of keeping this 33 1/4-inch axle-to-axle bow at a weight of only 3.8-pounds. The 6-inch brace height is also a great feeling brace, with some extra boost in performance and speed versus rigs with a little longer brace height for added forgiveness.The adjustable string suppressor rod does a nice job keeping the string from oscillating off a shooter's wrist or clothing. It also helps keep the noise and vibration minimized after the arrow is released. The torqueless angled cable rod containment system allows cables to be less restricted than traditional slide systems, and creates a smooth feeling draw cycle. As the bow is drawn, the cables are contained in a grooved slide letting them move more towards the centerline of the bow upon full draw, and getting out of the way for clean arrow flight after the shooter releases the arrow.

Grip

The Huntress uses a torqueless grip design like the rest of the 2019 Obsession rigs. The riser has a machined in grip, which also features some wooden side plates. These do not have a great deal of function or much to add for the shape and comfort of the grip, but it does help set the bow off a little. The Huntress grip is a bit slimmer and the HB33, presumably to accommodate smaller hands, on average, of many female shooters. The grip has the same Obsession feel, which is appreciated by most archers.

Limbs

Obsession has been a split limb bow company for a while, and they are creating really great limbs. The limbs come from the factory with Axion vibration dampeners as well, which make the bow so much quieter. The Huntress gets peak limb weights of 40, 50, 60, 65, 70, and 80-pounds giving just about all shooters capable of pulling back 30-pounds a solid option to go with for a new bow. To go along with the FX riser, Obsession has outfitted the Huntress with the FX limb pockets. The research and development is fairly impressive for this system, and the 3-piece design functions as well as any engineer could ask for in terms of low tolerances and longevity. Obsession has experienced virtually zero issues with their limbs and pockets, and that should be looked at as a major positive.

Eccentric System

The Obsession HB33 Huntress hybrid cam system helped put Obsession on the map for offering shootable bows with exceptional performance. The cams are available in draw lengths of 26-30-inches in half inch increments. The hybrid cams also feature a rotating module, which is a little different than some other Obsession models. This gives shooters access to a range of draw lengths, making the bow easier for shooters to grow with than having to buy individual modules or even swapping entire cams. The let off also follows the major trend in the hunting bow industry with a higher 85%. In addition to the higher let off, the limbs stops give the back wall a very firm feeling, which some shooters have commented as being a positive when combined with the lower holding weight when holding on target. The HB33 Huntress cams fling arrows up to 348 feet per second as well with the 6-inch brace height.

Draw Cycle/Shootability

The draw cycle created for Obsession bows is great. Everything about the draw force curve just works. The bows seem to effortlessly reach peak weight, transition well into a generous valley, and hold solid against a firm back wall after an 85% let off. The 3.8-pound rig feels lightweight in hand, and balances really well. The axle-to-axle measurement of 33 1/4-inches is a great measurement for decent stability holding on target along with a fair amount of maneuverability for tight hunting spots. The bow after the shot has a spectacular feel as well. The bow holds so well on target, and after the arrow is released, the pin just seems to stay. There is no hand shock to speak of, and the arrow speeds are pretty outstanding, even as the draw lengths get a little shorter. To be fair, not all shooters like a firm back wall, or higher let offs. With that considered, the Huntress may not be for everyone. However, the decision is based on personal preference, and not at a design flaw or anything being wrong with the Huntress. From a shooter's perspective, the HB33 Huntress is really hard to beat for those with a preference for less holding weight and a limb stop cam system.

Usage Scenarios

The Huntress is a nice little bow designed primarily for female shooters. The bow has a fair amount of customization in regards to finish options, and has some pretty ideal specifications to be the only bow a shooter could ever own from an entry level to adult. With the adjustability, female shooters could get the bow as a teenager and the Huntress would be able to grow with them into adulthood. The price point for this bow is about perfect as well, especially considering how great of a shooter this thing is. Kudos to Obsession for truly offering a bow for female shooters in mind.

Obsession HB33 Huntress VS HB33

Bow	Obsession HB33 Huntress	Obsession HB33
Version	2019	2020
Picture
Brace Height	6.5 "	6.5 "
AtA Length	33.25 "	33.25 "
Draw Length	26 " - 30 "	26 " - 30 "
Draw Weight	30 lbs - 70 lbs	30 lbs - 70 lbs
IBO Speed	348 fps	344 fps
Weight	3.8 lbs	3.6 lbs
Let-Off	80%	85%
Where to buy Best prices online	Not available now. Please check later.	$480 Compare prices
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The HB33 Huntress is a slightly modified version of the Obsession HB33 designed specifically to better fit female shooters with a slimmer grip, and a shorter draw cam system. Other than that, the bows are identical to each other. For female shooters, the Huntress finish options are arguably more appealing offering some "girlier" choices. However, the options available are less than the HB33. Both are outstanding options, with the decision more than likely coming down to grip size and finish options. It is amazing to have some tweaks made for an already nice shooting bow to be more accommodating for female shooters. However, if the grip is not a major deal, and there is a finish on the HB33 a shooter may like better, the HB33 will work just fine as well.

Summary

The HB33 Huntress is awesome. Perhaps the largest negative to the Huntress is the minimal difference between it and the HB33. The bow feels awesome on the shot, has a large number of finish patterns to customize and create a little personal flavor on the finished product, and is just about right in every category for growing with shooters as they get bigger. Obsession is marketing this bow as a ladies bow, which could potentially be the only rig a shooter could ever own and that is totally accurate. In addition to that, the HB33 Huntress is only $599. Some folks may be leary they are getting a lower quality rig when considering it is roughly half the price of many flagship bows. However, after spending any amount of time with the Huntress, shooters will understand why some feel this may be the best valued bow on the market for 2019. Some shooters may prefer more holding weight, and a little more give on the back end. However, those without a preference, or those liking the feel of a rock solid back wall with low holding weight, the Obsession HB33 Huntress is worth a hard look for only $599.