It’s pretty safe and accurate to say that I know very little about harmonicas, but one thing I can say with great certainty: If you’ve never played one before and are thinking about purchasing one, GET A HOHNER SPECIAL 20.
When I decided to have a go at playing the harmonica, I bought a few. Harmonicas are tuned to a specific key, so if you plan to play songs in different keys, you need multiple harmonicas.
I purchased a few different brands of varying price, and as with most items, you get what you pay for. The least expensive was a Fender, and it’s garbage. My mid-range model was from East top, and it plays very nicely.
The Hohner, while still very affordable, was the most expensive of the set, but worth every penny. The big difference between the Hohner and the others is the fact that a consistent breath pressure, whether blowing or drawing, produces a consistent tone, up and down the scale. The Fender, by contrast, requires much greater pressure at certain points along the scale to produce any sound at all. This will make learning a very frustrating task.
There may be models out there that are better than the Hohner Special 20, but of the brands and models I’ve sampled, it’s the best by a longshot.