I have been playing Harmonica since the 1970s and have owned a number of different brands over the years. Unable to resist the price, I purchased a few of these Harley Benton harmonicas, in various keys.
Pros: The harmonica comes in a small, plain, plastic case (That’s no longer a given with more expensive harmonicas) and is wrapped in paper.
It seems to be well made, relatively airtight and in (Checked on a tuning app) tune.
I was also able to get semi-tone bends on all of the correct holes, which is nice since, often, it is nearly impossible to do so on cheaper harmonicas.
The sound is OK (for the price it is fantastic!) It may not be as good as harmonicas costing 10 times as much but it is certainly not 10 times worse. Unlike some other cheap harmonicas, this does not sound like a “cheap squeaker”.
Cons: It would have been nice to have gotten a cleaning cloth with the harmonica, but I suppose for the price one really cannot complain.
In conclusion: The Harley Benton harmonica, like many other Harley-Benton instruments from Thomann, is good value for money. If you just want a harmonica to begin learning on, harmonicas in various keys to accompany other instruments, a good low cost harmonica to practice your bending techniques or simply something to practice with, to “save” your more expensive harmonicas, then the Harley Benton is definitely worth a try.
