This may be a newby question,but do harmonics break in over the first few minutes or hours of playing?
I just wondered as lots of things break in or settle down once they’re being used as compared to our the box (e.g. guitar strings take a bit to settle when you put new ones on).
I am a newbie as well. As I understand it, a harmonica might need to acclimate to its environment, but this takes minutes. For example, cold car to body temp. As I saw in a Hohner harmonica factory tour, they tune their harmonicas by hand to give quality control out of the box. I would assume Lee Oscar or Seydel do this but am not sure. I highly down that budget options would be “refined” out of the box. All that typing to say that in my mind a harmonica should come broken in right out of the box. I found this video interesting. As a newbie, I can tell the difference between my Fender Blues Deluxe and Honner Special 20.
Mine will break in when my temper gets the best of me and the harp goes flying but I have broken that habit. As noted above let the warm as close to body temperature before playing. I keep mine inside in a controlled environment to keep the condensation level low.
Sounds like you are now broken in as well. 
Regards,
– Slim 
Slim
No way to get better unless you dislike but learn from mistakes. All my “breaks” resulted from repeating this same mistake over and over. Good thing about being 68 is you forget your mistakes sometimes. Only then did I consider myself somewhat broke. I played softball and loved it until I had a couple of bad trips to the plate. I never thought a person could bend an aluminum out of round by hitting the ground with it. I know for sure its true.
I also loved to play pocket billiards, although the time it takes to be good is time wasted or as my mom called it a misspent childhood. One night I was having a bad night and not to pleased with myself. The waitress came up to me and said there is only one person that can beat you. I ask who. She replied by saying its you when that temper gets the best of you.
I never forgot it as it made so much sense.
I guess at times we get in our own way.
Keep Well
Scott
Nope. I’ve talked to technicians and some do recommend blowing and drawing gently on a harmonica FOR THE VERY FIRST TIME out of the box before WAILING on it.
But others have told me even THAT is a myth. They’re metal. It’s not like guitar strings or a sax reed.