When it comes to howlers I'm an open reed fan. I've heard the howler that you are refering to and don't care for the sound. If I were you I'd stick with the Lohman open reed. Something to understand. In the package the open reed Lohman (made of wood and looks like a duck call) doesn't look like an open reed. They package them with a reed protector, a brown plastic tube, over the reed.
My first howler was a Lohman. I walked around and quacked like a duck for a week, once I got the feel for howling on it I've had little trouble adapting to other open reed howlers.
I lost that howler and missed it dearly. About 2 years after I lost it a co-worker in the Water Department appeared in my office with an old weather beaten call in hand and asked if I'd ever seen one of these (he knew about my predator calling). I told him, "Yes I'd see it when it was new, I'd seen the first coyote called with it and if he did not mind I'd like it back. It was obvious that this was my old call because of the old castrating band that I put on the reed to add stability. I asked where he found it. He found it exactly where I left it, next to a Tucson Water Well. He was glad to return the call to me. I have always intended to repair the old call but it is beyond resurrection. I almost wish that he had never found it. My heart breaks everytime that I see it. Well, I don't break down in tears or anything like that, I just remember how well it served me before I lost it and indirectly destroyed it.
Michael