I’ve shot the Marlin, Winchester, Browning, and Henry models. And over the years I’ve owned all but the Browning.
As has been pointed out, the Marlin is old school and solid. It’s lever action is reasonably smooth, and in my experience is the most accurate, even rivaling some of the finest bolt action sporter 22s. Fit and finish are middle of the road. Made in USA.
The Winchester is the finest in terms of both strength and design. It’s action is smoother than the Marlin and is a modern design with positive feed and solid lockup. I consider it the pinnacle of 22 lever guns. Fit and finish was excellent on these guns. Made in USA.
The Browning is the most modern in design, and was introduced at about the same time as the Winchester. It’s action is stiffer than any of the others, chiefly due to it’s shorter throw. Like the Winchester, it has positive feed, solid lockup, and the finest in fit and finish. Was made in Japan for many years, and probably still is today.
I’ve owned two of the Henrys. Both were very accurate and a blast to shoot with the smoothest lever action of them all. The earliest one I owned didn’t lock up properly when the lever was closed. The second one had no such problem. In my opinion, the Henry is the weakest in terms of design and is the only one that doesn’t use a steel receiver. Never the less, they are a blast to shoot.
Today, I own only one 22 lever gun, the very first gun I bought, a 39A purchased new in ’74 (when it’s list price was $125). I bought it over the then new 9422 after asking my gunsmith grandfather for a recommendation. He said that anybody who knows anything about them buys the Marlin due to it’s strong parts, threaded barrel, and solid machined action. And they are still making them today, while the arguably better Winchester was dropped some time ago.