[Sparkologist]

It's the old adage, to what type of walking will he be doing and how much do you want to pay? Is it mountain walking or winter walking?
He needs to go to a shop with a decent range of different brands and styles, to try them on. There are two good shops in Manchester that i have used. There is the main Ellis Brigham shop, on Liverpool road in Castlefield, and there is also a branch of Field & Trek on Deansgate. Both shops match one another for price and are ususally about the cheapest around, although it would appear that there is a price cartel operating in this country. They both have extensive websites. Blackburn Camping Centre used to have a good range of boots, but i cannot condone or condemn it, as i haven't been in for a while.
Personally, i wear Scarpa boots, they're well made and will take some punishment.