Flex got real proud of their stuff. Granted, they make nice kit, but the market would bear the price, so up it went.
It really depends a lot on what he wants to do... there’s all sorts of good used rigs out there cheap for HF stuff.
For a beginner who knows they’re headed for licenses and classes that will get them on HF, AND has a reasonably big budget to buy new or used, I’m somewhat partial to recommending the FT857D.
It’ll do nearly anything well enough they can try a bunch of aspects of the hobby, and buy more specialized kit after they find a niche they like. It’s not the best radio out there, but it is a Swiss Army Knife / Muiltitool that’ll do almost anything.
Sadly the monetary markets and the Japanese market/ inflation, have raised the price of that rig significantly over time. I got my first one brand new for a little over $600. I inherited one from dad when he passed and I still use the original one also... they’re tanks, fairly portable, work well enough at almost every mode and band, and just keep going.
If someone really gets into the hobby and builds up a nice shack, they still work great as mobile HF rigs. So there’s never a job I can’t get done with an FT-857D. There’s jobs I can do marginally better with other rigs, but for a quick and dirty project, I reach for those radios.