I've got a Celestron "Firstscope" which is basically the same as the Orion (but cheaper on ebay
). It's quite satisfying, I took it when I visited my sister out west and there was plenty of detail in Omega Centauri, Jewel Box, and Saturn to have my family oohing and aahing. Obviously if you want a better image then buy a better scope, a $100 4" F/4 Newt is NEVER going to compete with a 'proper' scope. But it will certainly show him some sky, and it's infinitely better than a wobbletronic Tasco.