You both assume he has a Time Machine volume handy. Not everyone does (but should!) - And cloning is different from reinstalling and retaining configurations/apps/accounts from Time Machine, even if the results are similar.
For backups, I recommend Carbon Copy Cloner You can use version 3.5.1 ($40) or 3.4.7 (free, and works well on OS X 10.6, 10.7 and 10.8). You should be aware that CCC also clones the OS X Recovery partition, which SuperDuper! does not.
Yeah, Time Machine is a perfect choice and it is easy to use. 🙂 Just prepare an external hard drive, and connect to Mac. Then, follow the instructions.
Time machine is okay, but it works in a different way. Even though Carbon Cloner is now a paid for app, I'd have to add my vote for it...easy to use, reliable and well worth the investment.