Yeah, why limit yourself to Harke or MB? There are lotsa good amps out there - so why the either/or choice?
Me, were I to buy new gear, I'd find an Aguilar dealer and really give that a test drive. I'm guessing a 751 would drive my Epi 4x10 nicely...
Im guessing he is limited in cash funds and cant just buy anything. I had a HA2500 for a while and at first I thought it sounded too "vanilla". That however was playing it solo. In the band mix it sounded much better. It didnt have enough wattage for me though and I ended up buying a LMII. The Markbass kills! Especially for its size. Go for the LMII.