EAA or European American Arms is an importer of various guns not a manufacturer. (so is Stoeger for that matter but they've been consistant for a while in their products). EAA shotguns used to be the Baikals, which are Russian made. Mine is one of these in 20 ga with a model number IZH-27. Baikal shotguns are now beng imported by Remington and sold under the Spartan brand name. However, there are still a lot of the old EAA Baikals on the shelves and they are generally less $$ than the Spartans. Same gun though - the possible difference being if you need any after purchase service. EAA has pledged to honor all warranty work on Baikals sold under their label. Remington I assume handles Spartan claims. I have no experience with either company so I can't provide an opinion there. Still Baikals have been around a while now and are pretty common so parts and service should not be a real problem regardless.
I can't get to CDNN at the moment to see exactly what you're talking about but if they're Baikals then I can recommend them as a solid basic O/U. Mine has received regular moderate use and I've had no problems. I would add these caveats though especially if buying mail order.
- Baikals tend to be very stiff opening when new. They generally loosen up after about 1000 rounds or so but they don't get sloppy. By itself you shouldn't consider this a problem.
- The front sight bead is a little weak. I replaced mine with a Hi-Viz screw-in bead I got at Wal-Mart for about $5. I'm told there are also longer/larger magnetic Hi-Viz sights available that also work well.
- Baikals are working guns and are about function more than form. I've seen some with very pretty wood (I like mine), I've also seen some stocks that look like they were hacked out of a 2x4. Some people find them a bit heavy which in some respects is a good thing. There's been a general improvement in the last few years but since EAA is clearing their shelves who knows.
- Baikal stocks generally have a cast to them (cast on/cast off??) that favors right handed shooters and the degree varies gun to gun. This can bother left handed shooters like myself. I was lucky and came across a gun with both pretty wood and an almost neutral cast.
The last two points argue in favor of being able to pick up and shoulder the exact gun before purchasing. Regards appearances, don't take this to mean all Baikals look horrible, they don't at all, but they can look rough. If you spend a little effort working on the wood, stripping, restaining and finishing as needed, you can make it quite pretty. A certain amount of this is recommended anyway since the finish is not considered Baikal's strong suit. Some people think this a major drawback, but consider, even ugly Baikals handle pretty well and it's the strength of the metal and the mechanisms inside that make it a good buy. Pretty guns with poor internals become expensive mantle decorations rather quickly. I personally am very pleased with the appearance and perfomance of my Baikal and would have no reservations about buying another.
I would almost bet, if you check around at your gun club that someone there is shooting a Baikal. Don't know about your situation, but some some gun clubs can be rather snooty about who shoots what and won't even bother about lower end guns. Don't be discouraged by attitudes, find someone who owns and shoots the gun and they might even let your son check it out.
Don't forget to stress gun safety and good range manners in all this. Young shooters who respect what they're doing and handle themselves properly will often get some valuable lessons from the old dogs at these ranges. Good ears are as important as good eyes and quick hands.
about girls, though I think that will change probably in two weeks when school starts 
