Jedi effectively has two paths (pun intended):
1) Replace His VCR With A Multi-Format
This would negate the need for him to buy a new DVD recorder, it would give better picture quality on his archived NTSC VHS recordings and would . The device would also holds it's value reasonably well if he went to re-sell it after archiving his videos.
2) Replace His DVDR With One That Can Record PAL60
The E100 is, without the doubt, the best HDD/DVDR combo going at the moment. However it cannot record PAL60. Therefore his next best option would be the Pioneer 5100. This would offer the same functionality as he has now with his E100 but would mean a reduction in picture quality due to the lack of RGB in (as well as lose MPEG4 recording, HighMAT capabilities etc). However any VCR with NTSC playback would fulfill the role as NTSC playback machine. Obviously a quality VCR will give better results than a cheap, naff one.
Purchasing a combination of products like Sky+ and a standalone DVDR will not give the same functionality. Sky+ could, of course, do all your timeshifting - better than any DVDR as it has an EPG and records the digital stream directly. However any recordings you want to edit and archive would need to be recorded in VR mode (either on a RAM disk or DVD-RW disk) which is incompatible with most existing DVD players. You'd require a PC DVD burner to complete the process (or one of the other methods discussed in the 'DVD-RAM (inc DVD-RW VR Mode) To DVD-R' thread at the top of this forum). NONE of the methods are as easy, straightforward and quick as a HDD/DVDR combo.
I would certainly suggest down-grading from a HDD model to a standalone will bring disappointment.