Mountain Biking - Shifters for old mnt bike

Curious which shifters everybody likes?. I have sram grip shifters on my old bike and would like to try some trigger shifters that don't break the bank. Was thinking the shimano alivio's would fit the bill for me. Looking for ones that mount on the bars, not ones that mount as a whole shifter/brake lever assembly. I have a 7 speed freewheel.
What are the differences btw the models, like I see some as an M410, MC20, etc.. I don't know what those numbers mean, or if they are just older models or whatever. Thanks :thumb:

How old is the bike? Might want to try and post in the C&V section also to see what the folks there with the older mtb's suggest.

10-15 years, not sure. I'm just curious which shifters people like and why. The freewheel is a new shimano 7 speed, new shimano RD, so pretty much anything will work. I'm leaning toward the sl-m410 8 speed shifters at the moment. Was thinking about a set of the sram cheapies, but didn't like the plastic look or the fact that the levers were all one lever on a single pivot.

MC20 has the integrated brake lever (which you said you don't want). I have the M410s on several of my bikes and am very happy with them. With a little patience new sets can be had on ebay for ~$20.

Curious which shifters everybody likes?.

For 7-speed Shimano?

1. XT or DX thumbshifters - cuz they're light, comfortable, dependable, have friction mode, look good, can shift across entire cogset in one motion.

2. SRT 600 or SRT 800 Gripshifts - Cuz they're light, dependable and can shift across entire cogset with one motion. (if I have trouble with the indexing up front then I might sub in another left shifter like a lowly MRX for its multi-click front shifter).

3. Pretty much everthing else is just OK in my book. Not a fan of integrated brake/shifter either.

Thanks for the answers guys. Went with the 410's off ebay, should be a welcome change :)