Farid

F

Fenris

Joined
Oct 5, 1998
Messages
464
I'm not trying to start something here but was wondering about the maker Farid. I saw some of his knives in ads in various magazines. People have mentioned that his knives are rip-offs of other designs and sure enough they look like Emerson and Reeve hybrids as well as others. Anyone have info on this maker?

Thanks,

Jason Yang
 
Jason...in the pictures, Farid's knives look like Emerson, because of the profile and lines of the knife, but in real life, these knives are HUGE. They are so thick and stout as to be almost uncarryable. Quite possibly 1.5x the thickness of one Emerson! They seem to be very well made and since they are extremely overbuilt, perhaps indestructible as well.

I checked them out at the NYC Custom Show this past Nov.
 
The general philosophy seems to be: take what is selling, then exaggerate all the features without any real understanding of what makes the original work. I owe it to the guy to take another look, but his stuff seems to be made for "strongest" bragging rights, without worry about carryability or other performance factors.

Joe
 
Hey guys,

I just came back from the NYC CUstom Knife Show (Sat.) and guess what I came home with? Yes! A Farid Folder. I must admit that last year when I handled his knives I thought they were somewhat ridiculous due to their overbuilt nature. But this year, something happened...

it felt GREAT in my hand. It is an absolutely awesome martial artist's folder. It feels extremely nice in the hand and is finely tuned and balanced which allows for very fluid twirlings, blade manipulations, grip changes etc.

Yes, this knife is still huge, but so what? It's his interpretation and it actually works, at least for me. The knife has no clip but I can carry it quite easily in my jacket pocket or my pants pocket. Its heft lets you know if it's there or not. Also, its weight allows it to sink to the bottom of your pocket so it won't bounce out on a whim. But in all honesty, it really isn't that big. Especially if you are used to carrying significant fixed bladed knives.

The very wide handles provides axcellent grip and maneuverability, the blade is super sharp (more than I can say for many makers at the show), very nicely finished, and absolutely indestructible!

I know there are numerous negative posts about the man and his knives, but he is quite knowledgeable and I like the fact that he does experiment with different materials. He has also been accused of being a rip off artist, but I would like to raise a point...look at how many makers produce ti bolstered, G-10/carbon fiber/micarta handled, tanto chisel (or double) ground knives! Smith, Chamblain, Lightfoot, Elischewitz, Warren Thomas, Viele, Crawford...just to name a few. Are they rip off artists? I don't think so. Also, who just recently incorporated frame locks into their folders... Does Darrel Ralph ring a bell? Is he a rip off artist? How about the bolster lock on the Elischewitz/Crawford Janus? I own knives by all of these makers, I love all of their work and have spoken to many of them. These men influence each other and share ideas to improve their craft. Granted, most of these men have established themselves as credible makers before the tactical Emerson obsession flooded the market, but also many have not or they have not been successful until the boom of the tactical craze.

Regardless, I believe all of the negative hype associatd with Farid to be unneccesary, unprofessional, and undeserving. He is one of the few gentlemen who travels across seas to display his work at our shows in the US and I think he is deserving of a warmer reception.

PLUS....he sells his folders for $200!!! His table is still full of them and tommorrow is the last day of the show. Pick one up if you can. $200 for a handmade of Farid quality is a bargain - you can't lose!

Paul
 
The question of originality comes up again and again when many makers are discussed. I don't think it is such an issue. 95% of knives basically look alike in the first place. Trends add to this. If knives look similar it is one thing, if they look exactly alike it is another entirely. I am much more cocerned with craftsmanship, balance, functionality, and the lines of a knife than I am it's originality.

------------------
Paul Davidson

Them:"What's that clipped to your pocket, a beeper?"
Me:"Uuh....yeah, something like that."


 
There is one thing that is very strange. Farid had a short katana on his table (it was very heavy!) at the NYC Show. It was crafted by him, yet etched onto the sword was Phil Hartsfield's Asian Calligraphy stylized initials - the P was missing the loop so that particular character only consisted of two vertical lines. Otherwise, it looked exactly like the trademark "PH".

Why? Did Hartsfield help Farid make/design the sword? Does Farid know that these "false" calligraphy characters are actually the English initials of a renowned maker?

Anyone else at the show notice this?

[This message has been edited by Ronald Reagan (edited 07 November 1999).]
 
RR,

Interesting...I was at his table, and saw that tanto/kwaiken, and thought it was a Hartsfield because i quickly glanced at the markings you mention.

That did seem strange to me...I thought to myself "Why is he displaying a Hartfield blade?"

His folders did seem abit bulky for my tastes, but if you're into heavily using/abusing your folders, his seem like a viable option.

RM
 
I also saw his table at the NYC show. He had that huge japanese style blade there that resembled a Hartsfield blade.

He also had about 20 CQC6 lookalikes with a handle and blade design that was taken directly from Emerson. The knives were very bulky and not very smooth on the opening however.

Jason
 
Fenris,

Well, one of the reasons I picked one up was due to the fact that it did have a very smooth action...at least the ones I checked out. His washers seem to be very "waxy" and lubricating. It has a nice feel to it.

I've been playing around with it all day and it is a great deal as well as a good fighting folder. For $200, I recommend it!
 
Ronald, Farid's folders have integral locks don't they? What are the handles made of? How heavy are they?
 
KAJNIN, the Farid knives I saw at the Blade show were a linen Micarta using a Liner Lock.

I spoke to him for a while. He told me these knives were meant to do just about anything. Thus the size. They are stout, to say the least. As far as being knock offs, I won't comment on that. I would like to see one of Farid's folders against one of Emerson's best. Emerson claim's to make the #1 Hard use folder, but comparing it to Farid's makes one curious.

Another thought, why use very expensive Emerson ($600 up), when you can get 3 of Farid's for $600 and beat the crap out of them. If one breaks, send it back for repair. You have two as reserve.

The former Commander in Chief has me thinking about getting one.

------------------
Paranoia is only smart thinking
when everyone is out to get you.


 
Well...it seems like Dirk is beginning to see the light!

The lock is basically an integral lock, but the models at the show looked like they were liner locks because there were micarta scales over the interframe. Has anyone ever heard of a locking bar that is 1/8 in.?

I'm not exactly sure on the exact weight of this knife but it is quite heavy for a folder. It feels solid in the hand and is not recommended for all-purpose carry. For instance, I would not carry this in my shorts while I went for a jog or I would not carry it in the pockets of my suit slacks. I would carry it my front jacket pocket at night or in the front pocket of my jeans.

The interframe/liners of the folder are made of some type of nickel alloy which is heat treated to Rc 33. Pretty cool stuff. It's not the typical stainless or ti, but some type of aircraft grade nickel alloy. I can't remember exactly what he told me...

I didn't get much info on the short katana... (it was more like a long tanto) but I picked it up for about 2-3 seconds. It was quite heavy. Basically, my impression was that it looked like a tanto but all similarities ended there. It felt more like a heavy duty machete with a 13-15 in. blade. Regardless, the thing looked very cool.

As for Farid's folders being Emerosn rip offs, I have before me, on my desk, a CQC6, T-1000 Farid, and a Lightfoot 460 tanto. The Farid looks more like a rip off of the Lightfoot. But wait....the Lightfoot looks like a rip off of the Emerson! What's going on here? Who ripped off of who?

Anyway, at least you know you will get a knife if you order it from Farid at a 1/3 of the price from most custom tacticals. And after I saw Emerson's new CQC6's, I'm convinced I got the better end of the deal at the show (go to the Emerson Forum and check out my CQC6 Thread). By the way, Farid offers the same model in a titanium version as well which will actually run ca. $475 - $500.

 
OK guys...I put the T-1000 Farid folder through the spine whack test and it failed....quite miserably. I readjusted the locking bar spring so it would lock tighter and then proceeded with another round of spine whacking. Again, failure. I readjusted the locking bar once more due to the vertical play in the blade and ceased to whack any further - I can't whack spines all night long and readjust locking bars...I do have a life you know!
smile.gif


[This message has been edited by Ronald Reagan (edited 08 November 1999).]
 
Emerson's CQC6 came first and if you just look at Farid's folder in question it's so obvious that it's a direct copy. All of Lightfoot's knives differ from Emerson's knives significantly and don't have that much in common. Both have very different approaches to finishing, handle concepts and detailing as well as blade grind.

I am very curious to see someone put Emerson's handmades to the test. I know of a few who have used some old CQC6's really hard and they held up excellently. I personally think my new Lightfoot Magnum tanto would do better than my CQC6 for hard use however although Emerson handmades are exquisite knives. For defensive purposes I'm sure they wold do fine about I don't know if they can take as much abuse as some may have previously claimed.

Maybe some forum members with CQC6's that they've used for awhile will do some tests?

Jason Yang
 
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