There are plenty of markets that are free enough that the advantages (and disadvantages) of free markets are clear.
No there aren't, because people like you keep forgetting (or ignoring?) one of the main prerequisites that Adam Smith described for a "free market" to work: equal knowledge of buyer and seller.
For a free market to work (according to Smith), a seller must be aware of all "ingredients" (cost of work for production, production methods, cost of raw materials etc.) of a product in order to decide a) the product's worth and b) being able to compare it to similar products. The cheap, low quality knife might be good enough for me, whereas the professional cook goes for the high quality and expensive one.
So, be honest: for how many of the products you buy each day, do you know the exact raw material combination? Are you able to judge the toxic level of all chemicals used in those products? Do you know the medications given to the animal whose meat you're buying, all the herbicides and fertilizers used for those vegetables, how many kid's slave labor is involved in the production of that t-shirt and how many m of fresh water have been contaminated during the mining of these rare earth used in your new gadget?
No, the parent was correct: free market (as defined by Smith) does not exist. Not even close these days.