Thread: Hello! Noob with questions (bet your surprised)

Hello,
I've been reading the forums for some time now and finally decided to join.
I'm very new to the whole process, but followed the advice here and went shopping in antique stores for a razor.
My first stop, I found a 7 day kit of razors, but have been unable to identify them through Google or the wiki lists here on this site. I would like to buy them, but wanted to hear everyone's thoughts beforehand.
The box looks original, (maybe ostrich) and inside are 6 razors labeled for each day of the week (Monday has been sold). On each razor reads:
Kiebitz (with Do-Do- like bird emblem) across the entire blade reads: High-Class, then on the "back": garantie gebr. emde Solingen-Weyer Germany.
Each razor is also stamped with the #150 on the spine. I am not 100% sure, but the scales feel like ivory. There doesn't appear to be any rust/pitting, just some smudges one might expect. I definitely not a pro, but they "look" really old.
I know they would need to be honed, but would this be a good start for me to learn with? Are they worth anything? I can probably get them all for 60-70 dollars. Has anyone heard of these before? Is there anyway way to find out what kind of steel (they feel/look like carbon)?
Any information would be helpful, and very glad to be a member. I'm going to post this in another section just in case as well. Hope this doesn't annoy anyone.

For 60-70$ they will be well worth it, wether the scales are ivory or not. Provided there are no nicks, chips or cracks in the blades or the handles.Go get them NOW!

welcome to srp

well it depends on the condition, clean is a good start, but do the blades look intact and not worn especially irregularly?

they should be able to take a shaving edge, but of course you never know until they're honed. chances are they will be fine.

I wouldn't recommend learning to hone, much less shave, with a set. Even though it's already missing one (then again, who likes Mondays anyway) you probably want to keep the set intact, so you don't want to damage any of them. I'd get that set because it's almost certainly worth the price unless the blades are garbage, but I'd get another cheap razor to practice with.

Kiebitz (with Do-Do- like bird emblem) across the entire blade reads: High-Class, then on the "back": garantie gebr. emde Solingen-Weyer Germany.

May be Kibitz? A lantern is stamped on the tang.

Welcome to SRP. Going along with the previous posters I would say get the set if the razors are in good condition. If you go to the straight razor data base in the Wiki and look at what the profile of a full blade looks like as opposed to one with a flattening along the sides of the spine, wide at the heel and narrow at the point from uneven honing. IOW, if they have full blades and no rust or pitting near the edge, no chips or cracks then get them. You can also look at ebay and you'll see examples of uneven blades. Stay away from those.

Originally Posted by manah

May be Kibitz? A lantern is stamped on the tang.

No lantern, I double-checked the spelling, and it is Kiebitz. The design is of a fat bird that really looks like a Dodo bird or a fat chicken. =) I am going to get these and send in a picture ASAP. Thank you very much for your help.

Thanks for responding. I checked the database here before posting and didn't see anything that matched. The razors look "normal" to me, but what would I know, I'm too inexperienced. Thanks for responding.

Originally Posted by Utopian

I wouldn't recommend learning to hone, much less shave, with a set. Even though it's already missing one (then again, who likes Mondays anyway) you probably want to keep the set intact, so you don't want to damage any of them. I'd get that set because it's almost certainly worth the price unless the blades are garbage, but I'd get another cheap razor to practice with.

This sounds like a plan. I'm really very interested in learning how to hone, but I haven't even put a blade to my face yet, so I've got a lot to learn.
Thank you

Please post pictures of your Kiebitz razors !

I happen to own one myself.

Once I'm done restoring it (it's in the tumbler at the moment) I'll post you a picture of it ...