How to actually get a Blackwing 602 in the UAE
The pencil with no shelf in Dubai — and why it is worth importing
Short answer: you won't find the Blackwing 602 on a shelf in Dubai. No Muji, no Daiso, no bookshop we know of carries it. It's an American pencil with a small, stubborn following, and it has never had a proper retail home in the Gulf. That's exactly why we ship it here.
If you've landed on this page, you probably already know what the 602 is. If you don't: it's the pencil John Steinbeck drafted novels with, the one Chuck Jones used to draw Bugs Bunny, the one Stephen Sondheim refused to work without. The barrel says "Half the Pressure, Twice the Speed," and after a week of using one, you stop thinking that's marketing.
It was discontinued in the late '90s. For years the last boxes traded online for absurd money — people really do get attached to a pencil. It came back in 2010, faithful to the original: incense-cedar barrel, the flat gold ferrule, and that square pink eraser you can slide out and replace.
So how do you get one in the UAE?
Two options, honestly. You can order from the US or Europe yourself — expect a two-to-three week wait, a shipping fee that often costs more than the pencils, and a coin-flip on customs. Or you buy the box of 12 from us. We hold stock, ship across the UAE and the wider Gulf, and tell you the duty situation up front instead of surprising you at the door.
A few things worth knowing before you buy:
- It's firm graphite — the 602 is the hardest in the Blackwing range. Great for writing and precise line work, less so for heavy shading.
- The box of 12 doubles as a pencil cup. Small thing. You'll use it.
- The eraser is replaceable, which quietly tells you the whole thing is built to be kept, not thrown away.
Is it worth it over a normal pencil? For most people writing a grocery list, no. For anyone who drafts, sketches, or just likes the friction of graphite on good paper — yes. A pencil like this doesn't sit in a drawer. It gets used until it's a stub, and then you're a little sad about it.
We keep the Blackwing 602 in the Found Object Stationery collection. It ships to the UAE and across the Middle East.