Read a shuttle's speed marking before comparing packs
Keep the model, speed and shuttle colour separate, and read temperature ranges within the manufacturer's own system.
Start with the full reference
Ask which model and speed your playing group uses. Keep those details together when reading a tube or an offer. A cap colour without the model is an incomplete reference.
Record the words on the packaging as well as any number or colour. Do not convert a code from one brand into another brand's speed unless the manufacturer provides that correspondence. A similar label does not establish the same flight.
Read one manufacturer's example
The Yonex MAVIS 2000 page gives these cap markings and temperature ranges:
- Green cap: Slow, 22–33 °C.
- Blue cap: Medium, 12–23 °C.
- Red cap: Fast, 0–13 °C.
These are this manufacturer's published ranges for this model, not a universal colour code. “Fast” names a speed option; it is not a quality ranking or a measure of a player's level.
Keep speed and shuttle colour separate
The Yonex MAVIS 350 specifications list white and yellow under colour, separately from Slow, Medium and Fast under speed. Record both fields. A yellow shuttle alone does not tell you its speed.
Read the selected variant in the actual offer. A photograph showing several caps or colours does not establish which one will be supplied. If a product code and its written description disagree, ask for confirmation rather than correcting the listing yourself.
Notice what a range does not decide
At 22 °C, the MAVIS 2000 example places the temperature inside both the green and blue ranges. Keep that overlap: the table does not select a single option by temperature alone.
Compare with the group's usual reference and ask an experienced player to check suitability in the hall. This guide does not prescribe a flight test. Do not extend a published range beyond its limits, or turn a city name into a fixed speed recommendation.
Finish with five checks
- What exact model and regional version am I reading about?
- What speed wording or code is stated for the selected variant?
- Have I recorded shuttle colour separately from the speed marking?
- Does the manufacturer's range apply to this model, and does it overlap another range?
- Which uncertain details need confirmation before I decide?
Keep the packaging reference when you find a suitable option. The marking does not promise a lifespan, a number of sessions or identical behaviour from another model.