Swany X-Change Ski Gloves – Test and Review

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Updated April 9th, 2024

Manufacturer and Model: Swany X-Change Gloves
List Price: $130

Summary

The Swany X-Change Gloves are a great set of ski gloves that combine warmth, versatility and finger dexterity. They are warm enough for most ski days and have soft construction makes it easy to move your fingers without any need to break in the gloves. They have a waterproof membrane will stand up to a wet and sloppy ski day. They are one of the best ski gloves out there today.

Swany X-Change Gloves Review and Test

I have been skiing with a set of Swany X-Change Gloves for about a decade now. I just replaced my first set of them last winter with another pair because I like them so much. They have soft fingers that are easy to move. They are warm enough for any ski day down to about 20F-25F without needing hand warmers. I have used them on much colder days and they work as long as you keep moving. The zipper on the back of the wrist opens up venting so that your hands don’t overheat on warm spring skiing days. Overall they are just a really good set of ski gloves.

Features Overview

Let’s dig into all the features of the Swany X-Change gloves and what makes them so good.

1 – Warmth (8.0/10)

These gloves use Tri-Plex Alpa insulation. This is a combination of different PrimaLoft Gold insulation weights with cross core gell that provides 30-55% more insulating value than straight PrimaLoft Gold. The X-Change gloves have enough insulation for skiing on days in the 20F-25F range before you feel like you need some extra heat.

I have skied on days as low as -15F with these gloves. They work as long as you are moving and your body is generating a lot of heat. You will get cold fingers when sitting on the lifts for too long. For really polar days now I pull out my Black Diamond Equipment Guide Gloves. They have much heavier insulation than the X-Change gloves. They also have much stiffer fingers to go with it. They are too warm for anything above below freezing.

2 – Dexterity (8.0/10)

The X-Change gloves have very soft feeling fingers that are easy to move. The only downside to them dexterity wise is that they are a bit bulky. They have some thickness to them. They are easy to move and no break in is needed. I wouldn’t even try to shove my hand into my pocket to get something while wearing them. I can grab a coat zipper with them on but that’s about it for things requiring a lot of finger control.

3 – Water Resistance (8.0/10)

These gloves use Swany Dry Lining membrane which is similar to Gore-Tex and allows the gloves to have good water resistance and breathability. I have used these gloves on a 4 day ski trip to Whitefish Montana where it poured rain for all 4 days we were skiing. My hands stayed dry except for water that got in through the cuffs. I never had water soaking in through the fingers.

If you are wearing them on a day when there is heavy rain, put the glove cuff under your jacket cuff. That way the water running down your sleeve doesn’t go straight into your gloves. I normally wear my gloves cuff on top of jacket. I learned the first day of heavy rain to do the opposite on those days.

4 – Construction (8.0/10)

Swany X-Change gloves have a leather palm with nylon soft shell outer. They have what they call a Digitized Palm which is just a more grippy surface in the leather. They have very durable construction that has held up well to rope tow usage and a lot of days on the slope. I only replaced my first set because after 8 years of use the waterproofing was not quite what it once was. The leather on the thumbs had been through a lot of “high drip factor” days and was getting a bit scummy. The stitching and materials were still holding up.

5 – Features (9.0/10)

The X-Change gloves have almost every feature you could want on a ski glove. The only notable missing item is no touch screen compatible finger surfaces. They have webbing straps around the wrists. They have very easy to use elastic sinch straps around the cuff that are easy to pull and loosen while wearing them. They come with wrist leashes so you don’t lose them when you take them off (They aren’t pictured because I don’t use leashes and misplaced them sometime between buying this and doing this review). They also have a squeegee surface on the back of the thumb for wiping your goggle lenses of face.

Recommendation – Buy or No Buy?

I’m on my second set of Swany X-Change Gloves for my personal use so I must like them. They are my go to glove for average to warm temperature ski days. I’ve tried them on everything from powder days to pouring rain days to polar conditions. If you are looking for a set of ski gloves, you can’t go wrong with Swany X-Change ski gloves.

Other gloves to consider

Black Diamond Guide Gloves – The Black Diamond Research Guide Gloves are my go to glove for really cold days. They have removable liners with boiled wool insulation combined with PrimaLoft Gold in the outer gloves. They are very warm and great for sub-zero skiing days. The only downsides is that the fingers are a bit stiff because of all the heavy insulation. They can leave your hands sweating hot on warmer ski days. See our review of the Black Diamond Guide Gloves to learn more.

Hestra Army Leather Patrol Gauntlet – Hestra is known for making some of the best ski gloves out there. The Army Leather Patrol Gauntlet is their warmest non-heated glove. It has a removable lining with G-Loft fleece insulation. They have no Gore-Tex insert and are not waterproof. Hestra Makes a Gore-Tex Army Gauntlet glove but it has reduced insulation and isn’t as warm.

Black Diamond Solano Heated Gloves – These gloves have thick PrimaLoft insulation and GORE-TEX inserts along with a 7.4 volt heating system. They are a little less insulated than the Guide Gloves but have electric heat thrown in to make them even warmer. The only downside is the steep extra cost to get heaters compared to the Guide Gloves. See our review of the Black Diamond Solano to learn more.

See our guide to the best ski gloves for other great options.

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