A lot of the time, they don't actually swivel, for starters when they're under load. The main reason we use them is because they're a convenient way of attaching a trace to your rig. The main thing you need is strength and reliability.
Living near the sea, it's no surprise my local tackle shop stocks Gemini gear. These are the bits a lot of sea anglers make their rigs from - including swivels designed to withstand chucking rigs with five or six ounces of lead around.
I don't know if sea anglers are more price-conscious than carp or even pike anglers when it comes to such things. But the bits and bobs they use not only come in plainer packaging. They also cost a fair bit less.
Take these Gemini swivels, with an 80lbs breaking strain, which are £2.40 for 25. Swivels in the carp section of the same shop come in a nicer packet, with rig diagrams in several languages. They also cost more than twice as much, for half the breaking strain, which probably works out an expensive way of learning how to explain a carp rig in Italian.
You'd probably struggle to push a 40lbs swivel anywhere near it's limit in most pike fishing situations - apart from repeatedly casting heavy lures, when you'd presumably be looking to step things up for safety's sake in any case.
An 80lbs swivel means a swivel you can just stick on your trace and happily forget about, in my book. So what if they're plain steel-coloured, as opposed to black. Gemini make something else that's totally streets ahead. Stay tune for more on this, when I can remember where I've put them.
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