Does anyone have any experience with these (compared with the Party Pig and such systems, for example)?

http://www.midwestsupplies.com/kegging/k...em-new-keg.html

If I am primarily brewing LBK batches, is the 3 gallon worthwhile?

Never used it. "Sounds" like a good idea to me.

Weeeeell...the 2.5 or 3 gallon kegs are useful, for sure. BUT, you can probably get used 5 gallon kegs for half the price or less.

You can either keg a single LBK batch in each, using a bit of extra CO2, or you can keg two batches (and if you overfill the LBK, you can get 2.4-2.5 gallons into the fermentor without a lot of problems). You can do 2 of the same, or blend two different beers.

I've done both with 5 gallon kegs. I also started doing larger batches so I could keg 5 gallons at a time more easily.

I would love one of those...but would never pay the new price for it...so no I do not think it is worth it...I got 5 used 5 gallon ball locks for less than that 1 3 gallon...but if you ever see a used one for sell...don't buy it for yourself its a waste of money just let me know about and I will take care of it

Like everyone has said, its hard to justify the price that most people ask. I have one that I use as a third keg in my kegerator and to take to tailgates and such. I found it on Craigslist for $40 though. If you are patient, you can find one for a decent price but it may take a while. I looked for two years before finding one. However in a bigger city they may become available more often.
Adventures in Homebrewing (I think) had used ones last summer for $60. Hope they (or someone) has a deal this year. I could kick my own a$$ for not picking up one or two more.

Thanks, all. I'll lurk at craig's list for a while and see what I can find.

allofcraigs.com

searches every craiglist by keyword, but someone might be willing to ship it to you if you pay for it... i think TheBeerWarrior even bought brew kettles and stuff from some other CL, but someone shipped them to him. you can catch more fish you cast a broader net... write that down.

You can sometimes come across a used one in eBay, but even then it approaches $100 if not over.

if you are fine with the price, then that 3 gallon setup will work out great. with the proper care, it will seriously last you forever too...so that is something to consider. plus the added bonus of the compact size makes them really easy to tuck away and not need a special kegerator. also, you can buy a small 2.5 or 5 pound CO2 tank so you aren't buring through those cartridges all the time.

I was thiiiiiiiiiiiis close to doing just that. but then my wife gave me a thumbs up (after about a year of "discussing" kegging) to build a kegerator. so for the same price as one 3 gallon keg, I picked up four used 5 gallon kegs. I still do "overfill" MB-sized batches of about 2.4 gallons and have not had a single problem or noticed a ridonkulous usage of CO2.

you can get about 22 "regular" pours from a batch this size, but it is also cool to be able to pull a half glass...just cause you can!

so either way, kegging is fun. it is all simply a matter of cost/space analysis on your part.

personally I would rather add more priming solution or more co2 and use a 5gal keg, while I like the look of the new kegs my time isnt worth as much as it will take to make used cornys look that nice.