Lab Rat,
NKO is expensive. No doubt about it. There are less expensive brands (one of them is linked below) but I'm going to stick with the brand that's got the most research behind it (sold under many different brands: Jarrow, Nature's Way, Mercola's brand, etc.).
least expensive brand (I've seen):
https://www.vitacost.com/NSIKRIAXanthinAntarcticKrillOil
general information about krill oil:
https://www.mercola.com/products/krill_oil.htm
In short, krill oil is thought to be more bioavailable (due to it's natural phospholipid content), more stable (due to it's natural antioxidant content), safer (because lower dosages are necessary and because it's naturally free of PCB's and heavy metals - so it doesn't have to go through the same purification process that fish oil does) and more diverse in it's overall health effects (probably due to the two reasons I mentioned above).
I'll determine if it's working for me in several ways: 1) will it affect my cholesterol levels (primarily in regard to my HDL cholesterol), 2) will it help manage my inflammation, 3) will it affect my overall outlook (mood). I'll be on the lookout for other benefits but those are probably my top three indicators.
At the moment, I'm using this brand of NKO:
https://www.papanature.com/store/Prod...&pid=NWY-15432 (I usually get a discount ... on last order, they took off 7.5% - as a volume discount I believe).
This may be the best overall price (from a reputable source):
https://tinyurl.com/lltvx
I don't buy this particular product from Swanson Vitamins because I'm on the opposite coast (they're stationed in North Carolina) and I don't like to have oil-based products shipped over several days in potentially hot weather.
I hope this answered most of your questions. Let me know if you've got others ...
Be well,
HH