List, I have over the past couple of years learned a lot about my extended family and my R-L617 subclade from YElite, and BigY. In my case I have tested on these tests 8 of my surname from adjoining villages related over the past 500 years, but with mostly unknown relationships. This has enabled the 8 to be linked in a firm tree structure based on Y SNPs discovered at about 100 to 150 year intervals, with tentative common ancestors identified at various branch points. Further, 4 more of different surnames have tested who are related to my line perhaps 800 years ago, and by sharing information we have the tentative name of the common ancestor living 800 years ago. These tests like BigY have also started a new age in genealogy where we can discover the meanderings of our ancestors even further back, over the past 3,000 to 4,000 years. In my case I have discovered the first traces of the R-L617 subclade tree structure, starting possibly in Iberia 3,000 to 4,000 years ago, and branching out into Northern Europe and the rest of the World from the Bronze Age onwards. For me this has been one of the most interesting developments in genetic genealogy. Who knows how far this story will develop if archaeological DNA testing stumbles across some of the early R-L617 family. You need to get lucky, but if you are not in the game, you can't get lucky. Since the BigY sale was announced I and a number of other L617s have spent a lot of time contacting known L617s, and making them aware of the sale, and the benefits of testing. Our efforts have resulted in at least 5 new tests for persons in the R-L617 subclade. When these new tests are completed, we will have over 20 L617s tested on either YElite, or BigY. Having 20 or more tested is a huge benefit, as the amount we can learn depends on having distant kin tested to compare to. But these things have to start somewhere...... with the first test which often primes the pump. The YElite test at fullgenomes.com is the most comprehensive of its type. BigY at familytreedna.com is middle of the road, a good test, attractive at sale price, and has the advantage of good FTDNA customer matching systems, surname and haplogroup projects etc which are not too difficult for new people to DNA to use. Lower cost offerings by fullgenomes.com are 2x and 4x coverage full genome tests, which enable lower budget individuals to get onto the lower rungs of the Y SNP testing ladder. This posting was intended by me to be just 2 lines, saying "don't forget to consider taking advantage of the BigY sale ending on 11 Oct 2015". Also spread the word to others. You don't need to be pushy, just make others aware, some will test, some won't. That is my message! John. Sent from my iPad