Positives?..negatives?

see above for info on A-2 steel>>>KNIFE & BLADE FAQS
http://www.knifeart.com/steelfaqbyjo.html

i used to work with A-2 in tool and die making. that's a nice steel to be sure. i have a Reeve Jereboam II made of A-2. it takes a NICE edge and holds it well!! not really hard to resharpen either. it's good TOUGH steel that can take a hard heat treating. i have a Walter Brend made of D-2 and it can be a bitch to sharpen, of course when it finally does get dull. but i think i prefer the A-2, and AUS8A, and 440-C. there's a few carbon steels i like as well.

Very good, very tough steel.  Excellent for knives.

I've got a Bark River Knife & Tool Co Woodland in A2 with a convex grind that works very well.  It isn't the longest edge holding knife I have, but the convex grind is real easy to re-touch-up to razor sharp in the field.  The A2 wasn't supposed to be very stain resistance but I find it to be.  

Busse Combat used to use it before INFI was developed. They said A2 could take a pounding at -60 below zero with out shattering.