Inside James Keating's SECRET Knife Collection | Bill Bagwell Bowies, Rare and Untold Stories
Published: 1 week ago
James Keating opens his personal knife collection for an exclusive, never-before-seen look inside the blades, stories, and history that helped shape a lifetime of martial arts and edged-weapons training.
In this special feature-length episode of Tactical Tavern, we sit down with legendary martial artist, knife instructor, and Comtech founder James A. Keating inside his home for an intimate look at knives that have followed him throughout his life.
This isn’t simply a knife collection tour. These knives have stories.
James shares rare and custom pieces, explains where they came from, what they meant to him, and the people behind them — including incredible custom Bill Bagwell Bowie knives from one of the most influential Bowie knife makers of the modern era.
We also get an up-close look at knives from Randall, Cold Steel, Spyderco, including the legendary Spyderco Civilian, along with Benchmade knives, custom blades, fighting knives, Bowie knives, and other pieces from James Keating’s personal collection.
And then there’s the Crossada from Bob Dozier.
James shares the story behind one of the blades most closely associated with him, giving us a firsthand account that knife collectors and longtime students of Keating’s work won’t want to miss.
For more than an hour, James talks knives, martial arts, knife history, custom knife makers, Bowie knife culture, Filipino martial arts, edged-weapons training, and the people and experiences behind some truly remarkable pieces.
This is footage we’ve never released before.
It was filmed inside James Keating’s home with exclusive access to his personal collection, and I’m incredibly grateful that James trusted Tactical Tavern to document these knives and the stories behind them.
If you’re interested in:
• James Keating / James A. Keating
• Bill Bagwell knives and custom Bowie knives
• Bowie knife history and Bowie knife fighting
• Spyderco knives and the Spyderco Civilian
• Benchmade knives
• Custom knife collecting
• Vintage and rare knives
• Fighting knives and martial blade history
• Filipino Martial Arts / FMA
• Western martial arts and edged weapons
• COMTECH / Combat Technologies
• Knife design and knife makers
• Martial arts history
• Tactical knives and EDC
• The history and culture surrounding the fighting Bowie
…this is an episode you don’t want to miss.
???? TRAIN WITH & SUPPORT JAMES KEATING
James continues to preserve and share decades of knowledge through his classes, seminars, and instructional material. If you would like to learn from James Keating, call 541-938-3451 or email here: comtech@bmi.net or message me on Facebook. Group classes held Every Saturday at 10am in Milton Freewater, Oregon (Call for details).
???? JAMES KEATING INSTRUCTIONAL VIDEOS / GUMROAD:
https://jameskeatingscomtech.gumroad.com/
Supporting James directly helps preserve his work and allows another generation of martial artists to learn from the material he has spent a lifetime developing.
Purchase his Stinger keychain self defense tool here: https://collabs.shop/fr9qat
Click here to check out gadgets, gear, and save money with discount codes: https://tacticaltavern.taplink.ws
???? WATCH THE PREVIOUS JAMES KEATING EPISODE:
MACHETE FIGHTING — James Keating Teaches Real Skills That Save Lives
https://youtu.be/k9LagQ_xJzc
In that episode, James takes us outside and teaches his approach to the machete — movement, timing, distance, blade dynamics, and concepts developed through a lifetime of martial study.
This series isn’t just about techniques or collecting knives. It’s about documenting the people, knowledge, stories, and history behind this culture while we still have the opportunity to hear them firsthand.
If this episode means something to you, LIKE the video, leave a COMMENT, and SHARE it with someone who appreciates knife history and martial arts.
And if you’re new here, SUBSCRIBE to Tactical Tavern. There is much more to come.
New episode premieres Saturday at 10:00 AM Pacific.
Welcome to the Tavern.
In this special feature-length episode of Tactical Tavern, we sit down with legendary martial artist, knife instructor, and Comtech founder James A. Keating inside his home for an intimate look at knives that have followed him throughout his life.
This isn’t simply a knife collection tour. These knives have stories.
James shares rare and custom pieces, explains where they came from, what they meant to him, and the people behind them — including incredible custom Bill Bagwell Bowie knives from one of the most influential Bowie knife makers of the modern era.
We also get an up-close look at knives from Randall, Cold Steel, Spyderco, including the legendary Spyderco Civilian, along with Benchmade knives, custom blades, fighting knives, Bowie knives, and other pieces from James Keating’s personal collection.
And then there’s the Crossada from Bob Dozier.
James shares the story behind one of the blades most closely associated with him, giving us a firsthand account that knife collectors and longtime students of Keating’s work won’t want to miss.
For more than an hour, James talks knives, martial arts, knife history, custom knife makers, Bowie knife culture, Filipino martial arts, edged-weapons training, and the people and experiences behind some truly remarkable pieces.
This is footage we’ve never released before.
It was filmed inside James Keating’s home with exclusive access to his personal collection, and I’m incredibly grateful that James trusted Tactical Tavern to document these knives and the stories behind them.
If you’re interested in:
• James Keating / James A. Keating
• Bill Bagwell knives and custom Bowie knives
• Bowie knife history and Bowie knife fighting
• Spyderco knives and the Spyderco Civilian
• Benchmade knives
• Custom knife collecting
• Vintage and rare knives
• Fighting knives and martial blade history
• Filipino Martial Arts / FMA
• Western martial arts and edged weapons
• COMTECH / Combat Technologies
• Knife design and knife makers
• Martial arts history
• Tactical knives and EDC
• The history and culture surrounding the fighting Bowie
…this is an episode you don’t want to miss.
???? TRAIN WITH & SUPPORT JAMES KEATING
James continues to preserve and share decades of knowledge through his classes, seminars, and instructional material. If you would like to learn from James Keating, call 541-938-3451 or email here: comtech@bmi.net or message me on Facebook. Group classes held Every Saturday at 10am in Milton Freewater, Oregon (Call for details).
???? JAMES KEATING INSTRUCTIONAL VIDEOS / GUMROAD:
https://jameskeatingscomtech.gumroad.com/
Supporting James directly helps preserve his work and allows another generation of martial artists to learn from the material he has spent a lifetime developing.
Purchase his Stinger keychain self defense tool here: https://collabs.shop/fr9qat
Click here to check out gadgets, gear, and save money with discount codes: https://tacticaltavern.taplink.ws
???? WATCH THE PREVIOUS JAMES KEATING EPISODE:
MACHETE FIGHTING — James Keating Teaches Real Skills That Save Lives
https://youtu.be/k9LagQ_xJzc
In that episode, James takes us outside and teaches his approach to the machete — movement, timing, distance, blade dynamics, and concepts developed through a lifetime of martial study.
This series isn’t just about techniques or collecting knives. It’s about documenting the people, knowledge, stories, and history behind this culture while we still have the opportunity to hear them firsthand.
If this episode means something to you, LIKE the video, leave a COMMENT, and SHARE it with someone who appreciates knife history and martial arts.
And if you’re new here, SUBSCRIBE to Tactical Tavern. There is much more to come.
New episode premieres Saturday at 10:00 AM Pacific.
Welcome to the Tavern.