Considered the "workshorse" of the Essbeco range, the heavy-duty DBC 810 lathe was available in two models: the 8-inch (205 mm) centre height 810/8 and 10-inch (250 mm) centre height 810/10. The former could be had with between-centres capacities of 1000 mm, 1500 mm or 2000 mm (40", 60" and 80") and the latter with 1500 mm, 2000 mm and 2500 mm (60", 80" and 100") but were otherwise mechanically almost identical with only the headstock bearings, spindle and spindle bores (56 mm (2.25") on the 810/8 and 76 mm on the 810/10) spindle speeds and the diameter of the (No. 4 Morse taper) tailstock barrel diameter differing. Surprisingly, it was the 8-speed smaller machine, fitted with a single-speed, 1400 rpm 5 hp motor that had the slower top speed (32 to 800 rpm) whilst the larger was more sensibly equipped and mounted a 2-speed 5--7 hp motor (on a bridge at the back of the left-hand cabinet leg) that increased the final range to 24 geometrically-arranged speeds from 20 to 960 rpm. The spindle stop, start and reverse was controlled from a lever (hinged from the bottom of the apron) that turned a third shaft parallel and beneath the power shaft that ran into an electrical switch box below the screwcutting gearbox.
A detachable gap piece in the bed was an option and increased the maximum swing from 400 mm (15.7") to 680 mm (26.8") by 250 mm deep (10") on the 810/8 and from 490 mm (19.3") to 780 mm (30.7") by 290 mm deep (11.4") on the 810/10.
The Norton-pattern screwcutting gearbox on both models was able to generate 45 English pitches from 2 to 60 tpi and 27 metric pitches from 0.5 to 12 mm. The 27 longitudinal feeds (per revolution of the spindle) varied from 0.17 to 1.28 mm (0.006" to 0.50") without changing any gears and, by substituting two gears a further 18 rates of feed from 1.36 to 5.10 mm (0.054" to 0.202"). The power cross feed rates ran from 0.005 to 1.7 mm (0.002" to 0.67"). By using a special 24t gear the feed rates could all be reduced by 40%. The 35 mm (13/8") diameter leadscrew, with a drive that could be disconnected, was supported in tension and ran in ball bearings.
Though robust the carriage carried wings on its saddle that were only partially able to slide past the headstock; this meant that the cross slide had to be offset to the left instead of being in an ideal location in the centre. Both top and cross slides followed usual Essbeco practice in being of the  "balanced" type that, whilst delightful to operate on smaller precision lathes, can be painful when asked to work hard on a big lathe hard. The toolpost supplied as standard was a 4-way indexing type with the more useful and productive quick-set model only available as an extra-cost option. Happily a thread dial indicator, fixed steady, travelling steady, faceplate, catchplate and extra thread-cutting gears were all supplied as part of the standard equipment.
Supported at the headstock and tailstock ends of the bed on cast-iron boxes with small storage cupboards built in the lathe had a rather old-fashioned appearance - and why the tailstock-end storage could not have been made a good deal more generous is a mystery..