Yes fscanf() is a total failure
Woah, straw-man argument to the extreme! Who said fscanf() is a total failure?

it beats using fgets and any standard assignment function
What is a "standard assignment function"? This is just a made-up term that you are using to formulate some sort of point. What you mean to say is that fscanf() is faster than using both fgets() and sscanf() together. So what? sscanf() has the same general algorithm as fscanf(), and therefore it has the same inefficiencies. You are not making a point at all, you are merely stating the obvious.

At any rate, you are running away from your original argument. I'll post it here in case you don't remember what it was:
Show me a test on the same equipment, where fscanf is slower than fgets + parsing out the data from the fgets buffer.

You can't, period.
Your original argument never mentioned sscanf(). It was just fscanf() vs fgets(). It is very easy to prove that using fgets() + parsing the buffer with some reasonable code will always be faster than fscanf(). That was the argument. Stop trying to turn it into fscanf() vs sscanf() because no one other than you has been arguing that point.

This thread has now completely been derailed. I'm sorry.