Solo -
3%, HAA, who are you kidding ?
Some brands "claim" 3% to 10% on "repeatability" and down to .01% on "accuracy". I seriously doubt it.
Like you, spending my most all of my working life (Aerospace Industry) expecting to see (realistically !) 3% to 5% in both accuracy AND repeatability. And with the hope of .5% to 2.0% in accuracy AND repeatability, but this ISN'T likely.
And as you say..."accuracy" is a MUCH secondary piece of information to the "repeatability". I'd MUCH rather see an "accuracy" reading of feet per second reading of 850fps, ACTUALLY be 875fps, but in reality I MUCH rather see the "repeatability" of no more that about 2% of the tools scale reading.
Tools reading less than +/-2% accuracy and or repeatability IN REALITY, would cost MUCH more than most any of us could afford. A +/-3% tool is expensive enough.
This is all much like people using a normal dial indicator, and expecting to read "EXACTLY" to three decimal points. Sorry, it ain't gonna happen...accurately. In the manufacturing industry, it's pretty much a "rule of thumb", if you want to measure somewhat "accurately" to two decimal...places, your tool NEEDS to measure to three decimal places. And if you want to measure, somewhat...accurately to three decimal places, your tool needs to read to...four decimal places...and so on.
Oh yeah...DO NOT depend on the first 10%, or last 10% of your torque wrench being accurate ! Even the tools manufacturer will tell you this fact ! and this is for a "quality" wrench .
Just the way life is in the measurement world.
Mike